BUDDHISTDOOR EN ESPAÑOL
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Title: A Buddha
Director: Diego Rafecas
Year: 2005
Country: Argentina
Language: Spanish
Genre: drama
Length: 1 hour 55 minutes
Tradition: Zen Buddhism
Theme: The conflict between modern life and the spiritual quest
Synopsis: The story revolves around a boy from the city who persistently shuns his deepest existential crisis: the desperate need to find his true self. Life's setbacks, including disappointments and painful events, lead him inexorably to enter the world of the most severe asceticism. His radical transformation involves the total abandonment of his previous life, including his personal relationships and eating habits, which generates a dramatic impact on the people in his closest circle.
Title: Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
Director: Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Year: 2010
Country: Thailand
Language: Thai
Genre: film; drama, fantasy
Duration: 114 minutes
Tradition: Buddhism (karma and rebirth; cultural context)
Theme: death, memory, reincarnation
Synopsis: In his last days, a sick man relives presences and memories that open the story to other existences, between the everyday and the supernatural.
Title: Unmistaken Child
Director: Nati Baratz
Year: 2008
Country: Israel
Language: Tibetan
Genre: documentary
Length: 102 minutes
Tradition: Tibetan Buddhism
Theme: Explores faith, tradition and the master-disciple bond in Tibetan Buddhism.
Synopsis: A Tibetan Buddhist monk sets out on a four-year quest to find the reincarnation of his late teacher Lama Konchog. The documentary follows the physical and spiritual journey of the monk Tenzin Zopa as he searches for the boy who could be the reincarnation of his teacher.
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Title: Valley of Flowers
Director: Pan Nalin
Year: 2006
Country: India
Language: Hindi
Genre: drama
Length: 155 minutes
Tradition: Buddhism
Theme: Spirituality
Synopsis: An epic love story that spans centuries, about a bandit and a martial arts teacher whose romance takes place in the Himalayas. The narrative explores themes of love, karma, and the nature of existence across multiple lives.
Title: Vara: The Blessing
Director: Khyentse Norbu
Year: 2013
Country: Bhutan
Language: Dzongkha
Genre: drama
Length: 1 hour and 36 minutes
Tradition: Buddhism
Theme: Spirituality
Synopsis: In rural India, Lila and her mother Vinata, a temple dancer dedicated to a Hindu god, live in marginalization and poverty. Lila's life takes a turn when Shyam, a young low-caste sculptor, asks her to be her model. Despite the risk that this poses to both of them due to strict social and religious norms, Lila accepts, and a story of forbidden love develops between them that puts spiritual devotion in conflict with the desires of the heart.
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Title: Varanasi: City of Light
Director: Praveen Singh
Year: 2018
Country: India
Language: Hindi/English
Genre: documentary
Duration: 92 minutes
Tradition: Buddhism/Hinduism
Theme: death, rebirth and sacred place
Synopsis: Exploration of Varanasi, where pilgrims of various traditions seek spiritual liberation along the Ganges River.
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Title: Walk with Me
Director: Marc J. Francis and Max Pugh
Year: 2017
Country: United Kingdom
Language: English
Genre: documentary
Duration: 94 minutes
Tradition: Vietnamese Buddhism (Thich Nhat Hanh)
Theme: community and daily mindfulness
Synopsis: Immersion in the life of Plum Village with Thich Nhat Hanh, focused on walking consciously and finding peace in everyday life.
Title: Wheel of Time
Director: Werner Herzog
Year: 2003
Country: Germany
Language: English/Tibetan
Genre: documentary
Duration: 81 minutes
Tradition: Tibetan Buddhism
Theme: massive rituals and devotion
Synopsis: Herzog documents the Kalachakra with the Dalai Lama, capturing mandalas, pilgrimage and collective faith.
Title: When the Iron Bird Flies
Director: Victress Hitchcock
Year: 2012
Country: USA
Language: English
Genre: documentary
Duration: 96 minutes
Tradition: Tibetan Buddhism
Theme: dissemination and adaptation in the West
Synopsis: Explore how Tibetan Buddhism has adapted in the US after exile, with interviews and reflections on cultural changes.
Title: Why Has Bodhi Dharma Left for the East?
Director: Bae Yongkyun
Year: 1989
Country: South Korea
Language: Korean
Genre: drama
Length: 175 minutes
Tradition: Zen Buddhism
Theme: Buddhism
Synopsis: The film follows the lives of three Zen monks in a remote mountain temple: an elderly teacher, an adult monk, and a young novice. Through its interaction, the film deeply explores the principles of Zen Buddhism and the search for enlightenment.
Title: Wild Wild East
Director: Michael McAteer
Year: 2010
Country: USA/China
Language: English/Mandarin
Genre: documentary
Duration: 85 minutes
Tradition: Chinese Buddhism
Theme: spiritual tourism and cultural encounter
Synopsis: Westerners travel to Chinese monasteries in search of enlightenment and collide with expectations, spiritual commerce and cultural differences.
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Title: Windhorse
Director: Paul Wagner
Year: 1998
Country: USA
Language: English, Tibetan
Genre: drama
Length: 97 minutes
Tradition: Tibetan Buddhism
Theme: human rights
Synopsis: In a remote Tibetan Himalayan town, three cousins—Dorjee, her sister Dolkar, and Pema—witness the murder of their grandfather by Chinese soldiers. Years later, in Lhasa, their lives have taken different paths: Dolkar becomes a pop singer and embraces Chinese culture, Dorjee develops a deep hatred for the Chinese government, and Pema becomes a Buddhist nun. Their destinies cross again when Pema is arrested for participating in protests against the Chinese government, dragging her cousins into the dangerous world of Tibetan resistance.
Title: With One Voice
Director: Eric Temple
Year: 2009
Country: USA
Language: English
Genre: documentary
Duration: 78 minutes
Tradition: Buddhism (among other mystical traditions)
Theme: spiritual unity, compassion and consciousness
Synopsis: Teachers of various religions, including Buddhism, dialogue about a shared essence of spiritual experience.
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Title: Words of My Perfect Teacher
Director: Lesley Ann Patten
Year: 2003
Country: Canada
Language: English
Genre: documentary
Duration: 103 minutes
Tradition: Tibetan Buddhism
Theme: guru-disciple relationship; Buddhism in contemporary contexts
Synopsis: Follows Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche and his students, showing the transmission of teachings and tensions between tradition and modern life.
Title: Yangsi
Director: Mark Elliott
Year: 2012
Country: USA
Language: English/Tibetan
Genre: documentary
Duration: 82 minutes
Tradition: Tibetan Buddhism
Theme: education of a young tulku
Synopsis: Documents the life of a boy recognized as the reincarnation of a lama and the challenges of his spiritual formation in the contemporary world.
Title: Zen
Director: Banmei Takahashi
Year: 2009
Country: Japan
Language: Japanese
Genre: drama
Length: 127 minutes
Tradition: Zen Buddhism
Theme: dramatic biography of Zen master Dogen,
Synopsis: A dramatic biography of Zen master Dogen, founder of the Soto Zen school in Japan. The film follows his journey to China in search of true dharma and his subsequent efforts to establish Zen Buddhism in Japan during the 13th century.
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Title: Zen and the Art of Landscaping
Director: David Kartch
Year: 2001
Country: USA
Language: English
Genre: film (short film; comedy)
Duration: 17 minutes
Tradition: Zen Buddhism (inspiration)
Theme: daily practice, inner order, mindfulness
Synopsis: A landscaper applies Zen principles to transform a chaotic garden, as a metaphor for inner work in mundane tasks.
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Title: Zen for Film
Director: Nam June Paik
Year: 1964
Country: USA
Language: no dialogue
Genre: experimental cinema / art
Duration: approx. 20 minutes
Tradition: Zen Buddhism (inspiration)
Theme: impermanence, emptiness, materiality of cinema
Synopsis: A “blank” film that alters and deteriorates over time, inviting us to contemplate impermanence and illusion.
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Title: Zen Noir
Director: Marc Rosenbush
Year: 2004
Country: USA
Language: English
Genre: film; mystery, comedy
Duration: 71 minutes
Tradition: Zen Buddhism (context)
Topic: spiritual research, koans, perception of reality
Synopsis: A detective investigates a murder in a Zen temple; The logic of the case intersects with meditative practice and questions about reality.
