''Dalai Lama Renaissance'' is a 2007 feature-length

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional film, motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". Bill Nichols (film critic), Bil ...

, produced and directed by

Khashyar Darvich Khashyar Darvich is a documentary film producer and director best known for directing a documentary film about the Dalai Lama, "Dalai Lama Renaissance," which is narrated by actor Harrison Ford. He got his start in Colorado where he produced ot ...

, and narrated by actor

Harrison Ford Harrison Ford (born July 13, 1942) is an American actor. His films have grossed more than $5.4billion in North America and more than $9.3billion worldwide, making him the seventh-highest-grossing actor in North America. He is the recipient o ...

. The film documents the

Dalai Lama Dalai Lama (, ; ) is a title given by the Tibetan people to the foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" school of Tibetan Buddhism, the newest and most dominant of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The 14th and current Dal ...

's meeting with the self-titled "Synthesis" group, made up of 40 Western "renaissance" thinkers who hope to use the meeting to change the world and resolve many of the world's problems. The meeting took place at the Dalai Lama's home in

Dharamsala Dharamshala (; also spelled Dharamsala) is the winter capital of Himachal Pradesh, India. It serves as administrative headquarters of the Kangra district after being relocated from Kangra, a city located away from Dharamshala, in 1855. The ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

in September, 1999. The film won 12 awards, was the official selection in over 40 international film festivals, and played in cinemas in over 100 cities in the U.S., as well as other countries in the world like Germany, Austria, Switzerland. It was also released in theaters in Taiwan in June 2009. The film received positive front page Chinese language press in Taiwan. However, '' The People's Daily'' presented an article criticizing the film. Among the Western thinkers who meet the Dalai Lama are: quantum physicist

Fred Alan Wolf Fred Alan Wolf (born December 3, 1934) is an American theoretical physicist specializing in quantum physics and the relationship between physics and consciousness. He is a former physics professor at San Diego State University, and has helped to ...

, social scientist Jean Houston, and founder of

Agape International Spiritual Center The Agape International Spiritual Center is a transdenominational congregation currently holding Sunday services at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills, California, founded in 1986 by Michael Bernard Beckwith. Agape International Spiritual Center ...

church in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, Dr.

Michael Beckwith Michael Bernard Beckwith is a New Thought minister, author, and founder and spiritual director of the Agape International Spiritual Center in Beverly Hills, California. Career Beckwith is the founder and spiritual director of the Agape Internati ...

. Through the film the audience sees the clash of egos that soon developed among the members of the group and their assistants, as each member attempts to mold the meeting to fit their own personal expectations. Ultimately they discover they cannot hope to change the world until they undergo a personal transformation. Assisted by the often light-hearted musings of the Dalai Lama, each member comes away uniquely changed by their experience. The film includes original music by

Tibetan musician The music of Tibet reflects the cultural heritage of the trans-Himalayan region centered in Tibet, but also known wherever ethnic Tibetan groups are found in Nepal, Bhutan, India and further abroad. The religious music of Tibet reflects the p ...

s. In 2014 Wakan Films released the Poetic ReVision and Director's Cut of ''Dalai Lama Renaissance.'' Entitled ''

Dalai Lama Awakening ''Dalai Lama Awakening'' is a 2014 feature-length documentary film, produced and directed by Khashyar Darvich and narrated by actor Harrison Ford. With over 30 minutes of additional footage and a new score, the film is a Director's Cut and revis ...

'' the film contains over 30 minutes of additional footage and a completely new score.

References

External links

*
Official site
* * * 2007 films American documentary films Documentary films about Buddhism Films about the 14th Dalai Lama Documentary films about spirituality 2000s American films {{reli-documentary-film-stub