The chance to meet the Dalai Lama is, for many, a life-altering experience.
Director Khshyar Darvich is not only sharing his personal experience with the Dalai Lama through his documentary,
• What: “Dalai Lama Awakening” screening and Q&A
• When: Wednesday, Oct. 29
• Where: The Spectrum 8, 290 Delaware Ave., Albany
• How much: $10
• Info: call 449-8995 or email [email protected].
he is also in the midst of a world tour to speak directly to moviegoers in a unique question-and-answer forum that will bring him to The Spectrum in Albany on Wednesday, Oct. 29.
The movie theater will host a special showing of “Dalai Lama Awakening,” and by the time Darvich appears in Albany, he will have finished a 36-city tour of England, Scotland and Ireland. His stop in the Capital District is just one in a 100-city tour planned across the United States and Canada.
“‘Dalai Lama Awakening,’ presents the profound and life-changing journey of innovative Western thinkers who travel to India to meet with the Dalai Lama to solve many of the world’s problems,” said Darvich. “The result was an inner transformation of the participants, as well as what audiences report is a personal transformational experience for those who watch the film.”
The movie focuses on 40 visionaries — artists, scholars, physicists, astronomers, business leaders, doctors, authors — all seeking to speak directly with the Dalai Lama with expectations of changing the world. A five-day series of discussions ensues with the intent to solve problems through the “synthesis” of their varied disciplines.
So far, the reception from audiences has been gratifying for the director.
“The most satisfying aspect of making this film,” said Darvich, “is to share it with audiences and to hear their insights. … Movie making is a sharing experience.”
When the film was first released on Oct. 1, the director admitted he was uncertain whether it would be embraced by moviegoers despite preliminary test screenings.
“It’s always uncertain with the first few screenings of the film,” he said. “It’s hard to see how it will impact the audience.”
Since its premiere, the documentary has been well received by both audiences and critics alike.
Critical acclaim aside, “it’s been a rewarding experience for me to speak with the audience,” said Darvich.
The movie is a culmination of 14 years and 500 hours of film footage. The long span between concept and finished product was due, in large part, said Darvich, to fighting with movie executives in order to maintain the integrity of his vision.
“I was told to structure it more mainstream, and it didn’t feel true to me,” he said. “In order to touch audiences, I had to stay true to the poetic nature of the film.”
In the two-hour documentary, Darvich interviews the Dalai Lama in India, where he is exiled from his home of Tibet.
The Dalai Lama serves as both a holy mentor for Buddhists and a political head of state for Tibet. Since 1951, Tibet has been under the rule of the Communist Party of China. A failed revolt against Chairman Mao Zedong forced the Dalai Lama to flee his country in 1959. Despite his ex-patriot status, the Dalai Lama continued to serve as director of the Tibet Government until his retirement from that post in 2011.
“I’ve interviewed [the Dalai Lama] three times, and he’s really the same – the things that he says in a stadium of 20,000 is the same one-on-one,” said Darvich.
He describes the Dalai Lama as personable, with a sense of humor and “an amazing mind.”
“I really saw someone who puts kindness and compassion into action,” he said.
Since his directorial debut in 1997, Darvich has completed four films – three of which focus on the Dalai Lama: “Dalai Lama Renaissance” (2007), “Dalai Lama Awakening” (2014), and “Compassion in Action” (2014).
“Awakening” is narrated by American actor Harrison Ford. Like fellow actor Richard Gere, Ford has been vocal on his support of the Dalai Lama. In 1995, the “Indiana Jones” actor testified before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee to voice support for the Buddhist leader and to lobby for the independence of Tibet.
In the Capital District, the Spectrum has developed a reputation for showing independent films and those that don’t always particularly appeal to mainstream audiences. For Keith Pickard, the theater’s managing partner, it’s always a conscious effort to provide such entertainment for local patrons.
He said he had known about the film, and describes it as possessing an “important” message.
“It’s going to be a great event,” he said. “We’re excited about it. There’s been a lot of pre-sales and a lot of interest.”
The premiere of “Dalai Lama Awakening” with Director Khshyar Darvich takes place Wednesday, Oct. 29. Tickets are on sale for $10 and can be purchased through Spectrum 8 Movie Theatres on Delaware Avenue. For more information call 449-8995 or email [email protected].
