1. Journey From Zanskar
*Frederick Marx, U.S./China 2010.
By Susanne Ittner

2. What the film was about

A very poor town called Zanskar is isolated in the Himalayas with no running
water, no electricity, and children growing up with no eduction.

Frederick Marx helped get these children a good education by giving them
the chance to become teachers, monks, and nuns. He did this by taking
them to a school in Manali, which its main purpose is preserving Buddhist
culture.

It was not an easy task for them to get to the school. They first had to leave
their homes and then they had to make a five-day journey across snow-
covered passes.

The first journey they made on foot to save money they failed, so they had
to travel back and pay for a public bus to take them.

They eventually made it and everyone survived. The kids had to leave their
families behind and it end up being nine years till they saw them again.

3. Central Message

I saw that the film's central message is that the greatest
joy in life comes in doing what you can for others.

Also, giving someone an education can help get rid of a
little bit of one's suffering in life. It is not a hundred percent
of it, but it is a good start.

4. The films effectiveness in communicating
its message

The film was very effective in communicating the message by first
showing people the environment these kids live in and how tough
they had it and filming day by day their struggle to travel to the
school. It showed how much risk in their lives the monks and the kids
took to help the kids get a chance to become teachers, monks, and
nuns.

Also, showing the kids' and the monks' emotions to what was going
on.

One example they did this was at the end of the film when the fathers
left their kids at the school, they showed some kids through a tantrum
and screaming and crying wanting to be with their fathers. This
showed that the kids in Zanskar had to leave their families in order to
get an education.

5. Sources that were used in film

Other sources the fimmaker used that made this film effective in
communicating its message was mainly showing the kids emotions
throughout the film.

For example, having a kid smile and saying their happy after getting their fist
hot shower or eating their first nut/apple ever and explaining how they did
not know how to eat an apple. This was really effective for me because it
made me really see that they really did not have anything in their town
Zanskar.

Also, another source that was effective was how the film showed Frederick
Marx point of view and his emotions he was going through on the journey to
the school. How hard it was for him too.

Lastly, I thought the source at the end on how they wrote out how each kid
was doing with the new education they were getting was good. However, I
think this source would have been more effective if they showed some of the
emotions of the kids than just words at the end.

6. How the filmmakers wanted the audience
to respond

First, I the filmmakers wanted to show what was happening by
showing that getting an education was not as easy for the kids
in Zanskar as it is for the kids in America.

Also, wanted the audience to feel shocked and surprised that
people in Zanskar had to take risks in their lives and leave their
family behind just to get an education.

Lastly, to make the audience feel sorry and to feel motivated to
be willing to donate money to the schools there and more
involvement with nonprofit organizations to help educate more
kids in those areas. Also, how it can really make someone feel
good doing something to help others.

7. What is the role of the individual in the
modern world?

This film helps you gain further insight into the role of
the individual in the modern world is for people to help
others in the world who are less fortunate. Whether it
is donating money, volunteer work, or going on a
journey yourself to improve the world. The way this
film does it is giving these kids an education for a
better life ahead.

8. How have human choices had a local and
global impact?
-In this film Frederick Marx made a local impact on the kids in Zanskar
by helping them get to the school in Manali were they can get an
education and become teachers, monks, and nuns.
-Frederick Marx made a global impact by helping to preserve the
Buddhist Culture in the region.
- Also, he created a film to help raise awareness to what is going on in
this region and get more support for people to donate money to help
give these kids in towns like Zanskar an education.
- Overall, giving more and more people an education can lead to a global
impact on their culture.

9. Thoughts and Questions

Where there other towns/villages like Zanskar that suffer the same
problem and these kids need an education just as badly?

Why did the filmmakers, who had the resources to do so, did not just
help the people they were filming rather than not do anything and
record their struggles?

My thoughts on this film were how much peoples lives can be
dramatically different from one another. It made me really appreciate
how it only takes me seven minutes to get to school and I still get to
be with my family rather than having to risk my life on a five day
journey and not see my family for a long time to get an education.

Is giving people an education is the key thing into improving their
culture and region?

10. Thoughts and Questions

Where there other towns/villages like Zanskar that suffer the same
problem and these kids need an education just as badly?

Why did the filmmakers, who had the resources to do so, did not just
help the people they were filming rather than not do anything and
record their struggles?

My thoughts on this film were how much peoples lives can be
dramatically different from one another. It made me really appreciate
how it only takes me seven minutes to get to school and I still get to
be with my family rather than having to risk my life on a five day
journey and not see my family for a long time to get an education.

Is giving people an education is the key thing into improving their
culture and region?