Movies: Buddhism

Three students seek the wisdom of Tibetan Buddhist master, soccer aficionado and filmmaker Khyentse Norbu in this captivating documentary, which takes viewers on a journey from the World Cup in Germany to the isolated Buddhist kingdom of Bhutan. Bern...

Toyoda Toshiaki went to Sado Island and filmed musician Koshiro Hino and Kodo, the local Taiko Performing Arts Ensemble, while they performed music composed especially for Shiver....

In the 12th century, Buddhism was still a relatively new religion in Japan. At that time, one school (Shingon) offered extensive training in complex and very demanding practices which might eventually bring about spiritual purification and realizatio...

As a fake monk, collecting donations off the street of Thailand; he encounters a tarot fortune teller. Blessing him prosperity in his Muaythai quest as a champion; but bad luck looms if he don't find a special amulet for his luk thep in a temple....

After World War II a group of young writers, outsiders and friends who were disillusioned by the pursuit of the American dream met in New York City. Associated through mutual friendships, these cultural dissidents looked for new ways and means to exp...

Aloko Udapadi is a Sinhalese epic historical film based on the story of King Valagamba of Anuradhapura (89 – 77 BCE)....

M (Yossawat Sittiwong), a young man who wishes to have a better life, has decided to go to India for a pilgrimage at the four main Holy sites of Buddha: Lumbini where he was born; Sarnath where he delivered his first teaching, Bodh Gaya where he was ...

This is a simple act of redemption; a consequence of a hit & run....

The influential life and powerful messages of Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh are explored in this biographical documentary. For more than 50 years, this amazing social activist has preached self-awareness and compassion for all living being...

The Sikand family learns they are part of an ancient bloodline and the only hope at continuing it is their gay daughter Savarna....

Four monks, a royal scholar, and their American guru are fighting to save Bhutan's sacred arts while learning the art of letting go....

The Kabul National Museum, once known as the "face of Afghanistan," was destroyed in 1993. We filmed the most important cultural treasures of the still-intact museum in 1988: ancient Greco-Roman art and antiquitied of Hellenistic civilization, as wel...

The documentary focuses on the annual Mani Rimdu festival of Tibet and Nepal, an event which encapsulates the Himalayan Buddhist experience....

Nob leads a happy life in a small town with his wife and young son. But when his son dies and his wife leaves him, he is unable to cope....

When Danish filmmakers Mira Jargil and Christian Sønderby Jepsen try to find balance in their stressful lives, they seek guidance from a renowned Danish HIV researcher turned monk deep in the mountains of Sri Lanka. But their filming process goes dif...

The Japanese population’s reaction to the catastrophe of March 2011 has been described as “stoic” by the Western media. The Japanese code of conduct is indeed deeply rooted in their Buddhist traditions, and young filmmakers Tim Graf and Jakob Montras...

In this short documentary we learn the back story of the Buddha – the religion he founded and how it is manifested today. Travel through Southeast Asia to India, Burma, Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon), Thailand, Japan, China and many other countries to d...

Weaving together original film and photographic archives, A CLOUD NEVER DIES tells the story of a humble young Vietnamese monk and poet whose wisdom and compassion were forged in the suffering of war. In the face of violence, fear, and discrimination...

A poet and a spirit have an ongoing deal: Haiku for life....

In 1963, for the first time, the Dalai Lama allowed a Westerner, Desjardins, to film the heart of the Tibetan tradition. These two films were originally shown on French television in the 1960's and are a wonderful testimony, revealing some of Tibet's...