Lhamo Tso...

I e-mailed the Tibetan Woman's Association before I came to India and they were interested in using me for a couple of projects. I went down to their office yesterday and am somehow now the cameraman, writer and producer for a short documentary about Lhamo Tso, the wife of a Tibetan film-maker who was arrested last March for making a documentary about the opinions of Tibetan people on the Beijing Olympics (see the film here - its very interesting, and gives a very rare insight into what Tibetan people actually think) (some more information about him is here too). He was imprisoned without charge, beaten and tortured. As a result of his injuries, he contracted Hepatitis-B and has been refused medical treatment.
His wife, Lhamo, has not been allowed to talk to him and the Chinese government have assigned a state lawyer, refusing to allow the family to assign their own (this is all-too common in Tibet; most trials go on behind closed doors and are staged by the government). Dhondup faces anything from 5-years to the death penalty when he is eventually sentenced.
His wife, meanwhile, has been left to care four their four children, Dhondup's elderly parents, and the family's bread-making business. My job is to make a film about her life, the problems she faces and the determination, spirit and resilience she has shown throughout the ordeal.
I'm meeting with her tomorrow, with a translator, to get as much info as possible, then hopefully the following day I will be living with her for 24 hours, filming everything she does. I'm also going to interview Dhondup's parents, their kid's teachers and hopefully the kids themselves.
They've managed to get a film-quality camera for me to use, which is pretty scary - I've never used a professional camera before, hopefully I'll be able to blag it...
...Wish me luck...