Himalaya, le chemin du ciel

(Himalaya, a Path to the Sky)
by Marianne Chaud
65’, France, 2009

The Buddhist monastery in Phuktal is located some 4000 metres above sea level, in the Zanskar region of the Himalayas. Set into the rocks, and immersed in snow and ice for months on end, this site seems to belong to another planet. The monks live according to canons of the Middle Ages. The director of the film, Marianne Chaud, experienced this life with its rhythms, customs, prayers and silences, for the three months during which she shared the daily routines of these Buddhist monks and the young scholars who reside up there. Among them is little Kenrap, eight years old. Marianne is close to him and sits in on his philosophy lessons, accompanies him while he sings the sacred melodies, watches him play, and listens to his prayers. Kenrap is considered the reincarnation of a sixty-eight-year-old monk and although his years are actually sixty fewer, his awareness and the expression with which he looks at his world truly seem those of his predecessor. The assuredness of an adult that he brings to every day gestures and the walks through deep snow on high ridges overhanging the deep valley, contrast with the tenderness of this child who is happy to live in that world that even helps him to forget his homesickness.

Marianne Chaud
Born in1976, she earned a diploma from the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in Paris. For her degree thesis, she became interested in Zanskar, where she returns on a regular basis, spending many months in various villages, living with families, adopting their customs and speaking their language. In 2006 she participated in the production of the fiilm, Becoming a Woman in Zanskar, as co-writer and in 2007 made her multi-award-winning documentary, Himalaya, Land of Women.