British
Undercover in Tibet
Shot in Tibet, China, Nepal and India, April-August 2007
True Vision Productions for Channel 4 Television


Finalist: Sony Professional Impact Award

Jezza Neumann took Tibetan exile Tash Despa back to the homeland he had risked his life to escape eleven years previously, and spent three months filming with Tash undercover to reveal the hidden reality of life in Tibet under Chinese occupation.

His film shows the regime of terror which dominates daily life and uncovers evidence of the "cultural genocide" described by the Dalai Lama.

Filming interviews often necessitated night time excursions or hikes into the mountains, and working at high altitude meant altitude sickness took a physical toll on the team. The footage was hidden in secret partitions on a hard drive before being smuggled out of the country.

The judges felt the journalistic strength of the film was matched by the "outstanding" camerawork. One said: "This piece not only gives a real sense of the fear and intimidation suffered by Tibetans, but also the pressures felt by the team working undercover in such difficult circumstances."


Biography
Based in London, Jezza Neumann was born in 1968. He began his television career as a runner. He trained and filmed on various pilot projects for True Vision gaining his first broadcast camera credit with the film “Eyes of a Child” for BBC One.

Since then he has filmed on various international award-winning productions for Channel 4 and HBO. He specialises in the use of mini DV, using Cokin filters and the menus within the cameras to enhance the picture quality. I

n 2007, he won three BAFTA awards for his previous film for Channel 4, “China’s Stolen Children.”