About the Tibet Film Festival

Founded in Zurich in 2009, the Tibet Film Festival (TFF) serves as a vital cultural touchstone for the global Tibetan community. The festival was established in honour of filmmaker Dhondup Wangchen, whose courageous documentary Leaving Fear Behind—recorded in the lead-up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics—led to his six-year imprisonment. Since his 2017 escape and reunion with his family in exile, the festival has continued to stand as a beacon of artistic resilience and freedom of expression.

For 17 years, TFF has been dedicated to preserving, promoting, and evolving Tibetan storytelling through film. The festival has presented a diverse range of features, documentaries, and shorts from renowned filmmakers, including Pema Tseten, Sonthar Gyal, Ngawang Choephel, Tenzing Sonam, Ritu Sarin, Yangzom Brauen, Tao Okamoto, and Richard Gere. As our reach grows, TFF continues to engage broader audiences while fostering a vibrant culture of cinema and critical discourse among the Tibetan and Himalayan communities.

While rooted in its original home of Zurich, TFF has expanded its footprint to include editions in Dharamsala, Berlin, and London, with further expansion planned for New York and Washington D.C. in November 2026. Each festival location is driven cinema partnerships and a dedicated team of volunteer curators, producers, and editors committed to amplifying Tibetan voices. 

Instagram: @TibetFilmFestival, Website: www.tibetfilmfestival.org