China Daily Global Edition (USA)
Filmmaker strives to make a difference
Sichuan native Norbu Dradul’s career has ranged from music videos to documentaries
Many young Tibetans long for a stable job in the public sector after graduation, but Norbu Dradul is an exception. The 33-year-old founder and director of the Sichuan Black Tent Film Studio has been making movies and music videos for almost 10 years.
He hails from the vast Zangkar Grassland of Chungchu county, Sichuan province, a location that has inspired him to focus on global concerns such as climate change and ecological conservation.
As a teenager, he liked literature, film and photography, and dreamed of traveling the world with his camera and a laptop.
He got the chance to learn English from Western teachers by taking a four-year course at Qinghai Normal University starting in 2002.
While most of his classmates were busy trying to land a stable government job upon their graduation in 2007, he headed to the remote grasslands with his camera to make a film.
He learned how to make movies with Gonbo Kyab, one of his best friends, and together they collaborated to produce a grassland-themed film in the winter of 2007.
It told the story of the relationship between two nomadic tribes, starred more than 10 nomads hired as actors and actresses and took one month to make.
Dradul cherished the experience of working on that first film, but knew he could do better. So he spent a year as an apprentice to an American filmmaker in Xining, capital of Qinghai province.
This was followed by a twoyear stint in a Tibetan nightclub in Xining.
“I actually had the chance to film and make music videos by working in the club, and taught myself a lot of the skills required,” he said.
“I live for a dream which I have never given up on, and I cherish every step I have taken to make it happen.”
As one-by-one his peers gave up on their dreams, Dradul embraced his failures and setbacks, until he met Pema Tsetan and Sonthargyal — two well-known Tibetan film directors — in Xining, and had the opportunity to learn from them.
Working with the two directors not only built up his confidence, but also gave him a step up on his career path.
With the help of Pema Tsetan, he was able to enroll in the Beijing Film Academy, where he studied for one year.
“I learned both the theory and the practice, and gained a true understanding of film in the academy,” Dradul said.
It also provided him with a chance to meet fellow film enthusiasts and experts, and network with them, he said.
After graduating from the academy, Dradul decided he did not want to find work in a company like most other students.
“I didn’t want to always work for someone else, rushing around with equipment on my back,” he sad.
“As a Tibetan, I have my own things to deal with — I wanted to set up a company, and train my own film team.”
His company, Chengdu Black Tent Film Studio, was established last year. Among its output is documentaries, two of which Dradul is working on at the moment.
One tells the story of an elderly man who, despite living in a cave, has mastered Tibetan medicine, architecture, thangka painting and military tactics, as well as having a profound understanding of Tibetan Buddhism.
“I want to find out why he lives in such a simple way, and why he is so knowledgeable and isolated,” Dradul said.
The other documentary is about climate change — the same topic explored in his short film The Night Mare, which was shortlisted at last year’s Mobile Short Film Festival at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris.
“Many foreign participants were inspired by this film as they had never seen grasslands and Tibetan nomads before,” Dradul said.
“The grassland is the nearest place to the sun, and is the source of many of the world’s rivers — grassland conservation is vital for ecological conservation.
“Some Tibetan scholars have a saying — that the water relies on the grass, and the grass relies on the animals.”
Dradul’s latest documentary will focus on how traditional nomadic life in the Tibet autonomous region helps grass to grow and conserves water.
As well as documentary films, his company has produced more than 300 music videos for Tibetan singers.
Dradul said he wants to focus on improving the quality of Tibetan music videos, and he dreams of putting Tibetan music on the world stage.
“Music videos make a great contribution to Tibetan society as most Tibetans like to listen to songs,” he said.
“The content of Tibetan songs is usually enriched with all aspects of our culture such as folklore, history, health, education, and environment protection.”
Pema Tsetan, a well-known Tibetan film director, said the Tibet’s film industry only really began in the early 2000s.