EXECUTIVE PRODUCER MICHELLE YEOH
NARRATED BY DARYL HANNAH
Registation for next Eco Pad Yatra now open!
See registration link on the home page. Dates changed from December to March due to weather.
Press Announcement of PAD YATRA in Beijing, China
July l5th, 2012
Attended by 300+
"PAD YATRA: A Green Odyssey" wins Golden Star Audience Award in Stuttgart
July 22, 2012
This portion of our website is currently in development. Please check back soon.
This portion of our website is currently in development. Please check back soon.
PAD YATRA: A Green Odyssey is the adventure of 700 people trekking across the Himalayas with a call to save the planet's "3rd Pole," a glacial region now devastated by the climate chaos associated with global warming.
Battling the most treacherous terrain on the planet, the trekkers spread their message of ecological compassion through human's most basic means - by walking on foot, village to village, and showing by example.
Surviving harrowing injuries, illness, and starvation, they emerge with nearly half a ton of plastic litter strapped to their backs, triggering an historic green revolution across the rooftop of the world.
Full synopsis, log lines available in our Press Kit
"Pad Yatra" literally means "spiritual foot journey" in Sanskrit. Similar to pilgrimages or walk-abouts, this tradition is native to the Himalayas and has been in practice for thousands of years. In recent years, the "Eco-Pad Yatra" was initiated by the Drukpa, a Buddhist monk and humanitarian who received the 2012 United Nations MDG Honor, in part for the activities seen in the film.
The message of the Eco Pad Yatra is simple: to get on your feet, and do something. With the rise of plastic waste in the Himalayas, and no viable recycling or trash disposal system, this generation is experiencing a sudden peak in polluted and poisoned water sources along the glacial melting routes, a source that provides half the world's population with fresh water. Inaccessible by road or modern transport, the only way to reach remote populations with this message is by human's most basic means -- on foot, and showing by example. The participants of the Eco Pad Yatra trek from village to village to educate locals on ecological responsibility, to collect plastic litter from the rivers, and to carry out the loads of pollutants on their backs as an example. In the last three years, nearly three thousand pounds of plastic has been collected and removed from drinking sources as a direct result.
This "Eco-Pad Yatra" is now an annual event, with previous destinations in Ladakh, Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan, and future destinations rumored for Sri Lanka, China, and the United States. The number of participants has reached 1000 and more as locals become inspired and join the journey along the route, alongside the hundreds of registered participants from across the globe, from France to Vietnam to Brazil.
The effect of the "Eco Pad Yatra" can be seen across the Himalayas. Several regions banned plastic products after the group passed through, with filtered water becoming a popular new enterprise to eliminate the demand for plastic bottled water. Tens of thousands of trees have been planted across the Himalayas in the name of the Eco Pad Yatra, and the Drukpa has since been awarded the Green Hero Award (2011) presented by the President of India Pratibha Patil.
For more information on upcoming Eco Pad Yatras, please follow our Facebook page or contact us.
Learn more about the Drukpa and the Kung Fu Nuns on our Filmmakers page.
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TAIWAN THEATRICAL RELEASE!
Begins January 18, 2013
Taipei
PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Wed Jan 9, 2013 @ 7pm / Thurs Jan 10, 2013 @ 4pm
Palm Canyon Theater
UNITED NATIONS ASSOCIATION GLOBAL WAKE-UP FESTIVAL
December 1, 2012 @ 12:45pm
Film Row Cinema, Columbia College
BAJA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
November 14-17, 2012
Los Cabos, Mexico
NAPA VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL
Nov 9, 2012 @ 5:30pm Opera House / Nov 11 @ 10am Generations
Napa Valley, CA
ORLANDO FILM FESTIVAL
October 21, 2012 @ 1:15pm Cobb Theaters
Orlando, Florida
EUGENE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
October 20, 2012 @ 11am
Eugene, Oregon
HOUSTON INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL
October 4, 2012 @ 8pm
Houston, Texas
REYKJAVIK INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
September 27-October 7, 2012 (4 Screenings)
Reykjavik, Iceland
UNITED NATIONS ASSOCIATION OF NEW YORK
September 22, 2012 @ 6:30pm
The Asia Society, New York
BLUE OCEAN FILM FESTIVAL
September 24-30, 2012
GLOBAL PEACE FILM FESTIVAL
September 18-23, 2012
Orlando, Florida
DOCUTAH
September 5-9, 2012
St. George, Utah
STUTTGART INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL
July 22, 2012
Stuttgart, Germany
FEEL GOOD FILM FESTIVAL - SNEAK PEEK
August 5, 2012 @ 1:30pm
FESTIVAL DE CANNES, MARCHE DU FILM
May 18, 2012 - Palais des Festivals
Cannes, France
BRITISH ACADEMY OF FILM & TELEVISION ARTS
March 16, 2012
London, England
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NBC/KMIR6 News - live in-studio Interview with Wendy J.N. Lee [Video]
1/8/13
Anchor Anthony Alvarez interviews director of "PAD YATRA: A Green Odyssey" during Palm Springs Int'l Film Festival 2013
Trek Across the Himalayas
1/8/13
Asia Pacific Arts talks shop with director Wendy J.N. Lee at the 2013 Palm Springs Int'l Film Festival
VOGUE Taiwan Announces Theatrical Release
Jan 2013
VOGUE Announces Theatrical Release of "PAD YATRA: A Green Odyssey"
"Pad Yatra: A Green Odyssey" Chronicles Trek across the Himalayas
1/3/12
The award winning documentary film "Pad Yatra: A Green Odyssey" will screen at the 24th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival...
WBEZ's Worldview features "PAD YATRA: A Green Odyssey"
11/30/12
Chicago - Film commentator Milos Stehlik and host Jerome McDonnell interview filmmaker Wendy J.N. Lee about the film. 15 min, segment begins at 20:00.
An Eco-Lesson from the Himalayas to the World:Pad Yatra
9/27/2012
The United Nations Association of New York touts the film's impact
9th Indian Film Festival in Stuttgart
July 25, 2012
In der Kategorie Best Audience Choice Award gewann Wendy J.N. Lee mit dem Dokumentarfilm "Pad Yantra: A Green Odyssey", eingesprochen von Daryl Hannah
PAD YATRA Screening at Cannes
June 5, 2012
Getting into the Palais to see this amazing documentary, yes, that was special. Seeing the film itself...
BAFTA Celebrity Gallery from "PAD YATRA: A Green Odyssey"
March 2012
Gala screening held at BAFTA Piccadilly. London, England.
Want to learn more about the film, or the Pad Yatra? Interested in screening our film at your festival? Use the simple form below to send us an e-mail.
Also be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to speed! (Buttons in top right.)
Contact either of the below for more info regarding our film.
Sabrina Chen-Louie, Jelly Bean Films & Distribution
p: +1.650.212.0261
James Dudelson, Blairwood Entertainment
p: +1.818.536.7400
Born as Yang Zi Chong in the mining town of Ipoh in West Malaysia in the lunar year of the Tiger, she spoke English and Malay before Chinese. A ballet dancer since age 4, she moved to London, England to study at the Royal Academy as a teenager. After a brief dance career, she won the Miss Malaysia beauty pageant title in her native country and the Miss Moomba beauty pageant title in Melbourne, Australia in the early 1980s. Her first on camera work was a 1984 commercial with martial arts star Jackie Chan. In 1985, she began making action movies with D&B Films of Hong Kong. She was first billed as Michelle Khan, then later, Michelle Yeoh. Never a trained martial artist, she relied on her dance discipline and her on-set trainers to prepare for her martial arts action scenes.
Dominic Cooper, H.H. the Drukpa, and the "Kung Fu Nuns" of the Himalayas with executive producer Michelle Yeoh, associate producer Eliza Pearson, and producer/director Wendy J.N. Lee at the British Academy of Film & Television (March, 2012)
Producer / Director
Wendy J.N. Lee is a writer/director and producer from Los Angeles, California. She is an alumna of Film Independent's talent lab, Project:Involve (2009), and USC School of Cinematic Arts with an MFA in Film Production (2008).
Lee's debut feature film, PAD YATRA: A Green Odyssey, is an adventure documentary about environmental issues in the Himalayas. The film screened at BAFTA in Spring 2012, won a Golden Star Audience Award in Stuttgart Germany, and Lee has been nominated for Best Director at the Feel Good Film Festival. The film is currently on the festival circuit.
Lee's award-winning fiction short, Three Times Me (2010), screened at 30 film festivals worldwide, and her music video Hoover Sucker Guy is featured on Fox Searchlight's Once DVD release. Lee has worked with clients and sponsors including Vanity Fair, Coca-Cola, Cisco Systems, and Banana Republic on a variety of music videos, short films, and commercials.
Outside of film, Lee volunteers in the Himalayas and assists non-profits with marketing and media strategy. Hobbies include surfing, improv comedy, and Scotch.
Narrator
Over a 30 year film career, Daryl Hannah has starred in over 40 feature films, and has created numerous iconic roles in successful, critically acclaimed and enduring films.
Some of her memorable characters include the gymnastic punk android "Pris" in Ridley Scott's sci-fi noir cult classic Blade Runner. The mermaid "Madison" who falls in love with Tom Hanks in Ron Howard's Splash. "Roxanne" in the Eponimous Roxanne Steve Martins contemporary take on the Cyrano de Bergerac story. And more recently "Elle Driver" in Quintin Tarantinos cult classics Kill Bill I and II.
Making her big screen debut at age 15 in Brian De Palma's The Fury, Daryl set an early pattern of working with some of the most talented and accomplished directors and actors of our time. Other films Wall Street, Steel Magnolias, Reckless, The Pope of Greenwich Village, The Clan of the Cave Bear and Legal Eagles Grumpy Old Men & Grumpier Old Men
Daryl has been a consistent, strong supporter of independent cinema, both acting in and producing many films. Starring in such indie films as John Sayles's Casa De Los Babies as well as his political satire Silver City. She worked on several films with the revered Robert Altman, including The Gingerbread Man, as well as several films with the Polish Brother's including Northfork and Jackpot.
Associate Producer
No bio available.
Aamir was first introduced as a child artiste in the 1970's hit Yaadon Ki Baaraat (1973) -- he was the youngest child in the trio. He then concentrated on school and became a state tennis champion for Maharashtra. Aamir fell in love with the girl next door in the meantime. He proposed to her the day he turned 21, and she accepted. But apparently, there was opposition since she was from a Hindu family and he, from a devout Islamic one. So, they eloped, got married and returned to their homes. Aamir's wife Reena even appears in the song "Papa Kehte Hain".
His performance in Earth (1998) as the Ice-Candy man has received rave reviews from Indian and International critics. Using classic "method acting", Aamir acts in all genres of Indian films - comedy, action, drama and romance. Though he performs in few films, Aamir Khan is acknowledged today as the most complete Indian actor for his diverse choice of roles and films.
Derek Zhao currently splits his time between freelance composing for film and TV in Los Angeles and serving as an associate composer at the Beijing Dance Drama and Opera. He was classically trained in violin performance and studied composition and music recording at the University of Southern California.
Prior to his post at the Beijing Dance Drama and Opera, Derek's experience includes working for film and TV composer Jeff Rona (White Squall, Persons Unknown, Traffic: The Mini-series) as well as TV and video game composer Bear McCreary (Battlestar Galactica, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, The Walking Dead). Derek has also served as Oscar and Grammy award-winning composer/songwriter Randy Newman's technical assistant on Disney's The Princess and the Frog and Toy Story 3 and just recently composed original music for the video game release of Sony's Total Recall.
Visit Derek's website for more information.
Patrick holds an MFA in Film and TV Production from the USC School of Cinematic Arts. He was a recipient of the Mary Pickford Foundation Scholarship, and a 2008 finalist for the Coca-Cola Refreshing Filmmaker's Award. In additional to sound designing and mixing award winning films and commercials, Patrick has lectured on film sound mixing in the USC Graduate Film Program. His recent film SCARECROW has played at 20 festivals and garnished 10 awards. He was the 2010 Recipient of the Verna Fields Award for Sound Editing at the Motion Picture Sound Editors (MPSE) Golden Reel Awards.
As a technically trained violinst who likes to Irish fiddle Patrick loves to combine the same sort of playfulness with his technical expertise in sound design. His mission is to entertain, delight, and help bring stories to the flickering screen that captivate and move the soul.
Visit Patrick's website for more information.
Starting at 5am every morning, Drukpa nuns can be seen on rooftops across the Himalayas training, sparring, and strengthening through Kung Fu.
Traditionally, women in these regions are expected to marry and work in the fields in lieu of taking leaderships positions within their communities. For this reason, the Drukpa lineage of Buddhism has adopted an active policy for women's empowerment. Not only are the nuns provided with a modern education, they are taught leadership skills, perform rituals historically reserved for monks, and of course, train intensely in Kung Fu as a means to build confidence and provide a positive example for young women across the region.
The nuns have since reached international acclaim, featured in a half-hour BBC World News Special, Time Magazine, and nearly a hundred other publications and news venues. In March of 2012, the Kung Fu Nuns were invited to perform in the West for the first time at Olympic Park (London), followed by an offer by Oxford University to provide select nuns with an honorary study fellowship. A feature-length documentary on the Kung Fu Nuns will soon be completed.
NEWS in-the-news:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-radio-and-tv-14364090
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2003009,00.html
VIDEO:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-17399176
H.H. the Gyalwang Drukpa, also known as The Drukpa, is an active humanitarian and the spiritual head of the Drukpa lineage of Buddhism. Over the last 35 years, the Drukpa has initiated dozens of award-winning educational, medical, relief aid, and environmental projects throughout the world, including the "eco-Pad Yatra" and Druk White Lotus School, seen in the film. In 2010, the Drukpa was awarded the United Nations Millennium Development Goals Honor, followed by the Green Hero Award presented by the former president of India, Pratibha Patil. The Drukpa sits on the Earth Awards Selection Committee with Jane Goodall and Richard Branson.
Recently, the Drukpa authored a book recounting the Pad Yatra as an inspiration for the modern world, titled "Everyday Enlightenment" (available on Amazon --Penguin Publishers, Riverhead Publishers). He continues to lead the Pad Yatra each year, along with other events such as mass tree plantings and clean-ups.
The Drukpa maintains a personal blog at: www.drukpa.org.
Cinematography
Ngawang Sodpa is a Drukpa monk from the Hemya village of Ladakh, India. He began shooting documentary footage in 2003 when someone gave him his first Sony handicam. Since then, he has shot over 23 documentaries capturing what life is like in the Himalayas and has emerged as one of the most important cinematographers from the region, Ngawang Sodpa recently won the award for Best Cinematography of a Feature Film at Docutah Film Festival in St. George, Utah.
Often shooting from above 17,000 feet, Ngawang Sodpa rarely rested along the expedition and sometimes trekked days in advance to capture a single shot of the group from an adjacent mountain. The camera he used was charged with solar panels, making some shoots limited to a few minutes at a time.
After the success of the events seen in the film "PAD YATRA: A Green Odyssey," the Eco-Pad Yatra has since become an annual event. In 2011, compassionate trekkers journeyed across Mumbai India, collecting a total of 2,000 pounds of plastic litter.
This year, the government of Sri Lanka has invited the Gyalwang Drukpa to do an Eco-Pad Yatra through this precious, culture-rich island off the coast of India. The goal this year is to promote peace and intercultural collaboration through the common goal of environmental preservation and education.
Starting December 10, 2012 (time options below), this Pad Yatra trek will cover a total of 400-500km of Sri Lanka from South to North. The journey will include famed sites of Sri Lanka, including historic spiritual caves, ancient frescos, and scenic vistas of the natural world.
This walking "eco-pilgrimage" will be led by HH the Gyalwang Drukpa and will be attended by the "Kung Fu Nuns" and the numerous Drukpa monks and nun seen in the film. It is open to people of all backgrounds, though physical preparation is recommended for the trekkers.
Come join, experience the world, and celebrate the holidays and New Year with hundreds of participants from America, France, England, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Taiwan, Bhutan, India, and more.
This year, there is a unique option to join the Pad Yatra via jeeps, to accommodate those who would like to participate, but cannot do the physical trek. These participants will join for a shorter period, travel by jeep transport, and will still be active participate in the events at the sights.
OPTION A: December 10, 2012 - January 10, 2013
OPTION B: December 10, 2012 – December 23, 2012
OPTION C: December 27, 2012 – January 10, 2013
YATRA ON WHEELS: January 2-10, 2013
Registration forms, logistical details, and contact information are available from the organizers at: http://walking.drukpa.com/the-pad-yatra
