Ancient Futures: Learning from Ladakh and Paradise with Side Effects

Synopsis: ANCIENT FUTURES; EARNING FROM LADKH. Ladakh is a wildly beautiful desert land in the western Himalayas, with few resources and an extreme climate. Yet there is an ancient and thriving culture. Traditions of frugality and co-operation, and a knowledge of the local environment, enabled the Ladakhis not only to survive but to prosper. This is changing with the impact of ‘progress’, particularly in the capital. This documentary
based on the book by Helena Norberg-Hodge forces us to examine wider issues, as what is happening in Ladakh can teach us about the root causes of environmental, social and psychological problems in general, and provides valuable guidelines for our own future.

PARADISE WITH SIDE EFFECTS follows two Ladakhi women on a trip to England as part of an International Society For Ecology & Culture (ISEC) ‘reality tour’, introducing Ladakhi participants to everyday life in the West as it really is, thereby helping to balance some of the glamorised images of the modern world.
Language: English
Country: Great Britain
Year of production: 1993
Notes: Reviewed by Suzi Clark in ‘Times Educational Supplement’ (26/11/93),
Subjects: Development studies
Keywords: developing countries; Himalayas; Ladakh

Name: International Society for Ecology & Culture (ISEC)
Email: info@isec.org.uk
Web: http://www.localfutures.org/isec-online-shop External site opens in new window
Phone: (01803) 868650
Address: PO Box 239
Totnes
TQ9 9DP

Name: Concord Media
Email: sales@concordmedia.org.uk
Web: http://www.concordmedia.org.uk/ External site opens in new window
Phone: 01473 726 012
Address: Rosehill Centre
22 Hines Road
Ipswich
IP3 9BG
Notes: A long-established, not-for-profit organisation with a large collection DVDs, specialising in the sectors of general and mental health, child care, race relations, war and peace, addictions, the third world, ecology, civil rights, personal relationships, educational issues, and social work training. Concord also handles titles made for the Graves Medical Audio-visual Library. Sale on DVD. Formerly known as Concord Video and Film Council. In 2014 Concord began to offer selected films as Video on Demand, via Vimeo.

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British Universities Film & Video Council