Zen Buddhism: In Search of Self
Official Selection of T.H.I.S. Buddhist Film Festival 2009 Singapore
Contact: Sang H. Kim (505) 795-4545; sanghk@gmail.comSanta Fe NM, August 27, 2009: Zen Buddhism: In Search of Self has been named an official selection of the 2009 T.H.I.S. Buddhist Film Festival (www.thisfilmfest.com) to be held September 13th to 19th at the Shaw Brothers’ Lido Cinema in Singapore.
Zen Buddhism: In Search of Self was filmed in South Korea and edited in Santa Fe, New Mexico by Turtle Press. Producer Sang H. Kim, a full-time Santa Fe resident, oversaw the editing and English subtitling of this historic documentary. Zen Buddhism: In Search of Self is the only film ever to document the daily lives of female Korean Buddhist Nuns and their 1000-year old tradition of gathering for a ninety day period of meditation, fasting and contemplation deep in the mountains of South Korea. It has been compared in atmosphere and style to Into Great Silence, the Sundance Film Festival award-winning documentary. The festival features an international line-up of 10 films showcasing Buddhist values and cultures from all over the world, including China, Thailand, Japan, Tibet, Afghanistan, Iceland and the United States. The festival opens with the acclaimed Chinese film A Full Bright Moon and closes with the Berlin International Film Festival Peace Film award winner Buddha Collapsed Out of Shame. The film festival aims to promote awareness of the Buddha’s timeless Teachings and diversity of Buddhist cultures around the world through the use of film, a contemporary medium. Playing on the oft-cited verse “Thus have I heard” (T.H.I.S. stands for Thus Have I Seen) at the start of many Buddhist sutras, T.H.I.S. Buddhist Film Festival 2009 hopes to achieve a similar reflection amongst Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike, as they discuss Buddhist Teachings and values featured in the films. Film Synopsis Following a tradition dating back over 1000 years, two dozen Buddhist nuns gather for a ninety day period of meditation, fasting and contemplation deep in the mountains of South Korea. With the singular goal of attaining enlightenment, the women undertake a rigorous schedule of meditation, at one point sitting for seven days without sleep. In this first ever documentary on the practice of Dong Ahn Geo (Winter Zen Retreat), you’ll be invited into the Baek Hung Buddhist Temple to witness the nuns’ strict meditation practice as well as their daily lives in which we see not only a deep spiritual discipline but an almost childlike joy and simplicity. Since the Great Monk Hyecheol built Baek Hung Temple in the 10th century during the Silla Dynasty (AD 57-935), the temple has been known for the most rigorous Cham Sun (Zen) practice. Forbidden until now, the camera captures the austere beauty of the Korean countryside and the long secret traditions of this Buddhist Zen retreat. This historic documentary was filmed from November 29, 2001 to February 26, 2002 at Baek Hung Temple, Palgong Mountain, Daegu, South Korea. About Turtle Press Turtle Press is a producer and publisher of media relating to Eastern culture, history and lifestyle. It was founded in 1991 by Sang H. Kim and has since grown to an internationally recognized leader in bringing little-known aspects of Asian culture to the Western world. Turtle Press is currently based in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
