Obon
In the short animated film Obon, Akiko Takakura, one of the last survivors of the atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima, tells her life story.
Film Club
Buddhist films and discussion for the Tricycle community
2020 Archive
Mizuko
Mizuko is an intimate film depicting co-director Kira Dane's experience of abortion and the Japanese Buddhist Jizo rite for grieving lost pregnancies.
Light a Candle
In this short film, Light a Candle, leaders of Students for a Free Tibet attempt to break a world record on the 29th birthday of the abducted Panchen Lama.
Hello Ahma
In the short film Hello Ahma, a young Singaporean girl new to America searches for her grandma’s reincarnation in a pet store turtle.
The Monk from the Holy Land
In the short film The Monk from the Holy Land, 63-year-old Jonathan Katznelson leads a double life—dentist by day, Tibetan Buddhist monk by night.
Buddhist Shorts Film Festival 2021
Ring in 2021 with Tricycle’s Buddhist Shorts Film Festival! This month, we’re featuring five short films documenting Buddhist diversity around the world.
Infinite Potential: The Life and Ideas of David Bohm
Few have heard of David Bohm, the man Einstein called his “spiritual son” and the Dalai Lama his “science guru.” Learn about the brilliant physicist’s life and his groundbreaking theories at the intersection of science and spirituality.
The Third Harmony
Ahimsa, or non-harming, is a cornerstone of the Buddha’s teachings. It also has driven various social movements. Through interviews with activists and experts, this film explores how nonviolent action brings about radical change.
A Little Wisdom
Glimpse the lives of children raised in Buddhist monasteries by following five-year-old Hopakuli and his older brother Chorten, two novice monks living in Lumbini, Nepal, as they navigate homesickness and infuse the rigors of a monastic lifestyle with youthful joy and imagination.
Darkhan
The darkhans of Buryatia, a Buddhist region of Siberia, were craftsmen and blacksmiths revered for their artistic skills and shamanistic ability. Today, Dashi Namdakov, a descendant of darkhans, is an internationally renowned artist and sculptor who infuses his work with shamanism, Buddhism, and Buryat mythology.
Rituals of Resistance
Three generations of Tibetans have adopted distinct modes of resistance to the Chinese government’s occupation of their homeland. In this documentary, individuals from each generation navigate the choice between violent and nonviolent activism.
Zen for Nothing
Sabine, a Swiss actress, joins life at a small Soto Zen monastery in Japan to learn more about herself. The beautiful photography and sometimes difficult discoveries are interspersed with quotations from the eminent Zen master Kodo Sawaki.
Mountains May Depart
This three-part saga, seen through the eyes of Tao, a young woman from Shanxi province in North China, captures the social and economic changes rapidly transforming Tao’s home country as forces of globalization test her family’s relationships and upend her life.
My Soul Drifts Light Upon A Sea of Trees
After losing two friends and an uncle to suicide, Zen priest Itettsu Nemoto made it his life’s mission to support those struggling with depression and suicidal behavior. My Soul Drifts Light upon a Sea of Trees follows three of the hundreds of people Nemoto has counseled as their lives are transformed by his holistic, community-based approach to suicide prevention.
How to Let Go of the World and Love All the Things Climate Can’t Change
Reflecting on the parts of humanity that no crisis can take away, documentarian and activist Josh Fox journeys around the globe to learn from frontline communities fighting the ecological crisis with creativity and courage.
August at Akiko’s
An unlikely friendship develops between a drifting young jazz musician and the quirky proprietor of a Buddhist B&B in this lyrical homage to Zen and the Japanese American communities of Hawaii.
Saving Mes Aynak
Afghan archaeologists and villagers fight to save the ancient Buddhist city of Mes Aynak, one of the most significant archaeological discoveries of recent times, from destruction by a Chinese copper mine.
Buddhist Shorts Film Festival 2020
Ring in the New Year—and new decade—with Tricycle’s Buddhist Shorts Film Festival! This month, we’re featuring five short films documenting Buddhist diversity around the world.
Art of the Moment
In this short documentary "Art of the Moment," the Dutch painter and Zen Buddhist Gert Johan Manschot reflects on his art and life.
The Art of Life
Yearning for freedom, Michael gave up his career as a rising star in the field of abstract mathematics to become a renunciant in a Hawaiian jungle. Living in a house he made by hand, he spends his days meditating, gardening, and swimming with dolphins. He argues that another way of life is possible: one focused on developing compassion and wisdom while living lightly on the earth.
Supermonk
During Nepal’s civil war, an 11-year-old monk forms an unlikely friendship with a rebel child soldier hiding in his monastery.
On Retreat
In 1995 Judith Skinner started a traditional three-year Tibetan Buddhist retreat in her rent-controlled San Francisco apartment. 24 years later, she’s still on retreat. Judith reflects on her two decades spent largely in solitude.
Malá / The Little One
Caught between her Vietnamese heritage and her life in the Czech Republic, a young girl feels like a stranger in her own country. Where is home for a child raised between two cultures?
