ONE-DAY EVENT TO BENEFIT GRASSROOTS EARTHQUAKE RECOVERY AID IN NEPAL
MONDAY, JUNE 15
2:00, 5:00 & 7:30
This special one day event will screen several films from or about Nepal, including the US premiere of the remastered Academy Award-nominee Himalaya and the Bay Area premiere of Beyond the Edge. Special guests will include author/performer/meditation teacher Wes Nisker, Himalayan Film Festival director Amisha Hada and author/performer Jeff Greenwald. Additional guests will be announced prior to the event.

There will be three programs of films: 2pm, 5pm and 7:30pm.

Donation for each program is $20; an all-day pass is $50.

All proceeds benefit grassroots earthquake recovery aid.
The organizations chosen to be the beneficiaries of the proceeds are Dropka, GMIN and Karuna-Shechen, all noted for their effective grassroots work on the ground in Nepal and their transparency.

PROGRAM ONE – 2:00

HIMALAYA
Directed by Eric Valli
US Premiere

This is the US premiere of the remastered Academy Award nominee filmed on location in once-forbidden Dolpo, the first dramatic film made in Nepal nominated. The story follows a Tibetan caravan as it journeys overland to trade salt for grain, a centuries-old tradition. A rivalry splits the caravan between an old chieftain and the younger Karma, and danger challenges them all at altitudes over 5000 meters.

ORIGINS
Directed by Will Parrinello (in person)

Many things emerged from the energies of the ’60s and ’70s, and one enduring and effective institution is Seva Foundation, based in Berkeley, devoted to compassion in action. With a grant from Steve Jobs, founders included Ram Dass, Larry Brilliant, Wavy Gravy and Jahanara Romney, and when Dr. G. Venkataswamy joined, they launched Seva’s Sight Program in Nepal and India, which has now helped nearly 3.5mm (!) people around the world to see again. This crisply designed film captures the flavor and fervor of the founders and the institution, with music from some of the famous annual Seva concerts by The Grateful Dead, Bonnie Rait, Jackson Browne, CS&N, Elvis Costello and others. “Never doubt that a small group of dedicated people can change the world… the secret to happiness is helping others.”

Plus other works

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PROGRAM TWO – 5:00

LIGHT OF THE VALLEY
Directed by Pema Gellek (in person)

The Swayambhu Stupa has been a landmark in the Katmandu Valley for centuries. This film captures the extraordinary efforts to restore it. Tellingly, it substantially withstood the recent earthquakes.

MUSTANG – JOURNEY OF TRANSFORMATION
Directed by Will Parrinello (in person)

Narrated by Richard Gere, this was beautifully filmed on location in the Mustang region, documenting reconstruction and art restoration efforts at the center of cultural renewal there.

WE CORNER PEOPLE
Directed by Kesang Tseten (live via Skype)

Self-described “corner people” live on the margins in Nepal, a rural subsistence always at risk of the nearby river. Will all the villagers pull together to build a bridge?

Plus other works

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PROGRAM THREE – 7:30

BEYOND THE EDGE – IN 3D
Directed by Leanne Pooley
Bay Area Premiere

Norbu Tenzing, vice president of American Himalayan Foundation and the son of Tenzing Norgay (who made the first ascent of Everest, with Sir Edmund Hillary), will introduce the film. He participated in the film as a narrator and will join us for a Q&A moderated by Jeff Greenwald, after the screening.

The first climbers to successfully summit Mt. Everest were New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary and Nepalese Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, in 1953, climbing from the Nepal side. It was an event that stunned the world and defined an era. Using extraordinary archival footage, skillful reenactments and compelling interviews of participants, this panoramic film, presented in 3D, takes us inside the minds of the heroic team as they struggle up to the top of the world.

THE RINPOCHE SPEAKS
Directed by Renan Ozturk and Freddie Wilkinson

“We worship mountains… If we want peace, we have to reduce our greed.” Ngawang Tenzin Norbu, the reincarnation of Tengboche Rinpoche, spiritual leader of the Sherpa people (who was killed in the 1934 Nepal earthquake), spoke these words two months before the recent earthquake. This concise short uses stunning aerial cinematography in the Himalayas as a backdrop to his frank and inspired message.

Plus other works

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