When Marvin Litwak read about a 27-year-old who self-immolated at a protest in New Delhi, India, he took his questions to get answered. Now Litwak and Sonam Tseten’s award-winning film PAWO will be shown at EYE for the Buddhist International Film Festival Europe.
It was a report by Dialika Neufeld that compelled Litwak to travel to Dehli, India, and to spend weeks collecting information about a young Tibetan exile, Jamphel Yeshi, who had set himself ablaze just after his 27th birthday. Litawk met Jamphel’s family and friends, spoke with witnesses of the immolation, and even sat on the edge of the martyr’s mattress. Ultimately, the people painted Litwak a portrait of what it is like to live in exile.
Litwak brought a small crew to India to shoot without any official film funding. The crew comprised Germans, Tibetans, an American, and Indian filmmakers who donated their time to help make the movie. And astoundingly, on a rigorous schedule, they shot the film in 30 days.
PAWO follows a young Tibetan boy’s journey into exile, one which culminates in his self-immolation. Shavo Dorjee plays the lead character. He remembers when Jamphel’s self-immolation took place at a rally in Delhi, and like Jamphel, himself escaped from Tibet crossing the Himalayas.
Self-immolation has become an increasingly used form of protest that the victims see as their only solution left against the Chinese government’s occupation of Tibet. More than 150 individuals have set themselves on fire since 2009, as Tibetan activists continue to urge the international community to intervene in the ongoing situation.
PAWO has won awards for Cinematography, Original Score, and Narrative at the International Independent Film Awards and was nominated for Best Feature at the renowned Palm Beach International Film Festival.