Screening at the 2025 SXSW Film Festival, in Austin, Texas. The screening dates for this moving documentary are listed below.
Monday, March 10, 2025 at 6:30 p.m.- Alamo Lamar 9
Tuesday, March 11, 2025 at 2:30 p.m. – Violet Crown Cinema 1 & 3
The documentary MOLA – A Tibetan Tale of Love and Loss was co-directed by Yangzom Brauen and Martin Brauen. This documentary tells the poignant story of the Yangzom’s grandmother and Martin’s mother-in-law and her deep longing to spend her final days in her homeland of Tibet. Seamlessly weaving together historical footage of pivotal events—most notably her exile during the Chinese occupation—it offers a rich, immersive look at her extraordinary journey. Adding to the film’s emotional depth are intimate home videos capturing Mola’s past, from her time as a nun and refugee to the moment filmmaker Martin met his wife, Sonam. Spanning decades in the making, this documentary is a deeply personal and historically resonant portrait of resilience, exile, and the enduring pull of home.
A clever fusion of history lessons and a tribute to the mother-daughter relationship, MOLA was a deeply moving tribute to honoring one’s elders. At various points in the story, different relatable moments are revealed, which impact me as a daughter with a mother who was not one to offer compliments nor words of support. I definitely was reading between the lines of various conversations between Sonam and Mola as captured by the filmmaker. I wept alongside Sonam at various moments when she cried. It was a visceral response to my reflecting on my own mother-daughter relationship. I applaud Sonam and Martin for how wonderfully they cared for Mola. They truly went above and beyond for her and it was incredibly moving.
This documentary is so much more than just documenting the hope to help Mola’s dream come true to return to Tibet. It is also an interesting representation of her faith and the mother-daughter dynamic that I related to a great deal. Without spoiling more, I do want to warn people – Mola was 100 years old, so I shouldn’t have been surprised when the documentary captured the end of her life’s journey. It’s just that the way the filmmakers captured it all was so beautiful and poignant that I want to honor their efforts by mentioning it, even though it may be a bit of a spoiler. However, nothing prepares you for how close you feel to her and how much it hurts when you realize she is gone. At least that was the case for me and I truly wept for her loss.
Bravo to the filmmakers for the patience, endurance and painstaking effort it took to put this documentary together. It is a heartfelt tribute to Mola’s faith and to her family’s unwavering dedication in caring for her. MOLA is a deeply moving documentary that gets the audience to be fully invested into hoping Mola’s wish is granted. Mola said it best – that no matter what she would be reborn in Tibet. I do not doubt her conviction in this regard and feel as certain about it as she did. The filmmakers share Mola’s life with such intimacy that you fully believe in the sincerity of her rebirth plans—a true triumph in filmmaking, if you ask me.
Melody Lopez, Producer, Filmmaker Mixer Podcast (posted by Madelyn, Correspondent, Filmmaker Mixer)