August 2000 • Rockbites Alternative Daily
|
newsarchive
|
|
August 2000 • Rockbites Alternative Daily
|
| back to August 2000 index |
|
|
Free Tibet DVD: the first Tibetan Freedom Concert 29 August 2000
Of the twenty bands that played, thirteen appear on the disc including A Tribe Called Quest, The Beastie Boys, Beck, Björk, Cibo Matto, De La Soul, Foo Fighters, The Fugees, Pavement, Rage Against The Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Sonic Youth. Sound, video, and cinematography are excellent throughout. Free Tibet also includes behind the scenes footage, interviews, and a press conference with first hand accounts of the brutal oppression in the Buddhist nation—now officially an annexed region of the People’s Republic of China. In one segment Buddhist monk Palden Gyatso-la, who the Chinese imprisoned for 33 years, reveals some of the inhumanity he witnessed. For example, Chinese soldiers torture and rape Buddhist nuns using electric cattle prods, leaving them sterile. Palden lost all his teeth when the Chinese used a cattle prod in his mouth. Such practices, he says, continue today.  The Beastie Boys’ Adam Yauch explains the motivation behind the concert: “Our government isn’t going to take a stand unless they’re forced to... so the only way that change is gonna come about is through mass public awareness. And the area that I’m able to help out with that is through music.” The concert was produced by New York based nonprofit group The Milarepa Fund, founded with money earned from two songs off The Beastie Boys’ Ill Communication album. Extras on the DVD include commentary by Adam Yauch and Spike Jonze, two soundtracks (stereo and Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround), and a Beastie Boys live video from the NYC Tibetan Freedom Concert. From Amazon USA Free Tibet comes with '1' encoding, supporting play in the US and Canada only. If the disc has a fault it is that it is all too short. Each band is allotted only one song. At the quality of Free Tibet, I’d gladly shell out for a four-DVD set just to get more! Milarepa Fund executive director Andrew Bryson told Rockbites “The Milarepa Fund produced this film in the hopes of further raising awareness about the situation in Tibet and the Tibetan people’s nonviolent stuggle for freedom. A majority of the profits from this release with help us to continue our work in this regard.” To donate to The Milarepa Fund (whose broader scope includes political action) check their Web site or call 212-226-4739. To donate to The Tibet Fund (non-political, and the principal fund-raising organization for Tibetan refugees) check their Web site or call 212-213-5011. | Free Tibet DVD | | The Milarepa Fund | | Students for a Free Tibet | | The Tibet Fund | | top of page | |
| back to August 2000 index |
|
|
click for Rockbites Home
|
|
|
Copyright © 1998 - 2001 M. Jason. All Rights Reserved. Rockbites is not for profit and supports human rights. “Rockbites” and “Alternative Daily” are service marks of Rockbites. All names are the property of their respective owners. Send your feedback or questions to feedback@rockbites.com Send your press releases to press@rockbites.com Rockbites Alternative Daily contact information |
|
