We asked ten actors, filmmakers, and writers to each tell us their favorite movie that has a Buddhist message. We think the Buddha would have liked movies. Since he often taught through stories and parables, he would have appreciated the powerful spiritual stories that great films tell. Krista Tippett on Perfect Sense David Grubin on A Man Escaped Jeff Bridges on [...]
The Dharma of Wonder Woman
Barbara O'Brien reviews Wonder Woman, and explores some of the movie's Buddhist confluence. Escaping into a movie theater for immersion in sight and sound, not to mention popcorn and air conditioning, is one of the delights of summer. While many summer blockbusters may be guilty pleasures, Wonder Woman — a feminist, action-packed hit about a superheroine who tries to save [...]
Dear White People’s Justin Simien on Buddhist meaning in 2001, “My favorite movie ever”
Last month, in my interview with Justin Simien, the creator of Netflix's hit series Dear White People discussed how classic cinema, like Buddhist practice, challenges the ego. In this "outtake," he says why Stanley Kubrick's masterwork 2001: A Space Odyssey exemplifies that challenge. —Sam Littlefair Challenging the ego is what we're doing when we're practicing Buddhism. [...]
Benedict Cumberbatch-narrated documentary about Thich Nhat Hanh to premiere at SXSW
Walk With Me, the new documentary about Thich Nhat Hanh, narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch, will have a rather hip premiere, launching at South by Southwest (SXSW) in March. As previously reported hee, Walk With Me pairs shots of monastic life with Cumberbatch's readings from Thich Nhat Hanh’s journals. Said the filmmakers, Marc J. Francis and Max Pugh, “We have worked to [...]
Harold Ramis didn’t intend “Groundhog Day” to be Buddhist, but it’s a dharma classic
Harold Ramis created an underground Buddhist classic with Groundhog Day. In 2009, Perry Garfinkel met with him to learn what made the now-departed, much-beloved filmmaker tick. So there I am at a literary cocktail party on Martha’s Vineyard, and this man who looks like a Vineyarder I know comes up to our small circle of writers. Just as I’m about to say, “Hi Fred,” he extends [...]
A Zen read of the visual language of “Arrival”
If the new film Arrival had you thinking about "Zen circles," you're not the only one. Buddhadharma Deputy Editor Koun Franz on the happy accident of the film's unique approach to alien communication. Like perhaps every Buddhist watching Arrival — or at least every Zen Buddhist — I had to smile the first time the aliens revealed their written language, which, it turns out, [...]
Watch behind-the-scenes footage from the new Thich Nhat Hanh documentary
In this new video issued by the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation, we're given a peek into the making of Walk With Me, the new documentary film about Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh's life, as narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch. About the film, Cumberbatch — who's not unfamiliar with Buddhism, as our recent cover feature on him shows — offers, "I’ve been so touched by the teachings of Thich [...]
The Buddhist Life of Benedict Cumberbatch
Starring roles from van Gogh and Alan Turing to Sherlock Holmes and Hamlet have made Benedict Cumberbatch one of the world’s most celebrated actors. Through it all, he’s remained good-humored, grounded, and compassionate. He sits down with Dominic Wells to talk about the leading role Buddhism has played in his life and career. Spirituality and art, even in the supposedly [...]
Watch the trailer for the new Benedict Cumberbatch-narrated documentary about Thich Nhat Hanh
The trailer for Walk With Me — “a cinematic journey into the world of mindfulness... and Thich Nhat Hanh," narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch — has been released. When the film was announced, Cumberbatch, who identifies philosophically as a Buddhist, said “In my life I’ve been so touched by the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh, it was a great honor to work on Walk With Me. I have [...]
New animated film “Kubo and the Two Strings” introduces kids to Buddhist concepts
Kubo and the Two Strings, a new animated film that hits theaters today, takes kids on an adventure with strong Buddhist themes. The movie starts in a traditionally-Buddhist village in Japan, where the main character, Kubo, attends a Buddhist Obon Festival. Through his adventure, Kubo comes to understand that suffering is a part of life and accept mortality. The director, Travis [...]