Mickey Lemle’s new feature documentary, The Last Dalai Lama?, will screen at the 39th Mill Valley Film Festival (MVFF) on October 8 and 9. The programmers described it as “a very powerful and intimate portrait of an extraordinary individual.” Buddhist Film Foundation is the co-presenter. Lemle’s previous film, Ram Dass Fierce Grace, was an official selection of the 24th MVFF.
Director Lemle filmed extensively with the Dalai Lama, with a palpable intimacy made possible by the 30-year relationship they share. Lemle’s widely seen 1991 film Compassion in Exile: The 14th Dalai Lama was a breakthrough profile that featured extensive rare archival footage from Tibet. In the new film, the Dalai Lama speaks candidly about the issues that come with aging that can disquiet the mind: regrets, unfulfilled dreams, frustrations, and the inevitability of death. His Holiness shared his personal perspective on each of those subjects, and explored the persistent questions about his next reincarnation.
The film also includes interviews with Daniel Goleman, Richard Davidson, Matthieu Ricard, George W. Bush, and members of the Dalai Lama’s family, and features the music of Philip Glass.
The screenings are scheduled for Saturday, October 8, at 11:30 am at the Smith Rafael Film Center in San Rafael, and on Sunday, October 9, at 5:00 pm at the Lark Theater in Larkspur. Director Mickey Lemle will be attending both screenings and will be on hand for Q&A.
Tickets, directions, parking information and more at the MVFF official website.
