A story of a boy who travelled through the Himalayas to flee Tibet when he was six.

Director: Hisaya Iwasa　Producer: Haruhiko Daishima　

Camera: Kazuhiko Tsumura 　Music: Yoshihide Otomo 

Illustrations and Title Calligraphy: Masakatsu Shimoda　

Production and Distribution: Sukoburu Kobo　

Planning and Production: OLO Production Committee

2012 / 108 minutes / Japan / Language:Tibetan and Japanese / HD / Colour / Stereo 

OLO Production Committee ／Sukoburukobo

sukoburukobo@gmail.com  PHONE&FAX +81-422-36-6010

2-15-22 Nishikubo Musashino-shi,Tokyo,Japan 180-0013

In any culture at any point in history, adults have entrusted the future to their children. Tibet,^*1 in its prolonged suffering, is no exception. Olo was six when he fled from Tibet after his mother gave him a push forward, telling him to “study hard.” Olo now lives in the residence of aschool known as the Tibetan Children’s Village^*2 located in Dharamsala , northern India. In this film, Olo asks, “why did my mother urge me to leave my homeland?” The director persistently followed Olo in his quest for an answer.

The director is Hisaya Iwasa, originally a film director with Japan’s former documentary producing powerhouse, Iwanami Productions. He was an assistant director for celebrated directors Noriaki Tsuchimoto, Susumu Hani and Kazuo Kuroki. Later, in the late 1960’s to the 70’s, he directed a succession of avant-garde films that defied conventional thinking on filmmaking. The director, at 77, still maintains his well-known free spirited creativity in the film, as he himself appears on screen with Olo as if they are a grandfather and grandson.

“In the three years of making this film, in my mind, Olo has transformed from ‘a Tibetan boy’ to someone who represents all children on Earth.” Hisaya Iwasa

The current situation of Tibet is tragic in historic proportions. Nevertheless, Olo’s determination to continue forward regardless after overcoming his hardships is something shared by “all children on Earth” that face the challenges of the 21^st century. 

*1) Tibet’s continuing suffering

Tibet, which once existed on the “roof of the world” in the north of the Himalayas, is now a part of the People’s Republic of China. In 1959, its leader, the 14th Dalai Lama, fled Tibet and established the “government-in-exile” in Dharamsala, northern India. Currently, it is said there are about 150,000 Tibetan refugees throughout the world, mainly in India and Nepal.

*2) Tibetan Children’s Village

The Tibetan Children’s Village (TCV) was founded in 1960, when the 14th Dalai Lama proposed to give educational opportunities to Tibetan children and teach them theTibetan language and culture, which faced the threat of extinction in China. Presently, 15,000 children are studying in seven schools in various regions of India.

Director: Hisaya Iwasa

Producer: Haruhiko Daishima

Music: Yoshihide Otomo

Illustrations and Title Calligraphy: Masakatsu Shimoda

Camera: Kazuhiko Tsumura

Editor: Haruhiko Daishima

Sound Designer: Osamu Takizawa

Interpreter/Coordinator: Tsewang Gyaltsen

Helping Hands: Kuukuu Minami

Location Coordinator: Kazuhiro Nakahara

Tibetan Language Supervisor: Ayako Sadakane

Translators: Kunchok Sithar, Lodi Gyatso, Sonam Tsering

Japanese Subtitles: Ryuta Akamatsu

English Subtitles: Naomi Earlewine

Special Animation Production: Yosuke Takeuchi

Music Production: Tsuguhiko Sasaki

Music Recording: Toshihiko Kasai

Musical Performance: Naoko Eto, Yoshiaki Sato and Yoshihide Ōtomo

Advertising Art: Keisuke Nagatomo

Special Collaboration: Liaison Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama for East-Asia and the Tibetan Children’s Village

Production and Distribution: Sukoburu Kobo

Planning and Production: OLO Production Committee