After being brutally beaten and tortured by Chinese authorities Leaving Fear Behind is a remarkable film made by Tibetans inside Tibet who longed to document the true feelings of Tibetans about China's policies inside Tibet, their spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, and China's hosting of the Olympic Games. Dhondup Wangchen, the filmmaker and his camera assistant and friend Jigme Gyatso (commonly known as Golok Jime), a monk from eastern Tibet, interviewed over 100 Tibetans, starting in October 2007. Filming concluded in March 2008, as a historic uprising against Chinese rule in Tibet erupted across the country, bringing new meaning to the voices and sentiments captured in this film.

Watch the film online.

Golok Jigme was released on October 15, 2008 back to his monastery in Labrang Tashikyil. He was briefly re-arrested and questioned in March 2009 as Tibetans world marked the 50th anniversary of the 1959 Tibetan National Uprising.

The charges against Dhondup Wangchen follow a wave of harsh sentences carried out as part of the Chinese government's violent campaign to silence and intimate Tibetan voices of dissent. China's crackdown against the mostly peaceful protests that spread across Tibet in March 2008 continue today, with more than 1,000 Tibetans still detained, imprisoned, or missing. As Tibetan areas remain largely closed off to foreigners and journalists, getting information out about the situation on the ground is very difficult, making it even more important that people worldwide hear the voices of Tibetans speaking in this film.

Please help promote the film by organizing a screening on your campus or in your community. For more information about the film, go to: www.studentsforafreetibet.org/leavingfearbehind