![[green buddha head with yellow top knot, blue ears, and orange triangle at third eye, above international buddhist film festival in black type and 2021 in orange type]](https://buddhistfilmfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/IBFF2021-V-orange-188x253.png)
After a two-year pandemic-imposed hiatus, the International Buddhist Film Festival (IBFF) returns to the Smith Rafael Film Center for an in-person event December 9–12, 2021. Co-presented by California Film Institute (CFI) and Buddhist Film Foundation (BFF), nine films from eight countries will premiere over the long weekend, with special guests at every screening.
“Some of these films were IBFF 2020 Official Selections that haven’t had a chance to be seen in theaters here yet,” says IBFF executive director Gaetano Maida. “And there are several new gems we were fortunate to secure to help make our return to The Rafael really exciting. Here in our twenty-second year, this is among our strongest programs ever.”
TICKETS AND ALL-ACCESS PACKAGE ARE NOW ON SALE!
Please visit Smith Rafael Film Center for online ticket and all-access package purchase, and ticket and venue information.
OPENING NIGHT PRESENTATION
Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom
Directed by Pawo Choyning Dorji
Bhutan / 2019 / Dzongkha with English subtitles / 110 min / Drama
BAY AREA PREMIERE
Thursday, December 9, 7:30 pm
Zoom: Q&A with director Pawo Choyning Dorji
![[two dark haired girls, one smiling, sit at desk in rural room with black yak in the background]](https://buddhistfilmfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/lunana-festival.jpg)
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.
Saffron Heart
Directed by Paul McLay
Russia / 2018 / Tibetan with English subtitles / 91 min / Drama
USA PREMIERE
Friday, December 10, 4:30 pm
Zoom: Q&A with director Paul McLay
![[a laughing young boy with shaved head holds a wind blown maroon fabric in outstretched arms while being carried on the back of a laughing young asian man with dark very short hair and red clothing who is running]](https://buddhistfilmfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/saffron-heart-festival.jpg)
A young Tibetan boy is sent to a Buddhist monastery in India, and despite all the camaraderie, he is homesick. His compassionate teacher finds a way to engage him in a game that suggests a solution. This pint-sized hero’s journey within the confines of a monastery offers insight and surprise. Beautifully filmed on location in India.
CENTERPIECE PRESENTATION
Descending the Mountain
Directed by Maartje Nevejan
The Netherlands / 2021 / English, and German with English subtitles / 78 min / Documentary
INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE
Friday, December 10, 7:30 pm
In Person: Director Maartje Nevejan and Co-producer Monette de Botton
Special Guest: Don Lattin, former SF Chronicle religion editor and author of The Harvard Psychedelic Club and Changing Our Minds—Psychedelic Sacraments and the New Psychotherapy, will host the Q&A with director Maartje Nevejan and co-producer Monette de Botton.
![[bearded older man in brimmed brown hat and loose loden-colored jacket over a light tan vest and faded dark blue henley, holds a small dark orange pumpkin in cupped hands, stands gazing down to his right, against a bluish backdrop of lake and hills, and out-of-focus large yellow flower in the right foreground]](https://buddhistfilmfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/descending-the-mountain-festival.jpg)
An alternate title for this film could be Meditation and Mushrooms, which would perfectly suit this fascinating and delightful documentary. Zen teacher Vajna Palmers (a ten-year veteran of Tassajara Zen Mountain Center in California, and colleague of Brother David Steindl-rast) enlists a neuroscientist in Switzerland to introduce his Zen students to psilocybin mushrooms in (legal) research on the so-called “hard” question: What is consciousness? With science usually coming at mind (at least the brain) from the outside, and meditation coming at mind from the inside, a renewed interest in entheogens (psychedelics) and new legal paths for research make this a very timely and provocative film. Filmed on location at Sekimonji (Rock Gate Temple), Mt. Rigi, Switzerland.
Dharma Rebel
Directed by Babeth Mondini-VanLoo
The Netherlands / 2020 / English / 77 min / Documentary
USA PREMIERE
Saturday, December 11, 1:30 pm
In Person: Director of Photography Ashley James
Special Guest: Noah Levine (featured subject)
Zoom: Introduction by Director Babeth Mondini-VanLoo
![[white man wearing black shirt and black framed glasses sits on white steps with head tucked in and arms crossed revealing extensive tatoos]](https://buddhistfilmfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/dharma-rebel-festival2.jpg)
With a body covered in tattoos, Noah Levine, the American author of Dharma Punx, is not your typical Buddhist teacher. His Against the Stream meditation centers appealed to many people who are not easily reached by more traditional Buddhist programs. Dharma Rebel was initially going to be a film about him and his successful addiction treatment program Refuge Recovery, but during production, when an ex-girlfriend of his accuses him of sexual misconduct, the film takes a dramatic turn…
Lopon
Directed by Everardo Gonzales
Mexico / 2020 / English, and other languages with English subtitles / 77 min / Documentary
USA PREMIERE
Saturday, December 11, 4:30 pm
Special Guest: Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche (featured subject)
![[closeup of elderly man with broad face and cropped white hair wearing maroon and gold fabric around his neck, gazes down to his lower right , against a black background]](https://buddhistfilmfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/lopon-festival2.jpg)
A simple man, Yongdzin Lopon Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche, is recognized as one of the great living masters of the ancient Bön tradition; he is the head teacher, or Lopon. At Tristen Norbutse Monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal, families leave their children to begin their education in what’s considered the fifth and earliest school of Tibetan Buddhism. Through the ensemble account of several Bön practitioners from diverse countries and cultures, Lopon delves into the reasons for the personal search for spirituality, and the ways in which this practice is integrated into Western culture. Filmed on location in Nepal, Poland, Mexico, France, and Finland.
Buster Williams: Bass to Infinity
Directed by Adam Kahan
USA / 2021 / English / 90 min / Documentary
BAY AREA PREMIERE
Saturday, December 11, 7:30 pm
In Person: Director Adam Kahan
![[older black man with light colored eyes wearing a black shirt and black scarf with small white dots gazes upward while holding the neck of a bass with his right hand]](https://buddhistfilmfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/buster-williams-festival.jpg)
“I’m not interested in playing what I already know. I want to discover something new every time I pick up my bass.” Jazz bassist Buster Williams has played with everyone, from Sarah Vaughan to Miles Davis, Nancy Wilson, Art Blakey, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, and on. Herbie Hancock credits him with introducing him to Buddhism, which enabled him to overcome his drug addiction. A sincere master is lovingly profiled here, living a creative life with remarkable friends, making great music.
Return to Gandhi Road
Directed by Yeshe Hegan
New Zealand / 2020 / English, and French and Tibetan with English subtitles / 90 min / Documentary
USA PREMIERE
Sunday, December 12, 1:30 pm
Zoom: Q&A with director Yeshe Hegan and Kim Hegan (featured subject)
![[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]](https://buddhistfilmfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/return-to-gandhi-road-festival.jpg)
In an arduous three year ordeal, the gifted Tibetan teacher Kangyur Rinpoche 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. This epic 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. Filmed on location in India and New Zealand.
The Mountain Path
Directed by Edward Burger
USA / 2021 / English, and Chinese with English subtitles / 93 min / Documentary
WORLD PREMIERE
Sunday, December 12, 4:30 pm
In Person: Director Edward Burger
![[older asian man with short dark hair and jacket, holds left hand's fingers on his left cheek while gazing pensively out a window, sitting against a dark piece of furniture piled with fabric covered carton and assorted supplies, with a light covered book near his right arm]](https://buddhistfilmfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/the-mountain-path-festival.jpg)
This is a brilliant re-imagining by director Edward Burger of his critically-acclaimed debut film about contemporary Chinese hermits, Amongst White Clouds (IBFF 2008 MEXICO), told with new interview footage, a new voice-over and score, and a fresh perspective on the timeless lessons of these monks and nuns. Inspired by the book Road to Heaven, by Bill Porter. Filmed on location in China.
CLOSING NIGHT PRESENTATION
Balloon
Directed by Pema Tseden
China / 2019 / Tibetan with English subtitles / 102 min / Drama
WEST COAST PREMIERE
Sunday, December 12, 7:30 pm
![[close up of moustached asian man in brown jacket with blue patterned scarf and white cap with black visor, stands behind and looks sternly at an asian woman with tied dark hair, light tan jacket over red shirt, and blue scarf, while she gazes down forlornly]](https://buddhistfilmfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/balloon-festival.jpg)
The new film from the always creative Tibetan filmmaker Pema Tseden (Silent Holy Stones, IBFF SHOWCASE 2010; Old Dog; Jinpa) is a slyly provocative drama beautifully filmed in a Tibetan town. While exploring death and reincarnation, it playfully looks at China’s old one-child policy and the consequences for the women in particular. Winner for Best Director and Best Screenplay at the Shanghai International Film Festival.
