The Dalai Lama – The Teachings of Happiness stars His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama, who, at nearly 90 years old, sits down face to face with the viewer to talk about the simple questions of life – happiness, suffering, peace and compassion – with a directness and wisdom that is both timeless and urgently relevant.
This is His Holiness’s last film appearance.
The film is not a traditional biographical portrait or collection of teachings, but a kind of moving meditation in which one of humanity’s greatest thinkers looks into the camera – and into us. In the light of the state of the world, its global environmental, social and moral crises, the film shows how we can still live with hope … if we look within ourselves for the source of happiness, and thus the key to the solution – and for this, it also offers practical guidelines and simple coping techniques that can be incorporated into everyday life for all those who strive for a more balanced, harmonious life.
The Dalai Lama – The Teachings of Happiness is not a film, but an hour and a half of presence in which the Dalai Lama himself inspires viewers – regardless of their religion or beliefs – to look at politics, globalization, the climate crisis and the nature of human relationships from a broader perspective. Guided by the Dalai Lama’s words, the film uses poignant images to reveal the beauty and threat of our world, which is so heavily influenced by human activity. In the film, the Dalai Lama introduces the viewer to small steps that anyone can take to develop their awareness beyond the zeitgeist and political currents by practicing deep compassion for all living beings.
The film is an extraordinary collaboration between writer-director Barbara Miller, writer-director-producer Philip Delaquis, and humanitarian and Golden Globe-winning actor Richard Gere. Gere, a personal disciple of the Dalai Lama for 45 years and a committed Buddhist, said of the film, “It could have a profound impact on the future.”
It arrives in domestic cinemas on October 30th.
Distributor: Juno11
Recommender: Aggie Reiter
Rolling in Budapest 