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Becoming Who I Was

Directed by Moon Chang-Yong, Jeon Jin

  • “Magnificent...Heartwarming... You don’t have to believe in Padma and Urgain’s religion to believe in them.”
    -Ken Jaworowski, NY Times
  • “A remarkable achievement, a work of beauty and heartbreak with the power to move us all.”
    -Daniel Eagan, Film Journal
  • “ Assumes epic-journey proportions.”
    -Dennis Harvey, Variety

In northern India’s sparsely populated and mountainous Ladakh region, an impoverished young boy is discovered to be the reincarnation of an esteemed, high-ranking Tibetan monk. Born displaced from his original monastery in Tibet, the boy is denied his rightful place. Amid growing doubts and mounting expectations in the community, the boy and his elderly godfather embark on a gruelling, improbable trek across India to return the young monk-to-be to his rightful monastery before it becomes too late.  

Filmed over eight years, we witness an incredibly intimate bond of friendship between a future religious leader and his godfather, whose devotion and selflessness in care for the boy is truly touching. The film has a stirring and awe-inspiring air of serenity that befits its subject. Striking drone shots use the powerful magnitude of the natural landscape, particularly in the final moments in the snowy mountains The film is an evocative exploration of culture, tradition and identity, Becoming Who I Was artfully captures the universal truths of unconditional love, family bonds and sacrifice.

Over 20 International Film Festival Awards Including:
67th Berlin International Film Festival: Grand Prix for the Best Feature Film (Generation Kplus)
Moscow International Documentary Film Festival: Grand Prix for the Best Documentary Feature & Best Editing Award
43rd Seattle International Film Festival: Grand Jury Prize Best Documentary Feature
65th Trento Film Festival: Winner of Audience Award
DMZ International Documentary Film Festival: Beautiful New Docs Award 
Winner: San Luis Obispo.
Winner: Best Documentary Boulder International Film Festival.
"Becoming Who I Was in Film Pulse" In The Press
Film Pulse: Becoming Who I Was to be released on Topic June 4th, 2020MORE +
Gen Japan: Becoming Who I Was - "I was moved by the boy’s pure, innocent, and steady behavior. Also, I felt the preciousness beyond words in Urgain’s unconditional love for Padma Angdu"MORE +
Realscreen: Best of the Tens: BECOMING WHO I WASMORE +
Mountain Xpress on Becoming Who I Was: "Intriguing, impeccably documented."MORE +
NATIONAL POST on BECOMING WHO I WAS: "A moving account of religious and migratory freedom butting up against global politics."MORE +
V Cinema Show on BECOMING WHO I WAS: "Magical... capture(s) that slippery thing called childhood."MORE +
Hollywood Reporter: "BECOMING WHO I WAS achieves an emotional impact appropriate to the scale of this journey.""MORE +
NYTimes on Becoming Who I Was: "Magnificent...Heartwarming... You don’t have to believe in Padma and Urgain’s religion to believe in them."MORE +
SLICE OF SCI FI: Becoming Who I Was is "nothing short of amazing" MORE +
Becoming Who I Was Wins Best Feature Length Documentary at San Luis Obsipo Film FestivalMORE +
Interview with BECOMING WHO I WAS director in Public Radio InternationalMORE +
Film Journal: "BECOMING WHO I WAS is a remarkable achievement, a work of beauty and heartbreak with the power to move us all."MORE +
Filmuforia on BECOMING WHO I WAS: "a piognant buddy movie"MORE +
Oxford Times: "Few will be able to watch the closing scenes of BECOMING WHO I WAS with dry eyes."MORE +
Senses of Cinema: Becoming Who I Was film makes Senses of Cinema Critical Critics World Cinema PollMORE +
"The most compassionate, humanist study this side of Ozu." - Dennis Hartley on BECOMING WHO I WASMORE +
Cine Kino Sur: Becoming Who I Was wins BEST DOCUMENTARY at 35th International Film Festival of Mountain AutransMORE +
Al-Jazeera: BECOMING WHO I I WAS...an intense picture of the spirituality that inhabits humans in that region of the world.MORE +
VIFF: Becoming Who I Was is the best documentary of the festivalMORE +
Beautiful Now: "Becoming Who I Was is a beautiful film"MORE +
Santa Fe Reporter: 9+ A beautiful film... Becoming Who I WasMORE +
Vancouver Observer: 4 Stars- This is a charming and ultimately very emotional film. MORE +
Backseat Mafia: "Becoming Who I Was is a fascinating peek into another world" MORE +
Straight: BECOMING WHO I WAS is "intriguing and moving..."MORE +
BECOMING WHO I WAS selected for Documentary Competition at San Diego Film FestivalMORE +
BECOMING WHO I WAS in Documentaire Extraordinaire Competition at Bergen International Film FestivalMORE +
Dorkshelf re Becoming Who I Was: "...excellent documentary..." MORE +
Seattle International Film Festival JURY STATEMENT: We admired the filmmaker’s skill and commitment to capturing the relationship between the two subjects in this artfully crafted documentary. For a film that beautifully tells the story of a truly incredible emotional and spiritual journey, the jury awards the grand prize for documentary filmmaking to Becoming Who I Was.MORE +
Variety: A charmingly intimate portrait that ultimately assumes epic-journey proportions...MORE +
The Stranger: 'Becoming Who I Was' Delivers a Humorous, Poignant Look at a Monk-to-Be.MORE +

© 2017 CARGO FILM & RELEASING