Exclusive San Francisco Engagement November 11–17
Doc on Dalai Lama Premiered at the 2003 IBFF in Los Angeles
2 November 2005
The San Francisco theatrical premiere engagement of Werner Herzog’s Wheel of Time, featuring the Dalai Lama performing the Kalachakra mandala initiation, opens November 11 at the Red Vic Movie House. This exclusive run is co-presented by the International Buddhist Film Festival (IBFF) and Goethe-Institute. IBFF Executive Director Gaetano Maida will introduce the Friday, November 11 evening screenings at 7:15 and 9:15.
Filmed on location in Bodh Gaya (India), Graz (Austria) and in Tibet, Wheel of Time is Herzog’s outsider view of Tibetan Buddhist spirituality in general, and the Kalachakra (“wheel of time” is one translation) initiation in particular, with a side trip to witness the pilgrimage around Mt. Kailash. Herzog, known internationally for Grizzly Man, Nosferatu and Fitzcarraldo (and in the Bay Area for his appearances in Les Blank’s Burden of Dreams and Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe), narrates with honesty and clarity throughout. More in fascination and awe, he brings a novice’s enthusiasm and the delight of discovery to every scene.
At the 2003 IBFF in Los Angeles, Herzog told the closing night crowd that he was proud to have the US public premiere of his film as part of the inaugural run of the IBFF. He detailed the harrowing experiences he endured to capture stunning images of 450,000 Tibetans on pilgrimage, and to resounding applause he said “I’m not a Buddhist, but I knew that even in such a huge crowd of people there was not one who would pick up arms or start a war.”
Wheel of Time
Director: Werner Herzog
Germany / 2003 / 80 min
Exclusive San Francisco Engagement November 11–17
Red Vic Movie House
1727 Haight Street, San Francisco
Phone: 415.668.3994
Screenings:
All Nights 7:15/9:15; plus Saturday and Sunday, 2:00/4:00; Wednesday, 2:00
Special Guest Speakers at evening screenings include:
Gaetano Kazuo Maida – Executive Director, International Buddhist Film Festival
Benjamin Bogin – Visiting Scholar in Buddhist Studies, University of CA, Berkeley
David Gray – Professor of Religious Studies, Santa Clara University
Sonam Lama – Professor of Tibetan Language, Center for East Asian Studies, Stanford University
