Devenir une femme au Zanskar

(Becoming a Woman in Zanskar)
by Jean-Michel Corillon
86’, Digital Betacam, Francia, 2006

Palkit and Tenzin are more than friends; they grew up together, like sisters, and have shared every moment of their lives. Now, at the age of twenty, the time has come for them to separate. In Zanskar, a small kingdom in the north of the Himalayas, centuries-old traditions and the rigid family hierarchy cannot be changed. Tenzin must marry; her father has found her a husband in the next village. Reluctant, and in tears, she can do nothing but submit to her father’s will and prepare for the traditional nuptial ceremony in which she will see, for the first time, the man with whom she must spend the rest of her life. Palkit, on the other hand, does not want to accept the imposition of an arranged marriage, and chooses the only available alternative: to become a nun. Thus, after challenging her father’s authority, she begins the long and difficult trip that will bring her to the holy city of Dharam Sala, where she will spend the rest of her life in a convent.

Jean-Michel Corillon
Born in 1964, Jean-Michel Corillion has worked as the director of photography in both film and television. In 1995 he began writing and directing films and documentaries, uniting this work with his passion for travel throughout the world, in search of the most varied peoples and cultures.