The 1990s were dubbed the “Tibet Moment” in Hollywood. Countless celebrities frequented Dharma centers across the country, Steven Seagal was recognized as the reincarnation of an ancient Lama, and three big-budget Hollywood films with Tibetan themes were released. One of these films was Jean Jacques Annaud's epic Seven Years in Tibet, starring Brad Pitt, which tells the true story of the friendship between the Dalai Lama and Austrian mountaineer Heinrich Harrer during the final years of the independence of the country. In this essay, I will first explain how the Dalai Lama and Tibetan culture became popular in America in the 1990s. I will then explain how the film Seven Years in Tibet reveals Heinrich's spiritual transformation and raises widespread awareness. Western public to the Chinese occupation of Tibet. The Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of Tibet and is considered the reincarnation of the Bodhisattva of Compassion. The 14th Dalai Lama became known worldwide after his exile from Tibet in 1959, due to China's takeover of the state. When the Dalai Lama fled Tibet, he was “greeted at the Indian border by crowds of international journalists eager to get a glimpse of the mysterious “god king” of the land of snow. Although accounts of his escape were published in newspapers, the issue did not receive much media coverage and was not on the United Nations agenda. As a spiritual and political leader, the Dalai Lama knew he had to take a public stand to fight for Tibet's freedom. Between 1979 and 1989, the Tibet issue evolved into an international campaign. Protests took place in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, which were "violently repressed by ...... middle of the newspaper ......ia Worlds: Anthropology on new terrain." Berkeley: University of California, 2002. Print. “Tibet House US”. Tibet House US. Gere, Richard. “Frontline: Dreams of Tibet”. PBS.Solder, Steven. "Beastie Boys, Smashing Pumpkins Headline Tibetan Freedom Concert." Rolling Stone. Np, August 8, 1996. Lopez, Donald S. Prisoners of Shangri-La: Tibetan Buddhism and the West. Chicago: University of Chicago, 1998. 1. Print.Rawson, Philip S. Sacred Tibet: Imagination, Magic, and Myth. London: Thames & Hudson, 2012. Johnston, Becky. "Tricycle | Awaken to the world." Between image and reality. Lopez, Donald S. Prisoners of Shangri-La: Tibetan Buddhism and the West. Chicago: University of Chicago, 1998. Print. Abramson, Marc. "Mountains, monks and mandalas: 'Kundun' and 'Seven years in Tibet'. "Mountains, monks and mandalas: 'Kundun' and 'Seven years in Tibet'. Filmmaker, 1998.