International Buddhist Film Festival 2020 Official Selections

Like many public events around the world, this year’s IBFF, which was scheduled to run June 4–21 at Smith Rafael Film Center, was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We hope to be able to present these films to audiences at a future date. We congratulate the filmmakers from nine nations whose films were chosen, and thank all the participating filmmakers for their interest in the IBFF. Here are the Official Selections for IBFF 2020:

Bön and the West
Directed by Andrea Heckman
USA / 2019 / English / 91 min
WORLD PREMIERE

[various monastery buildings colored white and red sit nestled at the base of a mountainous and snowy landscape]A few thousand years ago in the ancient Himalayas, there existed a kingdom known as Zhang Zhung, whose Bön religion has continued and is recognized as a core tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. Today at Menri Monastery in Northern India and Triten Norbutse in Kathmandu Nepal, young monks and nuns carry on the Bön teachings and lineage, which include the Dzogchen practices. Western students now embrace Bön practices for finding compassion and joy amidst the technological and often chaotic world. Beautifully filmed on location in Virginia, Poland, Mexico, and Dolpo.

Dharma Rebel
Directed by Babeth Modini-VanLoo
Netherlands / 2019 / English / 77 min
USA PREMIERE

[black and white photo of young man with shaved head and tatooed arms, wearing dark glasses and clothes, sits cross legged with finger tips touching, against a slatted wood background]With a body covered in tattoos, the American author of Dharma Punx, Noah Levine, is not your typical Buddhist teacher. His Against the Stream meditation centers appeal to many people who are not easily reached by more traditional Buddhist programs. Dharma Rebel was initially going to be a film about his successful addiction treatment program Refuge Recovery, but during production, when an ex-girlfriend of Noah accuses him of sexual misconduct, the direction of the film takes a dramatic turn…

Ganden: A Joyful Land
Directed by Ngawang Choephel
USA / 2019 / English, Tibetan with English subtitles / 76 min
BAY AREA PREMIERE

[against the background of a dark wooden dresser piled with books, an elderly balding man with long white beard and moustache wearing maroon red robes, speaks to camera]Ganden is the most influential monastery of Tibetan Buddhism, where the Dalai Lama’s lineage began. For more than 500 years, monks lived in Ganden in simplicity and contentment, before a brutal invasion drove them from their home to start anew in India. Embodying the strength and joy their practice offers, survivors of the exodus tell of their lives in the old and new Ganden monastery. Filmed on location in India.

The Geshema Is Born
Directed by Malati Rao
India / 2019 / English, Hindi and Tibetan with English subtitles / 56 min
WORLD PREMIERE

[group of tibetan nuns with shaved heads in gold and maroon robes, some with eyeglasses, sit listening]This is a moving portrait of Tibetan Buddhist nuns and the first graduating class of nuns to achieve the Geshe degree (equivalent to a master’s degree in philosophy). While there still is no path to ordination for Tibetan nuns, the Geshe degree program is a major step forward. The Dalai Lama is interviewed extensively on the subject, and is very articulate and nuanced here. Filmed on location at Kopan Monastery in India. A co-production with the Dalai Lama’s Foundation for Universal Responsibility.

Looking for a Lady with Fangs and a Moustache
Directed by Khyentse Norbu
Nepal / 2019 / Tibetan and Nepali with English subtitles / 113 min
WEST COAST PREMIERE

[five women dressed in red walk across a rope bridge against a background of foliage]Director Khyentse Norbu’s fifth dramatic feature, this film takes place in contemporary Nepal. Tenzin, a skeptical and ambitious young Tibetan entrepreneur, is caught between the modern and traditional worlds. Though he disparages superstition, Tenzin is suddenly tormented by peculiar and recurring dreams and images that signal his imminent death. He learns that only finding a special dakini (a female deity or energetic being) can save his life. An urgent search ensues, though there are detours along the way.

Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom
Directed by Pawo Choyning Dorji
Bhutan / 2019 / Dzongkha with English subtitles / 110 min
BAY AREA PREMIERE

[two dark haired girls, one smiling, sit at desk in rural room with black yak in the background]A citified Bhutanese school teacher is sent to a very rural village to complete his obligatory public service before he can leave for a life in Australia. This is an instant classic, a wonderful neorealist adventure. Not quite a road movie (more of a trail movie), and not just a fish-out-of-water story, it’s a marvelous blend of serious and whimsical, with the special sauce of Bhutan’s astounding landscapes. Beautifully shot, with wonderful music, and a great cast of nonprofessionals. World premiere at the BFI London Film Festival; winner of the Audience Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.

Music Monks
Directed by Qiaoli Wang
China / 2019 / Chinese with English subtitles / 79 min
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

[cropped image of older asian man with shaved head, long eyebrows, and bright orange robe, holding large brass cymbal in each hand]Little is known about the enduring and mysterious existence of the music monks of China. Founded in 555 AD and one of the world’s most prominent cultural and musical institutions from the 10th till the 13th centuries, Xiangguo Temple has preserved the secret roots of Chinese music through the efforts of generations of its music monks. Besides Master Xinguang, the persistent and passionate orchestra conductor Shi Yuande has been one of the key figures in the process. Now it is up to three talented young members of the orchestra to continue the work. Can they be expected to strictly adhere to Buddhist doctrine in these modern times? The conductor’s departure is bittersweet and will be felt by all. Filmed on location at Xiangguo Temple in China.

Return to Gandhi Road
Directed by Yeshe Hegan
New Zealand / 2020 / English, French and Tibetan with English subtitles / 90 min
USA PREMIERE

[bald headed smiling elderly man in bright red sleeveless shirt gestures with right hand while holding an open blue, yellow, and red paneled umbrella on his left shoulder, against a background of cement walkway and red flowered green bush]This is the epic story of the gifted Tibetan teacher Kangyur Rinpoche, who in an arduous three year ordeal, escaped Tibet on foot with a complete set of the Tibetan Buddhist canon (the Kangyur, original texts attributed to Sakyamuni Buddha translated from Sanskrit or Chinese). He was a key figure in seeding the soil for the blossoming of Tibetan Buddhism in the West. The story is well told through one of his students, Kim Hegan, and commentators including Matthieu Ricard and Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche, along with Kangyur Rinpoche’s two sons, Tulku Pema Wangyal Rinpoche and Jigme Khyentse Rinpoche.

Tenzo
Directed by Katsuya Tomita
Japan / 2019 / Japanese with English subtitles / 60 min
USA PREMIERE

[at dusk, a man dressed in grey, with shaved head and glasses sits at the edge of a road overhang to the left of a small grey truck with a pink lit sky and grey clouds]This is a fresh look at Soto Zen in Japan today. Two young monks, Chiken and Ryugyo, return to their temples—one to Yamanashi and the other to Fukushima—after completing their training apprenticeships. Ten years later, facing the post-Fukushima socio-economic crisis, both monks, in different ways, have taken on more community roles. Chiken volunteers on a suicide prevention hotline through his temple in Yamanashi and has learned through his religion that the harmonization of food and nature can have a positive impact on his family’s health. Ryugyo’s family and temple were devastated by the tsunami, and he himself is still haunted by this tragedy. He comforts victims living in temporary shelters and helps clean up the debris as a construction worker. This is a dramatic/documentary hybrid, with real life characters, including Chiken and the remarkable nun Aoyama Shunto, working with actors and partially scripted scenes. The title references the monastery cook, the figure made noteworthy by the 13th century Japanese teacher Dogen, an enormous influence on Soto Zen to this day.

Visions of a Teacher
Directed by Jaap Verhoeven
Netherlands / 2019 / English, Tibetan with English subtitles / 60 min
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

[asian man with blue baseball cap, maroon t-shirt, talks to camera on a street in a dusty town with prayer flags overhead]On location in Kathmandu with filmmaker and Tibetan Buddhist teacher Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche (Khyentse Norbu). His Looking for a Lady with Fangs and a Moustache was produced in Nepal, and tells a story of a Westernized Nepali who’s caught in a life-threatening challenge that only the intervention of a dakini (a female deity or energy) can resolve. The director, depicted in the film Words of My Perfect Teacher as a bit of a trickster, is interviewed and observed in production, working on his new film with noted cinematographer Ping Bin Lee.

Zen and the West
Directed by Luke Fitch
USA / 2019 / English / 84 min
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

[asian man in long sleeved black robes sits cross legged, with eyes closed and hands clasped, in a Japanese room with shoji and sliding doors]Follow along as we travel to Canada, Japan, The Philippines, Europe and the USA, visiting Zen teachers, scientists, politicians, Christians, atheists, and celebrities exploring the questions: What is Zen? What is awakening/enlightenment? Is Zen a religion? How does science view Zen? What does awakening look like in everyday life? Features Kaz Tanahashi, Joan Halifax, Bernie Glassman (in his last interview before his death), Henry Shukman, and others. This is a survey film that goes deep in the Sanbo Zen lineage (Yamada, Yasutani, Kapleau) and focuses on Ryoun Roshi, a wealthy manufacturer in Japan, who teaches in that lineage. Narrated and with an appearance by Jeremy Irons.