The Miss Tibet beauty pageant claims to give women a platform to highlight Tibetan issues, drawing attention to the the plight of the its people as well as the brilliance of the lifestyle and culture. For pageant Director Lobsang Wangyal, the event is not just a beauty pageant, but a political act, "celebrating our identity, our culture and our proud tradition", whilst "implicitly asserting" Tibet as a nation and Tibetans as a people. But does the pageant really empower its women, or simply exploit them further?

Produced initially ABC Televisions Foreign Correspondent, Miss Tibet has been viewed over 15 million times world wide. For the full version visit www.bondirocksmedia.tv

DIRECTOR:  mark gould

EDITOR:       paolo febbo