Free Film Screening: "No Monastery, No Village"

About this event

High in Nepal’s remote Limi Valley, the village of Halzi is home to around 500 people whose lives revolve around the 11th-century Waltse Rinchenling Buddhist Monastery, the spiritual and cultural heart of the community. But just a few kilometers upstream, a rapidly melting glacier poses an existential threat. A previous glacial flood has already caused destruction, and scientists warn that another could wipe out both the village and the monastery. The film follows residents as they confront an impossible choice: leave their ancestral home for safety, or remain to protect a sacred way of life rooted in faith, memory, and place. Through the experiences of villagers including monk Sonam Dhondup and yak herder Pema Dolma, the documentary explores the tension between devotion and survival, revealing how climate change is not only transforming a Himalayan landscape but also threatening an entire cultural world. In recognition of the devastating mud flood that struck Nepal’s Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river systems on August 26, claiming thousands of lives, ISAS will screen a documentary about a remote Himalayan village (located in Limi Valley of Humla District, northwestern Nepal) with an eleventh-century Buddhist monastery at its center confronting the threat of a catastrophic glacial flood. Produced in 2024, the documentary examines the accelerating effects of climate change on Himalayan glaciers and the resulting dangers of glacial erosion, instability, and flooding. It therefore offers a timely perspective on the environmental conditions underlying the recent tragic flooding. Directed by climate activist and filmmaker Tashi Lhazom, the film is part of the series Voices from the Roof of the World, produced by Aga Khan University in collaboration with Shanta Nepali Productions. Running time: 28 minutes The screening will be followed by a panel discussion Event Website…