Since the Chinese occupation of Tibet in 1950, more than a million people have been tortured, executed or starved into submission because they were demonstrating against the Chinese occupier. Tibetan Buddhist nuns directed the resistance movement. They organised numerous demonstrations for independence. Countless nuns have been arrested and harassed through the years for shouting pro-independence slogans, informing foreigners on the Chinese repression in Tibet, or possessing the Tibetan flag or posters that called for autonomy. Filmmaker Ellen Bruno, whose previous works include socially committed films on Cambodia, has Tibetan nuns testify to the Chinese oppression. Bruno is particularly interested in their nonviolent actions, which she considers an inspiring alternative to the use of force in the pursuit of social change.
