The Search (2009 film)

The Search or Soul Searching (Chinese: 寻找智美更登) is a 2009 Tibetan romance film written and directed by Pema Tseden.^[1] The Search is the first-ever film made in Western China's Tibet Autonomous Region to have been shot entirely with a Tibetan crew and in the Tibetan language. The film picks up the story of a photographer and a director travels from village to village looking for actors to star in a film based on the Tibetan opera Drimé Kunden, a legendary account of a prince who selflessly gives away his children and his own eyes to those in need.^[2][3] The film premiered at Locarno International Film Festival on August 11, 2009.^[4] The Search won Special Jury Award at the 12th Shanghai International Film Festival and was nominated for Golden Goblet.^[5]

The Search Soul Searching
Traditional Chinese	尋找智美更登
Simplified Chinese	寻找智美更登
Hanyu Pinyin	Xénzhǎo Zhìmeĭ Gēngdēng
Directed by	Pema Tseden
Written by	Pema Tseden
Starring	Zong Zhi Manla Jiepu Dobe Dorje Drolma Gyab Lumo Tso
Cinematography	Sonthar Gyal
Edited by	Hai-ling Chen Benjamin Illos Xing Zhou
Music by	Dege Cairang
Production company	Himalaya Audio & Visual Culture Communication
Release date	11 August 2009 (2009-08-11) (Locarno International Film Festival)
Running time	112 minutes
Country	China
Language	Tibetan

Plot

A boss leads a director and a photographer to Tibet to look for an actor to star in a film based on the Tibetan opera Drimé Kunden, a legendary account of a prince who selflessly gives away his children and his own eyes to those in need. In order to find a suitable actor, they visits many Tibetan villages, towns and Townships, and monasteries. In a Tibetan village, director chose a girl who played Drimé Kunden's concubine, but the girl has covered her face, and she doesn't want anyone to see her face. The girl asks to follow them to find her former boyfriend, the director answers her request. Along the way, the boss tells the story of his first love. At last, the girl leaves her former boyfriend. The film crew continues to search for a suitable actor.

Cast

• Zong Zhi
• Manla Jiepu
• Dobe Dorje
• Drolma Gyab
• Lumo Tso

Production

This film was shot in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Accolades

Date	Award	Category	Result	Notes
2009	12th Shanghai International Film Festival	Golden Goblet	Soul Searching	Nominated
		Special Jury Award		Won
	7th Bangkok International Film Festival	Grand Jury Prize		Won
	62nd Locarno International Film Festival	Best Film		Nominated
	25th Warsaw International Film Festival			Nominated
	3rd Seoul Digital Film Festival			Nominated
	53rd London International Film Festival			Nominated
	Nantes Three Continents Film Festival			Nominated
	16th Beijing University Film Festival			Nominated

References

1. "The Search, tourné au Tibet par Pema Tseden, présente de manière subtile la nostalgie d'un monde. L'analyse d'un autre réalisateur, qui, lui, a choisi l'exil". courrierinternational. 2011-07-21.
2. "Pema Tseden: Tibetan Films for Tibetan People". Asiasociety. 2010-04-10.
3. 万玛才旦 虚构手法表达新现实主义情感. Chinatibetnews (in Chinese). 2015-06-30.
4. 《寻找智美更登》入围第62届瑞士洛迦诺电影节. Sina (in Chinese). 2009-07-17.
5. 《寻找智美更登》获上海国际电影节评委会大奖. Tencent (in Chinese). 2009-06-21.

External links

• The Search at Douban (in Chinese)
• The Search at Mtime.com (archived) (in Chinese)
• The Search at IMDb
• The Search at AllMovie
• The Search at the TCM Movie Database