Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Thinlas & Dolkar about our stay in sweden

Hello this is Stanzin Dolkar and Thinlas Chorol expressing our view to what happens in our life travelling from Delhi to Sweden. Before we were in Sweden we stayed two nights in Amsterdam and enjoyed Himalaya film festival. It is a very beautiful place. Lot of people were there to watch the film THIN ICE and every body liked it and start presenting themselves to us. In the end of the film people began to ask questions and we were ready to give them answer also. We met some players and coaches in Amsterdam where we played for a little while. We did not get time to see much of Amsterdam.

On the 11th of February in the morning we were in Stockholm and the weather was very cold. The photographer Östen and the director Håkan meet us in the airport, we were very happy to see them again. We didn’t know at all who would come to fetch us. It was such a surprise! We went to the train station where we meet Tekla (Håkans daughter) and Carolina from WG Film. We had not meet Carolina before and only knew her through mail correspondence and phone calls. It was just like a dream that everybody was there to welcome us. Then came another surprise, we got free tickets to go and see the ice hockey match between Finland and Sweden in the Globe. Lars G Karlsson welcomed us. He showed us the Globe and told us everything. It was really exciting. We were happy to see it all. We could not differentiate dream from reality when we saw the game. The match was very good and we enjoyed it. Then we went to Teklas place and borrowed some warm clothes. After that we took the train to Örebro with Carolina. Lars Lidström meet us at the train station which was a happy surprise, also Ylva Liljeholm was there to greet us. We then drove to Lindesberg where we stayed with a host family, Annelie, Åke and their daughter Fanny.

Next day on the 12th at 8:45 in the morning we went to the rink to try out equipment and to play hockey. We played only for 2 hours after that we went to the host family to meet journalists and make interviews. At 13 o’clock we went to have lunch with the Swedish national team of women player in ice hockey. After lunch we saw their press conference and afterwards it was time for our own press conference together with Carolina, Ylva at Film in Örebro Län and Micke Pers at SISU sports educators. Later in the afternoon we went to practice with the Swedish national team Damkronorna. They were very good and we learnt some methods from them and their coach Peter Elander. In the evening we joined with small children and played with them on the ice. It was really fantastic to play with them.

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Docs Barcelona

Viva Docs Barcelona! I mean the city is great, but now there's also a documentary film festival. I was invited with "THIN ICE" for a special screening for school kids. The film worked extremely well and afterwords I was bombarded with questions on every aspect of filmmaking and on life in distant Ladakh. Kids are smart. Especially 12 year olds.
Docs Barcelona is organized by the production company Parallel 40. Great and hardworking people. For ten years there has been a pitching forum. I pitched my film "An ordinary family" with great results three years ago. Last year I returned and screened the film at Fundacio Tapies. A very good feeling. Now for the first year it's a full film festival with a very good selection of films. It ment of course a lot of meetings with collegues, but as the pitching Forum was on it ment also a lot of meetings with the so important commissiong editors from several European broadcasters. I met my friend Jenny Westergaard from YLE, Bert Janssens from Humanstic broadcasting The Netherlands and Wim van Rompaey, Lichtpunt Belgium. People who has supported some of my previous films.
As documentary film on the international level is a travelling circus I meet new and old friends all the time. Like mon chere frere Alexandre Cornu from Les Films du Tambour de Soie in Marseille, co producer on Belfast Girls. He pitched a project on Greek war children with the filmmaker Marco Gastine. I loved the project and look forward to see the film. We dined together at restaurante Bilbao in Gracia. A place to recommend!
Parallel 40 also are behind "Documental del Mes". They screen documentaries at 13 different cinemas around Catalunya. Last year my "The socialist, the architect and the twisted tower" was screened. With good results. Around 900 people came. Now Documental del Mes will show the film even more in Spain. We also signed a contract on "Thin Ice". Azucena Carrasco, Joan Gonzales from Parallel 40 and I celebrated with a glass of wine. Now it's less than one year to the next Docs Barcelona.