Editor

Ten-day International Buddhist Film Festival launches at the Barbican
Presented at the Barbican: May 7th - 17th 2009

The International Buddhist Film Festival 2009 London launched at the Barbican last night (Thursday 7 May) with a sell-out gala screening of the extremely rare 1925 silent film Prem Sanyas (The Light of Asia) accompanied by a live orchestra. The event will be repeated on Sunday at 4.30pm in the Barbican's Cinema One.

The gala event launched the ten-day festival, which will celebrate Buddhist ideas and inspiration represented in film, from Eastern documentaries to Hollywood blockbusters; showing more than 40 films from 18 countries including 27 UK premieres.

Highlights over this weekend at the Barbican include:
- Buddhist Broadcasting and the Media discussion event with BOS founder and program director Babeth VanLoo - Sat 9 May 2.00pm
- UK premiere of Lucia Rijker - A Boxer, A Buddhist with Q&A with executive producer of the film - Sat 9 May 4.00pm
- First screening from Mind The Gap strand - Stay - a psychological thriller - Sat 9 May 8.45pm
- UK premiere of Milarepa: Magician, Murderer, Saint, with Q&A with Executive Producer Gregory Kruglak. This is the directing debut of Iama Neten Chokling, and Buddhist master who has turned to using film to deliver Buddhist values and messages. Sun 10 May 8.45pm.

And in the following 9 days:
- UK premiere of The Devotion of Matthieu Ricard, including Q&A with best selling author of Happiness Matthieu Ricard - Tues 12 May 6.15pm
- Happiness, Buddhism and Change in Bhutan discussion event with the Executive Director of the Bhutan Centre for Media and Democracy - including film premiers, exclusive screenings from Bhutanese filmmakers, and fascinating debates encouraging film fans to take a fresh perspective on happiness in their lives in 2009 and beyond. Mon 11 May 6.15pm.
- Discussion with BBC historian and documentary filmmaker Dan Cruickshank on the role of film as a tool for interpreting society, including a screening of his documentary Perspectives on The Lost World of Tibet. Sat 16 May 2.00pm.
- PLUS: Many more Hollywood blockbusters, animations, comedies from around the world. See www.barbican.org.uk/buddhistfilm for full listings.