The first edition of the Buddhist Film Festival of Catalonia (FCBC), the first in the state dedicated to this theme, will take place from October 19 to 23, 2022 at the Verdi Park Cinemas in Barcelona. This is an initiative of the Catalan Coordinator of Buddhist Entities (CCBE), which brings together communities of all Buddhist traditions in the Catalan territory, has the support of the Dharma-Gaia Foundation and the Barcelona City Council, in addition to the collaboration of the Buddhist Film Foundation, organizer of the International Buddhist Film Festival that has been held since 2003 in the main cities of the world, such as Los Angeles, London or Hong Kong.
The programming for this first edition includes recently produced films and documentaries aimed at the general public, emphasizing issues such as the climate crisis, education and gender equality. The festival will kick off with the presence at the opening session of the versatile German director Doris Dörrie, who will present her award-winning film Memories from Fukushima, a story of friendship between a young activist and an elderly Japanese woman after the Fukushima disaster.
Lunana also stands out in the programming: a Yak in the classroom, nominated for an Oscar for Best International Film, Descending the mountain, Lopon, Happy teachers will change the world in Barcelona, The Geshema is borne, Dear Earth or Looking for a lady with mud and mustache.
The projections will be complemented with presentations, face-to-face or online, by the directors, and with talks. There will also be parallel activities programmed by the different entities of the CCEB, such as meditation sessions, workshops for boys and girls, film forums, talks and open doors.
Values such as mindfulness, non-violence, interdependence between beings or responsibility towards the environment, present in Buddhism, are on the rise in society as a whole. The festival, committed to these values, wants to be active in terms of its ecological footprint and will minimize the use of paper, energy and recyclable materials. Similarly, the selection of films and documentaries that will make up the program has been based on criteria that respect gender equity.
