Projecting Buddha

~ Lincoln Spector

What’s the sound of one audience clapping?

Starting February 14, the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts screens 12 films in a series titled Projecting Buddha. Hosted by the International Buddhist Film Festival, The movies are intended to complement the current YBCA exhibition, The Missing Peace: Artists Consider the Dalai Lama. The series features, according to the press release, “the Dalai Lama, Martin Scorsese, Thich Nhat Hanh, John Giorno, Sakyong Mipham, Noah Levine, Robina Courtin, Bobby Hill.

I’ve seen two of the films. The documentary Chasing Buddha introduces you to Robina Courtin, an Australian-born Buddhist nun now living in the Bay Area (or at least living here when the movie was made). A former hippy and political radical, Courtin spends much of her time these days in prisons, helping condemned criminals find a spiritual path. She’s strong-willed, direct, and uses language that would easily earn this movie an R rating if it was shown commercially. This 52-minute semi-feature plays on Sunday, February 17, 2:00, with the short subject “Satya: A Prayer for the Enemy.

I’ve also seen the King of the Hill episode “Won’t You Pimai Neighbor.” It’s funny, and it’s screening Sunday, February 24, with the short feature Compassion In Exile.

Projecting Buddha runs through March 6, Thursday evenings and Sunday afternoons.

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Published by Lincoln Spector

Lincoln Spector writes about cinema, technology, and cinema technology. From 1986 through 2008, he wrote Gigglebytes, the first technology-oriented humor column. From 1977 through 2016, he wrote PC World's Answer Line column and blog.