- Director: Andrea Heckman
- Country: USA
- Year: 2020
Thousands of years ago, the ancient kingdom Zhang Zhung existed in Tibet, whose religion, Bön, continues into the modern era. Today at Menri and Triten Norbutse Monasteries, young monks and nuns carry on the Bön teachings and lineage, not only in the lands of the Himalayas, but also to countries around the world. Westerners now embrace practices for finding compassion and joy amidst a chaotic world. Bön and the West takes us on an immersive journey to one of the world’s oldest spiritual traditions and its lasting influence.
This film will be available to stream until midnight on Tuesday, September 30, 2025.
Andrea Heckman is a visual artist, academic, photographer and filmmaker who began working with photography and fiber arts in California in the 1970s. While pursuing an academic career, she completed her PhD in Latin American Studies in Anthropology and Art History after living in Ausangate, Peru in 1996 on a Fulbright-Hayes Dissertation Fellowship. In 1997, she began teaching for the University of New Mexico. Her book, Woven Stories: Andean Textiles and Rituals (2003: UNM Press), won the 2006 John Collier Jr. National Award for Excellence in Visual Anthropology. She is also an award-winning documentarian. Her films include Ausangate (2006); Crossing Bridges (2006); Mountain Sanctuary (2009); Weaving Traditions of Northern NM (2011); Bon: Mustang to Menri (2011); Woven Stories: Weaving Traditions of Northern NM; Behind the Mask (2011); Bon in Dolpo (2014); and Bon and the West (2020). She calls Taos, New Mexico her home.