LHASA, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- If Kangdrun were to pick a season to define her childhood, it would definitely be summer.
For the Tibetan director born and raised in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, summer means not only long school holidays and the traditional Shoton Festival, but also a season for linka, the beloved local tradition of gathering outdoors for picnics, songs, dances and laughter.
In mid-October, the 31-year-old filmmaker's first long film, "Linka Linka," a title drawn from that very word, hit the big screen.
Shot entirely in Tibetan, the 100-minute film dives into a summer night's linka party in Lhasa and weaves together three stories that trace the growth of its protagonist, Sangye.
"I deeply love my hometown. Bringing the Lhasa dialect and the modern lives to the screen is an instinctive and pure wish for me as a native," Kangdrun said.
The crew documented the young actress through four separate production stages from 2020 to 2024 as she grew from childhood into a youth. The film was supported by the region's literary and art funding program.
The film, notably, has reached audiences far beyond Lhasa. It has earned awards or nominations in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Sochi and Buenos Aires, such as the Firebird Award and FIPRESCI Prize at the 50th Hong Kong International Film Festival, and has been selected for other international film festivals in Shanghai, Udine, Barcelona and Vancouver.
Local audiences consider the film "very Lhasa," which is exactly the effect Kangdrun aimed for -- to document a real, living Lhasa and the youth in the city.
"In Lhasa, young people are just as comfortable recounting childhood in Tibetan as they are mapping out the future in Mandarin. They'll study anywhere the opportunity takes them, and return to lay out mats on the grass for a linka party in summer," she explained.
Like Sangye in the film, Kangdrun left her hometown to study and obtained a master's degree in film production at the Beijing-based Communication University of China.
While at university, Kangdrun began filming Xizang's veteran rock band NAMCHAK. Between academic terms, she kept returning to Lhasa to shoot and produce short films.
She said many of her peers had experiences pursuing study away from home and growing up amid diverse cultural influences, allowing them to look at the plateau more objectively.
"Culture flows, and it evolves as it moves," she said. "What we young people do today is quietly reshaping this city."
In Xizang, the Tibetan language is widely used in publishing, media, and daily life. Every year, more than 15,000 hours of radio programs, more than 80 movies, and 7,300 hours of TV programs are translated or dubbed from and into minority languages, according to a white paper issued last year.
Kangdrun is now busy completing her next piece, which is still focused on Lhasa. The work, "Orlo in the House," turns the lens on a Tibetan who works in a sweet tea house in the city.
"Filming has wrapped and the post-production is underway," she said. ■
