What does it mean to be stateless in a world that measures existence through borders and documents? For most, nationality is an assurance – a birthright so inherent that it goes unnoticed. But for millions across the globe, including Tibetans living in exile, statelessness is not an abstract concept; it’s a wound that never closes. State of Statelessness, a Tibetan-language anthology film directed by Tsering Tashi Gyalthang, Sonam Tseten, Tenzing Sonam & Ritu Sarin, and Tenzin Tsetan Choklay, turns that wound into cinema.

Comprising four short films, State of Statelessness gathers voices from India, America, and Vietnam, countries where displaced Tibetans have sought refuge for generations. Each part stands alone, yet together they form a mosaic of longing and endurance. What binds these stories is that invisible thread of dislocation that pulls through every frame.

Where The River Ends by Tsering Tashi Gyalthang opens with a story set along the Mekong River, where a father explains to his young daughter how the river begins in Tibet and flows into their new home in Vietnam. The image of the river – borderless and eternal – reflects the journey of the Tibetan diaspora itself. It’s a simple conversation between parent and child, yet it holds generations of longing: how do you explain home to someone who has never seen it?

The second story, BHARDO by Sonam Tseten, turns inward, focusing on two sisters reunited to cremate their late mother. Their meeting exposes the broken relationship that distance creates, not just between places, but between people. Years of separation have left them strangers to one another, and the cremation becomes a moment for reconciliation, with the dead and the living. Will they come to realisation that family ties are important?

In Little Cloud, directed by Tenzing Sonam & Ritu Sarin, we meet Sonam, a man haunted by loss. His life, already fragile after a family tragedy, is further unsettled when an old friend from America arrives. The visit forces him and his wife to confront the ghosts of their past and the uncertainty of their future. Here, the film captures something rarely shown on screen: the emotional residue of displacement, the desperation of those who must rebuild their lives again and again on borrowed soil.

The final short, At the End the Rain Stops by Tenzin Tsetan Choklay, set in Dharamshala – the spiritual heart of the Tibetan exile community – follows a son returning to his late father’s home. There, he uncovers a family secret that unsettles his understanding of identity and belonging. The story doesn’t end with reflection; in a place built on borrowed land, where generations have lived in limbo, the search for self becomes a lifelong act of perseverance.

Visually, State of Statelessness is stunning. The cinematography is intimate yet expansive; faces are often framed against the backdrop of rivers, hills, and modest homes. The performances are simple and realistic, which is what makes them so moving. With its clear vision, the film is beautifully made, and above all, it shows us what being stateless truly means, not just lacking a passport, but living with uncertainty, holding onto one’s heritage, and finding the courage to keep moving forward.

State of Statelessness asks a very good question: Can identity exist without a nation? Its answer, whispered through four stories, is that belonging is not always about land or legality; sometimes, it is about remembering who we are, our language, and the stories we tell to keep ourselves whole.

Made by Tibetan filmmakers from around the world, the film is the first anthology of its kind. It is a superb work of art and a reminder that even when borders divide us, the human spirit stays whole.

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Written by Maggie Gogler

Featured image courtesy of Drung Films

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