BECOMING WHO I WAS

The memories of my past are fading away.

What’s going to become of me?

Angdu is no ordinary boy. Indeed, in a past life he was a venerated Buddhist master. His village already treats him like a saint as a result. The village doctor, who has taken the boy under his wing, prepares him to be able to pass on his wisdom. Alas, Tibet, Angdu’s former homeland and the centre of his faith, lies far away from his current home in the highlands of Northern India. On top of that, the conflict between China and Tibet makes the prospect of a trip there even more daunting. Undeterred by these harsh facts, the duo set off for their destination on foot, accompanied by questions of friendship and the nature of life. With its narrative approach steeped in a serene sense of concentration, this documentary film, composed over a period of eight years, stands as a fundamental experience in its own right.

CHANG-YONG MOON

(Director & Cinematographer)

An established filmmaker who has been creating documentaries for South Korea’s national broadcasters since 1998. His ability to observe and to pay attention to detail leads to his signature documentaries which draw out an array of emotions from both the protagonist and the viewer alike. His forte is in human-interest documentaries for which he has won many awards.

 

JIN JEON

(Producer/Co-Director)

Obtained her MA in Media Studies & Practice at the University of Cape Town, and Honors in Journalism, in television and investigative journalism. She worked as a Director and Production Manager for South African television for 5 years before producing a weekly travel program featuring stories in and around Asia. For the last 5 years, Jin has been producing human-interest documentaries for KBS, EBS and TVChosun in South Korea. She also launched and heads up the International Media Department at Prosum since 2013, to continue creating opportunities for global co-productions.

It wasn’t easy to understand the depth of the meaning behind ‘reincarnation’ and ‘Rinpoche’ at first – words that are commonly understood within Tibetan Buddhism. But even as distant as the concept was to me as a foreigner, the love and sacrifice that was evident between the Rinpoche and his godfather moved me deeply. It conjured up past feelings of the unconditional love that my mother had shown me. This heart-warming story of our two characters living in the harsh, barren land of Ladakh gave me a sense of hope. I felt that this is a story worth reminding the world because it recaptures the most valuable human feeling that we have long forgotten, as we go about living our busy lives in the modern world. In addition, our ongoing relationship and rapport with our characters since 2009 allows us to capture the most intimate feelings that they are going through, while new challenges and turn of events have presented themselves over the years. This young Rinpoche of noble birth, who in contrast has been dealt a bad hand, only has his aging godfather to depend on. As they rely on each other with love and trust, this story highlights the reality of how difficult yet beautiful it is to guard one’s belief and to journey on to find one’s place in the world.

 

• Berlinale — Generation Kplus Grand Prix, Germany 2017 
• DMZ International Documentary Film Festival, Korea 2016 
• Busan International Film Festival, Korea 2016

 

Main Competition 2017