The Tibet Film Festival calls itself “the only film festival featuring contemporary Tibetan cinema”. Founded in 2009 in Zürich, it now runs annually in Dharamsala, Berlin and London, “showcasing films made by Tibetans in Tibet and in the diaspora”. In its own words, it is “the first festival dedicated solely to Tibetan creatives and seeks to present Tibetan cinematic perspectives to a global audience”.
Tibet Film Festival London “was founded in 2019 by Kunsang Kelden and Dechen Pemba”, and is run by “volunteer curators, producers, translators and editors”. It has “kept a focus on film while gradually expanding to include poetry events, staged readings, workshops and live performance events featuring collaborations with world renowned musicians”. Since starting at Deptford Cinema in south east London, it is “now held in venues such as Genesis Cinema and Rio Cinema in East London”, and has also partnered with London Buddhist Centres and arts spaces such as the October Gallery in Holborn. Alongside the London programme, the festival runs an international Short Film Competition with a London Audience Award voted for in the room.
