Film Screening & Discussion Program Report
Project/Program Name: Screening and Discussion (S&D)
Film: RAID INTO TIBET
Reported by: Stanzin Gurmit, Intern
Date of Activity: 21st March, 2025
Strategic Objective: To create awareness of active nonviolence and resilience through screening and discussion.
Venue & Location: Hope Cafe, McLeod, Dharamshala
Total Participants: 3
Resource Person: Stanzin Gurmit (Intern), Pema Lhazom (Finance Officer)
Program Update: This screening took place at the Hope Café.
The screening lasted just 30 minutes. Before it started, we had a casual conversation and introductions. There was one Australian and two Tibetans, who attended specifically for the screening, as the documentary wasn’t available freely on platforms like YouTube or elsewhere.
Introduction to the Documentary:
Raid into Tibet is a documentary that captures the resistance efforts of Tibetan guerrilla fighters who operated from the Mustang region of Nepal between 1960 and 1964. In May 1964, British journalist George Patterson, who had previously lived in Tibet, entered the remote Dzum valley in northern Nepal with a film crew led by director Adrian Cowell and cameraman Chris Menges. They convinced the guerrilla leader, Tendar, to allow them to film a raid inside Tibet. The team traveled with the fighters over a 20,000-foot pass and filmed an attack on a Chinese military convoy.
The CIA and Indian intelligence were alerted to the mission after the headquarters in Mustang had informed them, and the CIA was furious about the breach of security. Despite their efforts to intercept the team and seize the footage, Patterson and his crew managed to escape with the film. Raid into Tibet aired on British television, offering the first visual documentation of the Tibetan freedom struggle under Chinese occupation. Although the CIA’s involvement was never disclosed, the film remained the only significant record of the Mustang Resistance Force’s actions. Adrian Cowell and Chris Menges later achieved fame in their respective fields, with Cowell focusing on the Amazon rainforests and Menges becoming a renowned cinematographer.
Methodology
I introduced myself and gave a brief background on ANEC. I provided some context about Tibet and how they understood the region. After the screening, we engaged in a long discussion, which eventually led to a budding friendship.
Lessons Learned and Challenges Faced:
“Support from one person for us (Tibetans) holds the same value as a vote does to a politician.”
Suggestions for Further Improvement: Nil.
Activity Status: Completed.
