Happiness is still possible, even in the midst of chaos and uncertainty. Dalai Lama claims in new documentary The wisdom of happiness.
Among those who affirm this hopeful message are: Richard Gereone of the film's executive producers, who has known the Tibetan spiritual leader for decades. Gere and fellow executive producer Oren Moverman join Deadline's latest episode Documentary conversation podcast to discuss the documentary and what they learned from the Dalai Lama, a Nobel Peace Prize winner who, at 90, has been called one of the world's greatest living thinkers.
Gere, who began practicing Buddhism in the late 1970s, tells us why he considers the film “sort of a corrective.” He believes that the Dalai Lama teaches that people are inherently kind, loving and compassionate, which can be especially comforting in a modern moment characterized by intense political polarization and numerous global conflicts.
The documentary, directed by Barbara Miller and Philip DeLakis, premiered at the Zurich Film Festival in Switzerland and has also screened at festivals around the world, including the Locarno Film Festival in southern Switzerland, the Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival in Brazil, DocPoint – Helsinki Documentary Film Festival in Finland and the Dharamsala International Film Festival in India.
Gere also explains how the directors' decision to borrow a technique pioneered by director Errol Morris helped achieve its success. The wisdom of happiness “completely unique.”
Moverman, Oscar-nominated novelist Messengerjokes that he has no spiritual life, but was brought to tears listening to the Dalai Lama's words. He told Doc Talk that the film contains never-before-seen footage of the Dalai Lama in India, where he has lived in exile since 1959, when China suppressed an attempted Tibetan uprising.
Doc Talk co-host John Ridley calls the film “deeply insightful” and “essential.”
About this in the new episode of Doc Talk, hosted by Oscar winner Ridley (12 years a slave, Shirley) and Matt Carey, senior documentary editor at Deadline. This capsule was created by Deadline and Ridley's Nō Studios.
Listen to the episode above or on major podcast platforms including Spotify, iHeart And Apple.
