Educational Media Reviews Online

Refugees are people who flee their home countries in fear of persecution often never seeing their homes again. In Goodbye Tibet, this is the last pilgrimage for Kelsang Jigme, a Tibetan refuge guide. He is known for leading children to freedom beyond the Chinese occupied Tibet. They walk on treacherous Himalayan terrain to Nepal and in Nepal there are Tibetan Children villages operated by the Dali Lama’s biological sister Jetsun Pema and her supporters.

The description of this film speaks about a story of six children, but beyond what was original footage taken in 2000 to the present time of the DVD, only three of the six children’s stories are mentioned, two of them by name. Maria Blumencron who is the director in this film is also the narrator and utilized Kelsang’s services in 2000. Kelsang may have made many trips from the Tibet to Nepal border – but on this return trip, only one of the six kids went back with him.

There are no special features included with this DVD. Every scene has Tibetan music and songs, and a view of traditional Tibetan religious culture. There are descriptions of the sites traveled, as well as their altitude. There is also no clear division between the past and the present, which can be confusing. The cinematography is stunning with its footage of the natural landscape.

Because it shows a portion of the world that is rarely travelled and an oppressed nation, I would recommend this for an academic library as well as a public library for general adult audiences. Though this documentary only shows a portion of a story, and a lot is unsaid (such as what happens to the children who don’t make it, or a view from the perspective of actual parents left behind) there is still much to learn from it. This DVD was originally released in German, and has been released in English. A trailer can be found on Vimeo.