Angry Monk

Tuesday, March 27-----The Rubin Museum of Art, one of the foremost cultural institutions devoted to central Asian art, history and education, is hosting the New York premiere of ANGRY MONK, a documentary feature film directed by Luc Schaedler about the legendary Gendun Choephel (1903-1951). Choephel is a legendary figure in Tibet , not simply because he was believed to be the reincarnation of a famous Buddhist lama but also because he eventually turned his back on monastic life and became a fierce critic of his country’s religious conservatism and reactionary government. After leaving the monastery in 1934, Choephel began extensive travels throughout Tibet and India in order to understand the true political history of his country.

ANGRY MONK provides both a personal and political portrait of this pioneering and visionary intellectual who renounced the “false duty of monastic obligations.” The film traces the biography and historic times of Choephel, who lived only 48 years, and died the year that Tibet was first occupied by the Chinese army. The film feaures rare archival footage, Choephel’s paintings and sketches, contemporary scenes of many of the sites he visited, and fascinating interviews with Tibetan historians, scholars, writers, poets and Choephel’s wife.

The final screening of the film will be this coming Saturday, March 31st at 2:00pm and 6:00pm at the Rubin Museum of Art in New York City. That same day, noted historial William Dalrymple will give a talk on Monks and Monasticism at 4:00pm at the museum. In addition, visitors to the museum can also view the exhibition The Missing Peace: Artists Consider the Dalai Lama, an imaginative show that reflects artists’ interpretations of the Dalai Lama. For more information on the screening and other programs, visit the website of the Rubin Museum of Art: www.rmanyc.org.

The film is being released theatrically and to museums, universities and cultural centers by First Run/Icarus Films, which will also release the documentary on home video and dvd later this year. For more information on First Run/Icarus Films, visit their website: www.frif.com

Sandy Mandelberger, Film New York Editor