BUDDHISTDOOR IN ENGLISH
You can read the first part of this filmography here.
Title: Choice for a Chinese Woman: Enlightenment in a Buddhist Convent
Director: Krauter, Uwe
Year: 1993
Country: Germany/China
Language: Chinese
Genre: documentary
Duration: 36 minutes
Tradition: Chinese Buddhism; chan/zen
Subject: Spiritual enlightenment, monastic life, personal choices
Synopsis: This documentary explores the life of a Chinese teenager who seeks enlightenment in a Buddhist nunnery. Through her spiritual journey, her personal choices and the teachings of Buddhism are examined in a contemporary context.
---------------------------
Title: Cloud Atlas ("El atlas de las nubes")
Director: Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski, Tom Tykwer
Year: 2012
Country: United States, Germany
Language: English
Genre: film; science fiction, drama
Length: 172 minutes
Tradition: epic narrative
Themes: reincarnation, interconnectedness of lives, impact of actions through time.
Synopsis: The film weaves together multiple stories across different eras, exploring how the actions and decisions of individuals affect others in the past, present and future. Each story is thematically connected, showing the interconnectedness across time.
Title: Compassion in Exile: The Story of the 14th Dalai Lama
Director: Mickey Lemle
Year: 1993
Country: United States
Language: English
Genre: documentary
Duration: 60 minutes
Tradition: Tibetan Buddhism
Subject matter: Exile, spiritual leadership, human rights
Synopsis: This documentary chronicles the life of the 14th Dalai Lama, focusing on his exile from Tibet and his role as a spiritual leader and human rights advocate. Through interviews and archival footage, it explores his message of compassion and peace.
---------------------------
Title: Daughters of Dolma
Director: Adam Miklos
Year: 2013
Country: Nepal
Language: English, Tibetan
Genre: documentary
Length: 67 minutes
Tradition: Buddhism
Subject: Female monastic life, spirituality, Tibetan culture.
Synopsis: This documentary offers a close-up perspective on the lives of Buddhist nuns in Nepal, highlighting their spiritual practices, the personal challenges they face and the rich Tibetan culture that surrounds them. Through their experiences, the strength and dedication of these women in their spiritual quest is revealed.
Title: Daughters of Wisdom
Director: Bari Pearlman
Year: 2007
Country: United States
Language: English, Tibetan
Genre: documentary
Length: 68 minutes
Tradition: Tibetan Buddhism.
Themes: female empowerment, female monastic life, Tibetan tradition.
Synopsis: The documentary chronicles the life of nuns in an isolated Tibetan monastery, highlighting their importance in the preservation of Buddhist culture and practices. It addresses issues related to women's empowerment and their commitment to monastic life in a context that has historically been dominated by men.
--------------------------
Title: Enlightenment Guaranteed
Director: Doris Dörrie
Year: 1999
Country: Germany
Language: German
Genre: film; comedy, drama.
Length: 108 minutes
Tradition: Zen Buddhism
Themes: spiritual quest, self-discovery, culture shock.
Synopsis: The film tells the story of two German brothers who head to Japan with the goal of finding enlightenment in a Zen monastery. During their adventure, they experience comical and transformative situations, face personal challenges and gain new insights into life and spirituality.
Title: Fancy Dance.
Director: Masayuki Suô
Year: 1989
Country: Japan
Language: English
Genre: film, drama
Length: 101 min.
Tradition: Zen Buddhism
Theme: The struggle between the punk rock lifestyle and monastic discipline.
Synopsis: Yohei, a punk rocker, must become a Buddhist monk to inherit a mountain temple. Although Yohei initially rebels against the harsh monastic discipline, he learns to adapt. Then his girlfriend appears, who urges him to return to his rock 'n' roll roots.
--------------------------
Title: "For the Benefit of All Beings".
Director: Christina Lundberg
Year: 2011
Country: USA
Language: English
Genre: documentary
Duration: Information not available
Tradition: Buddhism
Subject: The life and teachings of Garchen Rinpoche, a Tibetan Buddhist master.
Synopsis: The documentary explores the life of His Holiness Garchen Triptrul Rinpoche, a prominent Buddhist teacher, and his impact on the community through his teachings and dedication to the welfare of all beings.
---------------------------
Title: Golden Kingdom
Director: Brian Perkins
Year: 2015
Country: United States, Myanmar
Language: Burmese
Genre: Drama
Length: 104 minutes
Tradition: Buddhism
Theme: Childhood, spirituality, isolation
Synopsis: The film follows four young monks who must take care of themselves when their abbot leaves their monastery in Myanmar. Through their experience, the boys face both spiritual and practical challenges in an environment that blends reality with the mystical.
Title: Hannah: Buddhism's Untold Journey
Director: Marta György-Kessler, Adam Penny
Year: 2014
Country: United Kingdom, Poland
Language: English
Genre: documentary
Duration:
Tradition: Buddhism
Subject: Spread of Buddhism, life of Hannah Nydahl, cultural transformation.
Synopsis: This documentary chronicles the life of Hannah Nydahl who, along with her husband Ole, pioneered the spread of Tibetan Buddhism in the West. It explores her efforts to bring Buddhist teachings to new audiences, as well as their cultural and spiritual impact.
Title: Happiness ("Felicidad")
Director: Thomas Balmès
Year: 2013
Country: France, Finland
Language: dzongkha
Genre: documentary
Duration: 100 minutes
Tradition: Buddhism
Theme: Modernity, tradition, pursuit of happiness
Synopsis: The film follows a young monk in Bhutan who experiences the impact of modernity when his remote village receives electricity and television for the first time. Through his perspective, the tensions between Buddhist tradition and technological advancement are explored.
--------------------------
Title: Hector and the Search for Happiness ("Hector y el secreto de la felicidad")
Director: Peter Chelsom
Year: 2014
Country: United Kingdom, Germany, Canada
Language: English
Genre: film, comedy-drama
Length: 114 minutes
Tradition: Philosophy.
Theme: Search for happiness, self-exploration, adventures.
Synopsis: The film follows Hector, a psychiatrist who embarks on a journey around the world to discover the true meaning of happiness. Through his experiences and encounters with different people, Hector learns valuable lessons about life.
-------------------------
Title: Hema Hema: Sing Me a Song While I Wait ("Hema Hema: cántame una canción mientras espero")
Director: Khyentse Norbu
Year: 2016
Country: Bhutan, Hong Kong
Language: Dzongkha
Genre: film, drama
Length: 96 minutes
Tradition: Buddhism
Subject matter: Identity, anonymity, cultural rituals
Synopsis: Set in a remote forest in Bhutan, the film explores a mysterious ritual in which participants wear masks to hide their identities. Through this ritual, themes of identity, desire and human nature are addressed.
--------------------------
Title: How to Cook Your Life
Director: Doris Dörrie
Year: 2007
Country: Germany
Language: German, English
Genre: documentary
Duration: 100 min.
Tradition: Buddhism in general, Zen Buddhism
Topic: Cooking, spirituality, mindfulness
Synopsis: This documentary features Zen master and chef Edward Espe Brown, who teaches how cooking can be a spiritual practice. Through his teachings, the connection between food preparation and mindfulness in daily life is explored.
Title: Origins ("Origins")
Director: Mike Cahill
Year: 2014
Country: United States
Language: English
Genre: science fiction, drama
Length: 106 minutes
Tradition: science/philosophy
Subject matter: science and spirituality, reincarnation, search for truth
Synopsis: The film follows a molecular biologist who studies the evolution of the human eye. His research leads him to discoveries that challenge the boundaries between science and spirituality, exploring themes of identity and reincarnation.
---------------------------
Title: Jews and Buddhism: Belief Amended, Faith Revealed
Director: Bill Chayes
Year: 1999
Country: United States
Language: English
Genre: documentary
Duration: 40 minutes.
Tradition: Judaism, Buddhism
Subject matter: religious syncretism, spirituality, interreligious dialogues
Synopsis: This documentary examines the fascination of some Jews with Buddhism and how they integrate Buddhist teachings with their Jewish heritage. Through interviews and personal accounts, the reasons behind this spiritual and cultural connection are explored.
Title: Kûkai [also known as "Legend of the Demon Cat"] ("Kukai")
Director: Chen Kaige
Year: 2017
Country: china, japan
Language: Mandarin, Japanese
Genre: film. fantasy, mystery
Duration:
Tradition: Chinese and Japanese culture
Themes: mystery, history, fantasy
Synopsis: The film follows Japanese monk Kûkai, who teams up with a Chinese poet to investigate a series of supernatural events involving a demon that takes the form of a cat during the Tang Dynasty. The story combines historical elements with fantasy and mystery.
---------------------------
Title: Kundun ("Kundun")
Director: Martin Scorsese
Year: 1997
Country: United States
Language: English, Tibetan
Genre: film, biography, drama
Length: 134 minutes
Tradition: Tibetan Buddhism
Theme: The life of the 14th Dalai Lama, history of Tibet
Synopsis: The film chronicles the life of the 14th Dalai Lama from his childhood to his exile in India. Through stunning images and music, themes of spirituality, leadership and cultural resistance are explored.
Kwaidan ("Strange Tales")
Director: Masaki Kobayashi
Year: 1964
Country: Japan
Language: Japanese
Genre: horror, fantasy
Length: 183 minutes
Tradition: Japanese culture
Theme: Folklore, ghost stories
Synopsis: This anthology of four stories is based on traditional Japanese ghost stories. Each segment explores different aspects of Japanese folklore, with a focus on the supernatural and mysterious, presented with stunning cinematography.
Title: La Vie de Buddha ("The Life of Buddha")
Director: Martin Meissonnier
Year: 2003
Country: France
Language: French, German, English
Genre: Documentary
Duration: 90 minutes (confirmed)
Tradition: Buddhism
Subject: Buddha's life, Buddhist teachings
Synopsis: This documentary explores the life of Siddhartha Gautama, known as the Buddha, and his teachings. Through dramatizations and narrations, the significant events that led to his enlightenment and the development of Buddhism are presented.
---------------------------
Title: Little Buddha ("Little Buddha")
Director: Bernardo Bertolucci
Year: 1993
Country: United Kingdom, France, Italy, Liechtenstein
Language: English
Genre: drama
Duration: 120 minutes
Tradition: Buddhism
Theme: Reincarnation, Buddhist teachings, cultural connection
Synopsis: It tells the story of an American boy who could be the reincarnation of a Tibetan lama. In parallel, the life of Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, is narrated. Through these interwoven stories, themes of spirituality and cultural connection are explored.
---------------------------
Title: "Looking for a Lady with Fangs and a Moustache
Director: Khyentse Norbu
Year: 2019
Country: Nepal
Language: Nepali and Tibetan with Spanish subtitles
Genre: Drama, Fantasy
Length: 117 minutes
Tradition: Tibetan Buddhism
Thematic: Spirituality, personal search, mysticism
Synopsis: The film follows Tenzin, a young businessman in Kathmandu who begins to have disturbing visions. Searching for answers, he encounters a monk who tells him that he will die within a week unless he meets a woman with fangs and a mustache. Through his journey, Tenzin explores themes of spirituality, destiny and the meaning of life, while immersing himself in the rich culture and mysticism of Nepal. This film combines elements of the supernatural with an in-depth exploration of Buddhist spirituality and culture, offering a unique and visually captivating narrative.
Title: Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom
Director: Pawo Choyning Dorji
Year: 2019
Country: Bhutan
Language: dzongkha
Genre: film, drama
Duration: 110 minutes
Tradition: Tibetan Buddhism, Bhutanese culture
Themes: education, rural life, self-exploration
Synopsis: The film follows a young teacher who is sent to a remote school in the mountains of Bhutan. Despite hardships, he discovers the value of community and teaching, and experiences significant personal growth.
--------------------------
Title: Mandara ("Mandara")
Director: Akio Jissoji
Year: 1971
Country: Japan
Language: Japanese
Genre: drama, experimental
Length: 101 minutes
Tradition: Japanese culture
Subject matter: Existentialism, sexuality, social criticism.
Synopsis: Two college students in Kyoto decide to swap partners and spend the night in an isolated motel. However, one of the couples is attacked. Desperate for answers, they search for the attackers and stumble upon a cult that promotes sexual freedom.
