Lhakpa Tsering

A love story situated in the Himalayas. A Buddhist monk can't choose between life and the way of the Buddha.

There are always two stories in mountain climbing, the story of the mountain and the story of the people trying to climb it. We know the story of Everest well after the tragic news stories and the IMAX film about it. There may be more technically difficult mountains to climb, but none have the mystique of Everest. Above All Else is the story of Alan Hobson and Jamie Clarke's third and final attempt to scale the mountain. The two climbers, who had failed twice in 10 years to conquer Everest--once only 400 meters from the top--balance each other well; Clarke's surfer style is offset by Hobson's thoughtfulness.

Since 1950, Tibet has been occupied by China. Dorjee, a young Tibetan, grew up in peace 40 years later. After the death of his father, it all comes to a point, where he realizes that his wings are already cut, what it means to be Tibetan in a country which is called "China". Inside Tibet and in exile, a last cry for freedom starts.

A Tibetan-American filmmaker explores modes of resistance to Chinese occupation by speaking with activists across generations. A former Tibetan monk broke his vows and became a guerilla leader. The filmmaker's own mother followed the Dalai Lama's Middle Path and raised her family in America. A young Tibetan man attempted to self-immolate in 2006. How does the filmmaker understand his place in the struggle?