On a Tightrope

Directed by Petr Lom

From director Petr Lom comes this metaphorical documentary that follows four Xinjiang province orphans learning the ancient practice of tightrope walking -- a tradition handed down by the Uighurs, China's biggest Muslim minority. But the government forbids the children from professing their faith, leaving them torn between Islamic values and those of atheistic communism. The film is the first in a trilogy about human rights in oppressive regimes.