Miss Tibet: Beauty in Exile

Gr 7 Up—Through an unusual beauty pageant, this documentary highlights Tibet's political struggle as well as the identity issues of an American teen. It follows 19-year-old Minnesotan Tenzin Khecheo as she travels to India to compete for the title of Miss Tibet 2011. Khecheo often worries that after her family worked so hard to fit in and succeed in the United States, she's no longer Tibetan enough to compete. She wants to participate in the pageant to give a platform to talk about Tibetan issues in the States and also to prove to the diaspora that it's possible to be an American and a good Tibetan at the same time. Six contestants from the diaspora, representing the six million Tibetans who still reside in Tibet, compete in the traditional swimsuit and talent portions, but they also spend a week studying and meeting with Tibetan leaders and experts in Dharamsala. There is a refreshing lack of catty infighting and manufactured drama among the contestants, until everyone is shocked by the final results. Interviews with academics and politicians and news footage round out this compelling story.