''The Search'' or ''Soul Searching'' () is a 2009 Tibetan

romance film Romance films or movies involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their journey ...

written and directed by

Pema Tseden Pema Tseden (), also called Wanma Tsaidan (; born December 1969), is a Tibetan film director and screenwriter of Chinese citizenship. He is a member of the China Film Directors' Guild, China Film Association and Chinese Film Literature Association. ...

. ''The Search'' is the first-ever film made in

Western China Western China (, or rarely ) is the west of China. In the definition of the Chinese government, Western China covers one municipality (Chongqing), six provinces (Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively r ...

Tibet Autonomous Region The Tibet Autonomous Region or Xizang Autonomous Region, often shortened to Tibet or Xizang, is a Provinces of China, province-level Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People's Republic of China in Southwest China. I ...

to have been shot entirely with a Tibetan crew and in the

Tibetan language Tibetan language may refer to: * Classical Tibetan, the classical language used also as a contemporary written standard * Lhasa Tibetan, the most widely used spoken dialect * Any of the other Tibetic languages See also *Old Tibetan, the language ...

. The film picks up the story of a photographer and a director travels from village to village looking for actors to star in a film based on the Tibetan opera ''Drimé Kunden'', a legendary account of a prince who selflessly gives away his children and his own eyes to those in need. The film premiered at

Locarno International Film Festival The Locarno Film Festival is an annual film festival, held every August in Locarno, Switzerland. Founded in 1946, the festival screens films in various competitive and non-competitive sections, including feature-length narrative, documentary, sh ...

on August 11, 2009. ''The Search'' won Special Jury Award at the 12th

Shanghai International Film Festival The Shanghai International Film Festival (, French: ''Festival international du film de Shanghai''), abbreviated SIFF, is one of the largest film festivals in East Asia. "China's biggest film festival" according to the Hollywood Reporter. Nex ...

and was nominated for Golden Goblet.

Plot

A boss leads a director and a photographer to Tibet to look for an actor to star in a film based on the Tibetan opera ''Drimé Kunden'', a legendary account of a prince who selflessly gives away his children and his own eyes to those in need. In order to find a suitable actor, they visits many Tibetan villages, towns and Townships, and monasteries. In a Tibetan village, director chose a girl who played Drimé Kunden's concubine, but the girl has covered her face, and she doesn't want anyone to see her face. The girl asks to follow them to find her former boyfriend, the director answers her request. Along the way, the boss tells the story of his first love. At last, the girl leaves her former boyfriend. The film crew continues to search for a suitable actor.

Cast

* Zong Zhi * Manla Jiepu * Dobe Dorje * Drolma Gyab * Lumo Tso

Production

This film was shot in

Qinghai-Tibet Plateau The Tibetan Plateau (, also known as the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau or the Qing–Zang Plateau () or as the Himalayan Plateau in India, is a vast elevated plateau located at the intersection of Central, South and East Asia covering most of the Tib ...

Accolades

References

External links

* * 2009 films Chinese romantic drama films Tibetan-language films Films shot in Qinghai Films set in Qinghai Films about Tibet Films directed by Pema Tseden {{China-film-stub