10-years ago, two filmmakers (Johnny Burke and Andrew Hinton) travelled to a remote and impoverished portion of the Himalayas. Here, they discovered a place like no other - a community for orphans and children from broken homes run by a monk called Lobsang Phunsok. It was called Jhamtse Gatsal - The Garden of Love and Compassion.
They followed the story of a child called Tashi, who came to the community no older than 4-years. She struggled to integrate due to her fiery temper - which earned her the reputation of 'naughtiest child'! However, over the course of the film the magic of the community is seen healing Tashi from her damaged past. In this story arc we see Lobsang's driving purpose being fulfilled - the creation of a place to heal and grow troubled souls using love and compassion, in order to secure a kinder future.
The film won over 30-awards, including an Emmy and drew international awareness of this small isolated community. International outpourings of support led to Jhamtse Gatsal raising funds for new buildings, teachers and even greater prospects for the children who are raised there. See below the first film.
Tashi and the Monk (2014)
Co-directed/produced by Andrew Hinton and Johnny Burke
10-years later, Tashi now bears responsibility for children like the one she once was, but grapples with understanding her past and future as she moves through teenage years.
Due to Johnny and Andrew having newborn children of their own, they couldn't spend much time away from home. As a result, they brought in two young filmmakers, myself and field director Joe Snelling. The two of us spent 13 weeks living in the community, documenting the power of love and compassion in healing individuals who have come from unthinkably challenging pasts. When the Wi-Fi allowed, we stayed in close contact with Andrew and Johnny back in the UK, who guided us through the delicate process of capturing the community in the way the film required.
The film is now in post-production and is projected to be completed in late 2025.
Kickstarter Trailer for the second film's post production and additional filming
