Within a culture long revered for its spirituality and the high value placed on inner beauty, a maverick Tibetan promoter engages in a seemingly most un-Tibetan undertaking: a western-style beauty pageant. For the past decade, young female Tibetans from around the world have gathered in Dharamsala, India, the Himalayan home of the Tibetan government in exile, to participate in this “beauty pageant with a difference.”
Does the Miss Tibet Pageant ape the worst of western society, or is it the product of an emergent youth culture in which young Tibetan exiles are carving out a fresh identity while still holding on to their “Tibetaness?” Is this just another beauty pageant, archaic and chauvinist at its core, or an inspired addition to the arsenal of protest tools in the nonviolent Tibetan struggle against Chinese rule, as well as a rare opportunity for Tibetan women? Miss Tibet: Beauty in Exile will span the pageant’s history, from it’s early and controversial beginnings to the upcoming celebration of its 10th anniversary in June 2011, offering a previously unseen perspective on a culture that has long been romanticized by the Western world. Combining intimate verité scenes with interviews and archival footage, the film follows the pageant’s flamboyant creator as he boldly attempts to bring modernity to the Tibetan youth. By weaving together the stories of three contenders for the crown in 2003, 2006 and the upcoming 2011 pageant, “Miss Tibet: Beauty in Exile” offers a new perspective on this ancient culture as it struggles to navigate the tensions between preserving their traditions, and participating fully in the modern world.
