Brilliant Moon: Glimpses of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
★ 7 · 2010 · 57m · Documentary
Brilliant Moon chronicles the life of the writer, poet, and meditation master Khyentse Rinpoche, one of Tibet's most revered 20th-century Buddhist teachers. Spiritual guide to His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Royal Family of Bhutan, his life and teachings were an inspiration to all who encountered him. Richard Gere and Lou Reed provide the narration for his dangerous journey out of China, the subsequent spread of his influence and the search for his reincarnation after his death.
More Like This
By the River
2021
Varanasi is the Indian city where Hindus go to die. Stretching along the Ganges, Varanasi holds great spiritual significance because Hindu scriptutres say that anyone who dies there will attain moksha—liberation from the cycle of rebirth. Berlin-based director Dan Braga Ulvestad captures life and death in India’s heartland in this moving documentary filled with exquisite cinematic moments. By the River starts its narrative journey with the city’s “death hotels,” dedicated apartments where people wait to die, sometimes for decades, so they can be cremated on the banks of the Ganges.
More info →A Gay View/Male
1974 · ★ 5
In an intense, personal discussion, three gay men share their first sexual attitudes and experiences, feelings about men, women and children: about labeling, intimacy; and about first accepting, then becoming proud of being gay. They urge the freeing of all people; from labels and from compulsive sex--into a new intimacy.
More info →
Angels and Demons Are Real
2017 · ★ 1
It seems that in recent years Angel sightings and experiences are everywhere. Perhaps this is because the world is more and more complicated and people are feeling exhausted from keeping up when time is moving too fast and they are endlessly distracted by technology which leaves them spiritually empty. Many people believe that Angels and Demons exist and are active in our world today. With demonic possessions on the rise and a world in chaos, it makes sense to those who have experienced and witnessed encounters with the divine that Angels exist and can help us cope with our everyday lives.
More info →
Bucolic
2021 · ★ 10
Danusia and her daughter Basia live far away from the modern world, in tune with the rhythm and laws of nature, among animals and the spirits of the dead. The peace and sense of security offered by their enclave come at a price - the women increasingly long for contact with other people. Bucolic is an affectionate observation of people who live in a different way. It evokes a curiosity about their world and a desire to take a closer look.
More info →
Awake: The Life of Yogananda
2014 · ★ 6.7
An unconventional biography by Oscar nominee Paola di Florio and Sundance winner Lisa Leeman about Hindu mystic Paramahansa Yogananda who brought yoga and meditation to the West in 1920 and authored the spiritual classic "Autobiography of a Yogi," which became the go-to book for seekers from George Harrison to Steve Jobs.
More info →
Jannu, Chronicle of a Conquest
1962 · ★ 10
Three years after the 1959 expedition, abandoned 350m from the summit, Lionel Terray leads a new assault on Jannu, one of the most demanding peaks in the Himalayas. At the base camp, equipment and food rations are prepared. The conditions are optimal and the ascent can begin. The camera follows the progress of the mountaineers and Sherpas as closely as possible, from one high-altitude camp to another: installing fixed ropes, progressing over crevasses, in the middle of frozen towers, vertically down immense ice falls or along the edge of sharp ridges. From 7000m, oxygen bottles become essential, as the difficulty of the climb prevents acclimatization. The expedition is a total success: the majority of its members reach the 7710m summit.
More info →
gOD-Talk
2023
Explores the lives of seven Black Millennials – Atheist, Buddhist, Christians, Muslim, Ifa, and Spiritualist – and the challenges and discoveries with faith and spirituality.
More info →
Los niños del Nepal
2002
In Daleki School - founded by the Catalan Kathmandu Vicki Sherpa for the children of needy families - children like Narbu and Sanjev dream of a better future.
More info →
Art as a Weapon
2014 · ★ 6
Street art, creativity and revolution collide in this beautifully shot film about art’s ability to create change. The story opens on the politically charged Thailand/Burma border at the first school teaching street art as a form of non-violent struggle. The film follows two young girls (Romi & Yi-Yi) who have escaped 50 years of civil war in Burma to pursue an arts education in Thailand. Under the threat of imprisonment and torture, the girls use spray paint and stencils to create images in public spaces to let people know the truth behind Burma's transition toward "artificial democracy." Eighty-two hundred miles away, artist Shepard Fairey is painting a 30’ mural of a Burmese monk for the same reasons and in support of the students' struggle in Burma. As these stories are inter-cut, the film connects these seemingly unrelated characters around the concept of using art as a weapon for change.
More info →
The Zen Mind
2007 · ★ 8
In the last fifty years the culture of Zen has spread far beyond Japan. Zen centers and zen retreats have sprung up throughout America and Europe. When Dogen, the founder of Soto Zen, brought Zen to Japan from China 800 years ago, it quickly took root and became an integral part of Japanese life. Yet what do we know about zen practice in Japan today? The Zen Mind is a fascinating journey across Japan to explore zen in its natural habitat.
More info →