Visioning Tibet

A film by Isaac Solotaroff

Visioning Tibet chronicles the passion of ophthalmologist Marc Lieberman, founder of the Tibet Vision Project. His mission: to end preventable blindness in Tibet -- which has the highest rate of untreated cataract blindness in the world -- by 2020. Bringing light where there was once darkness, Lieberman's work in educating Tibetan doctors to perform cataract surgery has been carried out despite the many obstacles thrown up by the Chinese bureaucracy.

The film tells the stories of two Tibetans with failing vision -- Karma and Lhasang -- who have one last chance at restored sight. Karma, 52, is a farmer from a small northern village who works the land that his family has worked for generations. For two years, he has been gradually losing his eyesight, preventing him from farming. Lhasang, 56, is patriarch of a nomadic family. Like his ancestors, he herds yak and goats on the plains of northern and central Tibet. His blindness has made him unable to provide for his family, darkening both his mood and outlook on life.

The film follows the two men as they make the arduous journey to a remote clinic in the hopes of having their sight restored by the Tibetan doctors who have been trained by Dr. Lieberman and his colleagues. This inspiring film shows how one man's commitment can make a profound difference in the lives of people in a distant corner of the world.

56 min. Video/DVD. Sale $195. Rental $85.

Audience Choice Award for Best Documentary, Newport Beach Film Festival, 2006
United Nations Documentary Film Festival, 2006
One World Int’l Human Rights Film Festival, 2006
Vermont Int’l Film Festival, 2005
Taos Mountain Film Festival, 2005
Tahoe Film Festival, 2005
Woods Hole Film Festival, 2005

"Vividly documents a miraculous project in Tibet..a tremendously worthwhile film." - His Holiness The Dalai Lama