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Filmmaker: Petr Lom

As China gradually opens its doors to the world, more of the extraordinary variety of lives encompassed by the world's most populous country come to light.

Xinjiang Province in the far west of China is home to the Uighurs, China's largest Muslim minority.

On a Tightrope is a film about four Uighur children living in an orphanage. They dream of becoming champion tightrope walkers, an ancient local tradition.

Like all Uighurs, they are also forced to walk on a metaphorical tightrope: trying to balance between Islam that is central to their identity and a Communist China that rules Xinjiang with an iron fist, restricting all freedom, especially their religion.

While the film follows the children to school, the Chinese State tries to mould them into good Communists, teaching them that they are forbidden to practice their religion – in violation of China's international obligations.

The film is the first to ever document Chinese policy on religion in Xinjiang.

Tough decisions

The children start learning to tightrope walk, but within a few months, they are  judged inadequate by their coach. Some of their dreams change: one wants to become a teacher, another a professional singer. One of them however, feels he is simply too small to be good at anything.

Eventually, even the one judged the most talented at the tightrope is let go by the unscrupulous coach who seems only interested in money.

One year later, a different coach comes to the orphanage.

Through love and kindness, he turns the children's initial failure at tightrope walking into success.

The film culminates with their performance on a high wire - without a safety net - in front of their entire home town.

In fact, these children live their entire lives without a safety net: some are orphans and others have been abandoned by parents too poor or uncaring to keep them.

On a Tightrope can be seen from Sunday, September 12, at the following times GMT: Sunday: 0830, 1900; Monday: 0330, 1400 and 2330.