Tibet represented at the Isle of Wight Film Festival 2012

Train to Lhasa - Part One of a series of short Tibet travel documentaries currently hosted on the Free Tibet website, - was chosen to open the International Short Film strand at the Isle of Wight Film Festival this year. The film, shot and produced by Island filmmaker Joe Briscoe and his American travelling partner, Derek Smith, details the spectacular journey of a tourist across China on the recently completed train line. The railway, the highest in the world, funnels Chinese workers directly into the ancient Tibetan capital of Lhasa - a method which Beijing uses to justify their occupation of Tibet. Once the filmmakers arrive in Lhasa, they use secretly filmed footage to show the conditions under which people live their daily lives - with armed soldiers patrolling the streets, and sniper rifles constantly aimed at them from surrounding rooftops.

Director Joe Briscoe (2nd from right) outside the Sacred Cinema, Ventnor.

Local media, including the County Press and hyperlocal site Ventnor Blog, attended the screening which took place during the Ventnor Fringe Festival.

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County Press, Friday 24th August 2012, "Weekender" pg.20

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Film tackles Tibet controversy

Review from the County Press website

By Harry Tiley

Friday, August 17, 2012

ISLE OF WIGHT FILM FESTIVAL
QUITE apart from tackling a controversial subject matter — the Chinese presence in the Tibetan city of Lhasa and the effects of the 2008 Tibet riots — this documentary brings much more to the table than textbook controversy.

Filmed in short, illuminating bursts, Derek Smith and Isle of Wight filmmaker Joe Briscoe, narrate and present a world plagued by poverty and oppression in their film Train to Lhasa.

The audience gains a real sense of the pervasive nature of the Chinese occupation of Lhasa and through a haunting soundtrack and cleverly cut handheld footage, the film captures the intense and ever-present fear that hangs over the city and its native culture.

This inspired short — shown as part of this year’s Isle of Wight Film Festival — provided shocks and chills on both a political and emotional level for its audience and is not to be missed.

March for Tibetan Freedom, London 2012 - Report 3/3

THE THIRD of three reports filmed during the March for Tibetan Freedom which took place in London on Tibetan Uprising day 2012.

Stephanie Brigden, director of the London-based 'Free Tibet' organisation, spoke to Joe Briscoe about the urgent situation in Tibet, and outlines the steps the UK should be taking to help:

"In many ways this is Tibet's spring" she said. "We've seen it in Egypt, we've seen it in Libya, it's taking place in Syria - this is now Tibet's spring. It's the time for the British government to stand behind those Tibetan people and to speak out."

Filmed by Joe Briscoe on March 10th, 2012.

Click here to see all the reports on the Tibet Society.

March for Tibetan Freedom, London 2012 - Report 2/3

THE SECOND of three reports filmed during the March for Tibetan Freedom which took place in London on Tibetan Uprising day 2012.

Filmed by Joe Briscoe on March 10th, 2012.

Click here to see the report on the Tibet Society, and here to see on Candle4Tibet.

March for Tibetan Freedom, London 2012 - Report 1/3

THE first of three reports filmed during the March for Tibetan Freedom which took place in London on Tibetan Uprising day 2012.

Filmed by Joe Briscoe on March 10th, 2012.

Click here to see the report on the Tibet Society, here to see on Candle4Tibet,
and here on Tibet Custom.

March for Tibetan Freedom, Photos - Saturday, 10th March 2012

The march heads towards Trafalgar Square.
Photo by Joe Briscoe

"China lies, people die!"
Photo by Joe Briscoe

China: End occupation of Tibet!
Photo by Joe Briscoe

Tibetan Singers
Photo by Joe Briscoe

Tibetan Singers
Photo by Joe Briscoe

Tibetans are sacrificing themselves.
Photo by Joe Briscoe

"What do we want? Free Tibet!"
Photo by Joe Briscoe

"When do we want it? Now!"
Photo by Joe Briscoe

Any photos used must be properly credited. 

Secret Photo: Freedom?

This image from 2009 shows a Chinese security official closely watching
a group of Tibetans on the slopes of the Potala Palace.
Chinese forces were present wherever we saw small gatherings such as this.

Even small gatherings of people are controlled by the Chinese in Tibet.
Photo by: Joe Briscoe, 2009

Any photos used must be properly credited. 

Chinese New Year Celebrations - Freshwater - 29th Jan 2012

THE new Chinese year of the Dragon was celebrated in style on Sunday night with a traditional Chinese lion dance at both Freshwater and Newport Hong Kong Express restaurants. Manager Michael Hang, and martial arts instructor Simon Lailey spoke to Joe Briscoe about the performance, it's meaning, and the importance of recognising different cultures on the Isle of Wight.

Click here to see on IW Radio, here on the County Press,
here on Island Pulse and here on iwightTV.

Secret Photo - Watched every moment

A cropped version of this photo is already available elsewhere on this blog, but here is the full version, clearly showing the sniper in relation to the Jokhang temple.
You also get a better idea of just how oppressive the snipers presence is.

Overlooking the Jokhang temple and the Barkhor,
a Chinese sniper sits in wait - January 2009
Photo by Joe Briscoe

Any photos used must be properly credited.

Secret Photo - Armed Soldiers in the Barkhor.

After recently seeing some of my photos appearing alongside news items on Tibet, I thought I might begin to post a few more photos which I have taken during my travels.

I'll start with another one taken in the Barkhor in January 2009 - this time the face of one of the soldiers and his gun are both clearly visible. Of course photographing the military in Tibet is strictly forbidden, and pictures such as these were taken secretly.

ARMED Chinese guards, their fingers on the triggers,
walk among the Tibetans in Lhasa's Barkhor Square - Jan 09
Photo by Joe Briscoe

Close up: GUNS at the ready, Chinese soldiers patrol the
area around the holy Jokhang temple. (Tibet, 2009)
Photo by Joe Briscoe

Any photos used must be properly credited.

Tibet Sun

It's always worth "googling" yourself every now and then - it's often quite interesting what you find.

For example, today I came across this article on the Tibet Sun site, written by Christopher Bodeen of the Associated Press. Tibet Sun used one of my photos to accompany the article.
http://www.tibetsun.com/archive/2012/01/19/china-to-again-close-tibet-during-sensitive-period/

Nice to see them getting some use.

Click here to see the article

Armed soldiers patrol the Barkhor Square, Lhasa.
Photo by Joe Briscoe

Celebrate New Year in China? Bazooka a building...

So, to mark the end of 2011, I thought these videos of some Chinese new year celebrations would make for a nice final post. I filmed these short clips in the Chinese city of Guilin in February 2007 upon watching a child launching explosives into the air.

As the father and child crouch to the ground for extra stability,

they decide to aim the weapon at the nearby building.

 

Try to celebrate your new year a little more safely than these guys!

Bring on 2012. Happy New Year.

Joe.

#OccupyIOW - How many people make an 'occupation'?

It began in New York with Occupy Wall Street, and first hit the UK in London with protesters camping outside St Paul's Cathedral - annoying both the Church and Frank Miller in the process.

But with the whole world seemingly going into the obscurity of 'occupation', where exactly does the Isle of Wight fit into all this?

Feature and Video Report

by Joe Briscoe

AFTER the many hundreds of people that turned out earlier in the year for the Stop the Cuts March in Newport on the Isle of Wight, the fifty or so protesters that "occupied" St Thomas' Square last week seemed something of a disappointment. Indeed, that figure probably also includes the various members of the public that curiously stopped by for a quick listen.

But as one of the speakers at the rally, Unison branch secretary Mark Chiverton said: "It may not be a huge gathering in terms of numbers, but I think symbolically it is very important."

 Mr Chiverton was himself present back in February for the far larger rally, sparked by the Isle of Wight Council's cuts to local services. Back then however, his message was very different, saying that the huge number of people that turned out sent a clear message to the council that the Island was opposed to the cuts, even calling it "the biggest demonstration on the Island for many years, if not ever."

Back then, organisers estimated more than 1,000 people took part, while a less enthusiastic headcount put the number at a still respectable 500. But with #OccupyIOW continuing to receive coverage in the local press, radio and online, and with protesters themselves going on air to defend the numbers, the question which many islanders are asking is: "does a mere fifty people really equate to an occupation?" 

  

In his speech on November 5th - a symbolic choice of date if ever there was one - Mr Chiverton, who disappointingly chose to appear without a Guy Fawkes mask, went on: "This kind of meeting or "occupation" is really multiplying all over the world" he said. "If you look at websites like wikipedia, it's just an indication of how many such gatherings there are at the moment."

And he's right. If the sheer ubiquitousness of the occupy movement is any indicator of the level of support for it, then it continues to do rather well indeed, with new cities and counties going into and out of occupation every day. Gary Younge of The Guardian wrote this piece on just how widespread the protests are only a day after the rally in St Thomas' Square - even going so far as to mention the Island's antics in it.

So is 50 enough? Let's look at the numbers of some of the other local occupations around the country. Two hundred people turned out in Exeter. The same in Norwich. A hundred in Birmingham - more than enough to get the attention of shoppers in the area and make it into the local paper.

But even away from the big cities where fewer numbers are to be expected, the sheer boldness of the protesters has ensured their credibility. An example of this is the BBC coverage of the ten or eleven people who camped out at Occupy Bournemouth and, mirroring the larger scale protests in New York and London, have been fighting their own legal battle to remain. Even the few up in Nottingham and the handful in Bradford - while having even less turn out than on the Isle of Wight - at least had the determination to bring their tents to the party.

 

 So while the speeches of those that gathered on the Isle of Wight show that the protesters may indeed have valid points to make, it seems that many in the area are just not listening. And while attempting to increase the reach of their campaign may be a risky strategy which could result in sympathetic ears becoming crowds of annoyed christmas shoppers, I can't help but feel the local movement is in need of one of two things.

                                                                                        Either they desperately need to increase their number of supporters to a regular three digits (not the ten people that appeared in St James' Square a week later), or they need to unpack their camp beds, wrap up warmly, and pitch their tents outside County Hall or in St. Thomas' Square. Maybe then, people would take more on an interest in finding out just what this is all about.

                                                                                 "I'm as p****d off with everything else as the rest of you"



Read here on Island Pulse.

PART 3: THROUGH THE HIMALAYAS

Part three of the documentary which charts a journey across "China's Tibet"
and through the Himalayas to the Nepalese border.

       Part 3: Through the Himalayas      

First half

Second half

Scroll down to go back and watch parts I & II

What did you think of the documentary?

Have you been to Tibet? What were your experiences?

We would love to know what you thought of this documentary,
so do please comment on the episode below....

PART 2: ACROSS THE PLATEAU

Part two of the documentary which charts a journey across "China's Tibet"
 and through the Himalayas to the Nepalese border.

         Part 2: Across the Plateau         

First half

Second half

PART III: Through the Himalayas COMING SOON...

What did you think of the documentary?

Have you been to Tibet? What were your experiences?

We would love to know what you thought of this documentary,
so do please comment on the episode below....

PART I: TRAIN TO LHASA

Part 1: Train to Lhasa

First half

Second half

PART II: Across the Plateau COMING SOON...

What did you think of the documentary?

Have you been to Tibet? What were your experiences?
Please comment on the episode below....

"I'm looking for the monster from the Han River..."

Today I'm taking a short break from political discussion, while still embracing the wonders of travel.

As a humerous interlude, allow me to share one of my trips to Korea with you.
For those who enjoy foreign films, the Korean hit 'The Host' will be a favourite - and those familiar with the movie will instantly recognise the iconic locations around the city of Seoul.

Web documentary TIBET Part I - COMING SOON

ལྷ་ས་

PART 1: TRAIN TO LHASA

Midnight in Lhasa. Filmmakers Derek Smith
and Joe Briscoe playing with the locals.

At 3,490 metres above sea level, Lhasa (拉萨) sits at the top of the world.

Having given our 'guides' the slip at the earliest possible moment, we immediately ventured out into the city to experience a Lhasa which is currently 'off the record' to foreign tourists.

The people we spent the night talking to, both Chinese and Tibetan were friendly and warm.

To see more of Lhasa and the rest of Tibet, watch part one of the new web documentary 'TIBET', coming soon to untiltheybecomeconscious.

EXCLUSIVE

IN THE coming days, untiltheybecomeconscious will be posting a short series of travel documentaries, filmed in Tibet.

The footage was filmed early in 2009, and documents an entirely overland journey which myself and my good friend made from Shanghai, in China to Delhi, in India.

The films include extensive footage of the incredible train journey across the plateau - the highest train line in the world - along with scenes inside the capital Lhasa, secretly filmed footage from within the infamous Sera monastery, sequences where we travel through mountain passes of over 5,000 metres above sea level, and of course coverage of our time crossing the Himalayas to Mount. Everest.

It is my intention that the majority of people who have never been to Tibet, and will likely never have the chance, will be able to see a glimpse of what life there is like, and will hopefully get a better idea of the situation in the area.

Shot entirely on a handheld video camera, the footage is raw, and the fact that it was filmed as part of an actual journey should underline it's authenticity. This is what it is actually like to travel through Tibet.

I have included a brief preview below of a scene from the third episode:



Please use the comment function below to provide feedback or ask questions.
J

Horrible histories...

A Doctor Hu Jintao doesn't like....

As an unashamed fan of Doctor Who, I can talk for hours about the hundred and one reasons why the show is so great.

And I'm not just any fan, I'm an old-school fan - one who used to watch Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy shout at Davros from, literally, behind the sofa. I caught up with Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker on the repeats and never really let the show die, even when the BBC did.
Now it seems, that Doctor Who, along with other 'time travel' shows, are being banned by the Beijing government. Quite why, is a mystery to me. See if you can understand it.


The NY Times reports here.


Now the reasons I give for thinking so highly of the televised exploits of an alien time-traveller range from good-old nostalgia to the fact that I find it genuinely entertaining, especially now that 'the Grand Moff' is running the show.
But there is far more to it than that.

Students in China fell in love with the Doctor,
as children around the world have.
Photo by: JOE BRISCOE

At it's heart, Doctor Who is an ongoing myth, an epic adventure and a cautionary fairytale. It extolls countless morals and virtues on it's audiences, both kids and adults, and repeatedly tumpets the important things in life, always highlighting how the simple deeds of people here on Earth are just as important and fascinating as the wonders of the far-off worlds that the Time Lord takes his companions to.


Whether it's discovering 'indomitable' humans, struggling for survival in the year one-hundred trillion, claiming that while Earth is most certainly not his home, he has "put a lot of work into it" or actually being banished to our little planet and exiled here during the 1970s, the Doctor is always quick to champion the human race.

The Master controls the Central Military Comission
in Beijing

The show encourages children to question events and to be both curious and wary about everything - be it the perils of modern technology (Cybus ear-pods, ATMOS devices, or Adipose fat-fighting pills) or 'the stranger' in the street. It also goes to great lengths to show how greatness can be found in everyone, whether it's Rose Tyler, who had her eyes opened to a galaxy of possibilities, Martha Jones who saved the world by travelling around and telling stories, or Donna Noble, who regardless of being a 'temp from Chiswick', pulled all of reality back from the brink at the hands of Davros.

The show began as an educational vehicle for children - where the latest advances in technology were woven into the fictional stories in an attempt to get kids interested in science. It was a history lesson too - back in the 1960s William Hartnell encountered pre-historic man, the Romans and even Marco Polo, all the while maintaining the audiences attention with wonderful adventures.

The world's largest standing army -
they all look the same and are controlled by a lunatic.
No change there then.

And it is for all these reasons that when looking for something new, exciting and beneficial to show my Chinese students in class for a treat, I would always go immediately to my Doctor Who DVDs.



In China illegal versions of the show can be found in most DVD shops, and Blink always turned out to be the undoubted favourite, although Tooth & Claw (where the Doctor bumps into Queen Victoria just as a werewolf in unleashed upon the household) came a close second.

In the opening of the latter episode, the Doctor materialises the TARDIS exclaiming:
"1979! Hell of a year! China invades Vietnam. The Muppet Movie. Love that film. Margaret Thatcher. Ugh. Skylab fell to Earth with a little help from me. Nearly took off my thumb!"

 Now, most of us would chuckle at the Thatcher jibe and get on with the story. But not my students. No, they never heard it. Nor did they hear anything about the Muppets either. They never got that far. I looked around, having half expected this.
They were whispering to themselves, with puzzled expressions and disbelief etched into their brows.
China invades Vietnam?
This was the first they new about it. Doctor Who had taught them more truth about the history of their country within the first 15 seconds, than any of their 'history' lessons had throughout their school lives. The doctor triumphs again.

The continued references to China have always made me laugh... be it the gorgeous 'China Planet' in Turn Left, or the hilarious shots of The Master, having transplanted his DNA into the whole of the human race, lining Tiananmen square and preparing to go to war with the Doctor.

Whether that is a 'they all look the same anyway' joke, or just a genuine comment on the colossal size of the Chinese army I'm still not sure. It made me laugh regardless.

For the Chinese government to ban shows like this, which encourage values and wonderful notions of travel, discovery and amazement is a crime - especially as it's a show that captured the imagination of the thousands, yes thousands of Chinese youngsters I have introduced it to over the years.

But if having the doctor tamper with history scares the Chinese government, then so be it. Afterall, tampering with history is something they would know all about...


Further reading: http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2011/apr/15/doctor-who-china-political-order

"I wanted to say something"

It is not often that one hears the honest words “thank you” spoken to a conservative at a ‘stop the cuts’ rally…

But then this was an interesting day.



The police closed traffic around the town to allow the protesters to march
Photo by JOE BRISCOE

THE HIGHEST estimates reckon a thousand and the local press said 500, but however many people really took to the streets of Newport – county town of the Isle of Wight – it was clear that people were nearing the end of their patience.

For me though, the most fascinating story of the day, wasn’t the drums beating steadily at the front of the surge of people, nor was it the way in which the protesters calmly but defiantly overran the town, forcing police to divert traffic every which way.

No, for me the most interesting moment of this smile-raising display of democracy and the right to congregate came ironically at the very end, as it was all winding up. A number of UNISON representatives had been giving rousing speeches, shouting things like “Egypt yesterday, Isle of Wight tomorrow!”, “this is people power in action” and “contact your councillor and give them hell!”, and the requisite booing of David Pugh, head of the IW council, had been conducted as if he were a pantomime villain.

Footage by Joe Briscoe

And when the final cheer had gone up, the crowd, which has seconds before been baying for blood, slowly began to saunter off home to a cup of tea and an evening of Dancing on Ice. How British.

But then the microphone clicked back on.

“I, I wanted to say something” came the voice, trembling. And the exodus halted.

What followed was an emotional speech from a visably affected man - an ex-conservative politician who had heard the march from nearby and felt the need to speak out against the cuts and his party.

Granted the heartfelt speech went to pieces early on, and a polite smattering of applause signified his cue to hand the mic back prematurely, but the point had been made.



"Andrew Turner welcomes you to the 1980s"
Photo by JOE BRISCOE

After the crowds had once again started to leave, I cornered him and asked him why - as a conservative -he had come down in the first place.

“I didn’t realise it was going to kick off but I heard it. Basically, I’m on the other side" he told me.



"I know the game. I’ve played the game of politics. You’re on a hiding to nowhere. The only way you’re going to change it is to get these people out at the ballot box. I’m a conservative but we need a change of direction."

At that moment, a man from the crowd spotted the still shaking man, came over, and thanked him. "It means a hell of a lot” he said.

I asked him why out of all the people standing around he felt compelled to speak out.

“There’s too much apathy. The world has changed. I’m fed up". He replied.
"I’ve been there. I’m conservative and I supported Mrs Thatcher. Right?”



"But I’ve just about had enough of it. For a start the IOW is the most poverty stricken blackspot. And what’s being done to upgrade it and give life some sort of status or quality? Absolutely nothing."

But while the turnout was surprisingly good, I suggested that surely there are many more people who didn't come down to oppose the cuts. What would he say to them?



Library cuts sparked the outrage on the Isle of Wight
Photo by JOE BRISCOE



“It’s not for me to say why people should come out. But here is so much apathy - so much apathy in this country. I’m not promoting revolution or anything but I’m just saying that there has to be a sense of what’s reasonable.” He looks up as we are again interrupted, this time by a young lady.

“I just wanted to say thank you – that you did that” she smiles.

He looks back at me: “I know an awful lot about the running of the council.”

I push: "But you’ve never felt the need to speak out like that before?

“Never. Well I can see deterioration in what I would call moral principles. I just couldn’t help it, I just heard what was going on and…” he trails off.

And while it is always reassuring to see hundreds of people take to the streets in an attempt to make things right, it is equally as important sometimes to see just one person, who for whatever reason feels the necessity to stand up, take the microphone and speak their heart.

They say cut back, we say fight back, indeed.

Footage by Joe Briscoe

Footage by Joe Briscoe