Opening Night Performance & Film

Performance by Ven. Pannavati Bhikkhuni followed by a screening of Dark Red Forest

DARK RED FOREST, directed by Jin Huaqing

A work of visual awe and matter-of-fact spiritual inquiry, Dark Red Forest is a majestic documentary portrait that details the annual retreat of thousands of Tibetan nuns to small wooden houses on the vast Tibetan Plateau. With extraordinary intimacy, the camera nestles in with the women of the Yarchen Monastery, who, during the 100 coldest days of the year, learn about—and in some cases experience—profound matters of life and death, suffering and healing, karma and consequence. JinHuaqing’s film is a clarifying work of faith and philosophical inquiry, set against a forbidding landscape.

China/2021/Tibetan and Chinese with English subtitles/85 min/documentary

Friday May 24, 6:45 pm

THE MOUNTAIN PATH, directed by Edward A. Burger

“First there is no mountain, then there is no path. Then you have to ask yourself what you want from this life”.

A spirited young man journeys into the mountains of China in search of a Buddhist hermit master. Along the trail he meets an unexpected cast of dedicated recluses; the gaunt ascetic, the persevering nun, a wise old master and his disciples, all who, despite living far from the world, teach him all about how to live within it.

Edward A. Burger lived in China for over twelve years and is one of the few foreigners to have lived and studied with the hermits of the Zhongnan Mountains. The Mountain Path recounts his personal journey, including the story of how he found his lifelong teacher and entered into the world of these dedicated recluses. We witness the practical everyday challenges of mountain solitude, while the hermits share precious teachings on life, death and the journey within.

Shaanxi Prov., China/2021/English and Mandarin with English subtitles/93 min/documentary

Saturday May 25, 12:00 pm

 WANDERING…BUT NOT LOST, directed by Paul MacGowan

The path of letting go without giving up.

Under cover of darkness and with no word of his plans, much-beloved Tibetan Buddhist Meditation Master Mingyur Rinpoche walked away from his life on the international stage to live that of a wandering yogi. Unheard of among eminent teachers today, such a practice is rife with hardships. For Mingyur Rinpoche, these challenges - begging, finding food and shelter, illness, and all the attendant risks of wandering incognito from place to place with the barest of possessions - present fertile ground for deepening insight into the true nature of mind. “The entire path is a shift in perception”, says Mingyur Rinpoche. These and other words of wisdom culled from his extraordinary wandering retreat and devoted adherence to his meditative practice will touch and inspire audiences everywhere.

India/Nepal/2018/English/90 min/documentary

Saturday May 25, 2:00 pm

 BUSTER WILLIAMS: BASS TO INFINITY, directed by Adam Kahan

Imagine hanging out with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, hearing them jam together, trading riffs, then riffing with words and trading stories. Bird and Diz are gone, but giants still walk among us. One of those giants is Buster Williams. Buster has played with everyone - Miles, Sarah Vaughan, Nancy Wilson, Art Blakey, and on. In this intimate portrait, Buster trades stories, and plays, with some of the world's greatest musicians - Benny Golson, Herbie Hancock, Christian McBride and others, and takes us on a journey through his life, legacy, and America's greatest art form - the truly universal music called Jazz.

We hear Williams chanting, and we see the connection between the musical and the spiritual. He considers the music as an expression of the power of the chant along with his Buddhist studies.

USA/2021/English/90 min/documentary

Saturday May 25, 4:00 pm

GESHE WANGYAL: WITH BLESSING OF THE THREE JEWELS, directed by Ella Manzheeva

“Geshe Wangyal: With Blessing of the Three Jewels" is a dramatic story about the incredible earthly and spiritual journey of a Buddhist monk from Russia, who became one of the first preachers of Tibetan Buddhism in the United States. In 1923, as a young man, he left his home and spent over 30 years in Tibet and India, attaining the Buddhist degree of Geshe. He was a friend of the Dalai Lama and taught at Columbia University, dedicated his life to putting the Buddha's teachings into practice, and trained many talented students, increasing interest in Buddhism in the West.

Armenia/2022/English and Russian and Tibetan with English subtitles/77 min/documentary

Saturday May 25, 7:30 pm

HONEYGIVER AMONG THE DOGS, directed by Dechen Roder

In this “Buddhist noir” an undercover detective (Kinley) investigates the case of a missing Buddhist nun and falls into a risky alliance with his only suspect – Choden, an alluring woman known as the village “demoness”. Kinley slowly realizes that Choden’s stories of historical dakinis might provide the very clues needed in understanding the investigation, yet first he might have to surrender to both her charm and a belief in the supernatural. This is the debut feature film from writer/director Dechen Roder, one of Bhutan’s few female filmmakers.

Bhutan/2018/Dzongkha with English subtitles/132 min

Sunday May 26, 1:00 pm

CRAZY WISDOM: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF CHOGYAM TRUNGPA RINPOCHE, directed by Johanna Demetrakas

Crazy Wisdom explores the arrival of Tibetan Buddhism in America through the story of Chogyam Trungpa, the brilliant "bad boy of Buddhism" who fled his homeland during the Chinese Communist invasion. Trungpa arrived in the U.S. in 1970, and legend has it that he said to his students: "Take me to your poets." Trungpa eventually became renowned for translating ancient Buddhist concepts into language and ideas that Westerners could understand, while shattering all preconceived notions about the way an enlightened teacher should behave. Judged harshly by the Tibetan establishment to begin with, Trungpa's teachings are now recognized by Western philosophers and spiritual leaders, including the Dalai Lama, as authentic and profound. Today, twenty years after his death, Trungpa's name still evokes both admiration and outrage. What made him tick, and just what is "crazy wisdom" anyway? With unprecedented access to Trungpa's inner circle and exclusive never-before-seen archival material, Crazy Wisdom looks at the man and the myths about him, and attempts to set the record straight.

US/2011/English and Tibetan with English subtitles/90 min/documentary

Sunday May 26, 4:00 pm

TUKDAM: BETWEEN WORLDS, directed by Donagh Coleman.

Followed by discussion and Q&A with Andrew Holecek and Dan Hirshberg

Most of us think of death as something clear-cut, and that medical science has it neatly figured out. This feature documentary explodes such assumptions through its exploration of a phenomenon that blurs life and death to an unprecedented degree. In what Tibetan Buddhist call tukdam, advanced meditators die in a consciously controlled manner. Following ground-breaking American scientific research into tukdam and taking us into intimate death stories of Tibetan meditators, the film juxtaposes scientific and Tibetan perspectives as it tries to unravel the mystery of tukdam.

In what Tibetans call tukdam, deceased meditators show no signs of death for days or even weeks. Juxtaposing ground-breaking scientific research and Tibetan perspectives, this creative documentary challenges our notions of life and death, and where we draw the line between them.

Nepal /2022/English/91 min/documentary

Sunday May 26, 7:00 pm