Come Come Come Upward

The Steel Helmet

January 1951 •English

A ragtag group of American stragglers battles against superior Communist troops in an abandoned Buddhist temple during the Korean War.

Fancy Dance

December 1989 •Japanese

Yohei, a punk rocker, becomes a Buddhist monk in order to inherit a mountain temple. Though initially rebelling against the tough monastic discipline, he learns to adjust. Then his girlfriend shows up, enticing him to return to his rock 'n' roll roots.

Conflagration

September 1958 •Japanese

Learning of his family's collapse, acolyte Goichi, sent to study silently at the Temple of the Golden Pavilion, must endure acute psychological distress.

The Shadowless Pagoda

January 1957 •Korean

On the eighth of April of King Gyoeng-deok's 10th year of the reign of the Unified Silla Period, Guseulagi, a daughter of Yu Jong, joins the king's parade to Bulguksa Temple, where she meets a stonemason named Asadal from Buyeo. Having a crush on him, she visits Sakyamuni Pagoda, a masonic site; only to find that Asadal had broken down from exhaustion. While she takes care of him, her love for him grows. But Asadal misses his wife who is waiting for him in Buyeo. Meanwhile, Geum Seong who has a crush on Guseulagi, asks his father, Geum Ji, to propose on behalf of him. But Yu Jong is so dissatisfied with Geum Ji because he is a treacherous subject, that he turns down the proposal, instead of hurrying up his daughter's marriage with Gyeongsin, a faithful subject. Asanyeo who has been waiting for her husband Asadal in Buyeo goes to Bulguksa Temple after her father-in-law had died.

An Artisan's Legacy: Tsunekazu Nishioka

February 2012 •Japanese

In-depth look at the twilight years, spent training apprentices, of temple builder Nishioka Tsunekazu, who was called the "devil" as he devoted his life to temple architecture. His insistence on the gargantuan timescale of linking life to the next millennium emerges from people who knew him. Remarkable as well for showing the unknown backstage of temple architecture. Nishioka, known as "the last temple carpenter," handled the major Showa-era repairs of Horyuji temple, and in 1990 was at the scene of the reconstruction work for Yakushi temple.

Miracles of Luang Pu Suk

November 2013 •English

About the merits of Luang Pu Suk, a Buddhist monk who lived from 1847-1923.

Bhutan: Following in the Footsteps of Matthieu Ricard

July 2024 •French

Buddhist monk and photographer Matthieu Picard as he returns to the Asian country in the Himalayas where he spent a decade after seven years away, revisiting breathtaking landscapes and experiencing local traditions.

The Burning Buddha Man

February 2013 •Japanese

There is a series of Buddha statue thefts in Kyoto. Beniko, a high school girl, gets the Buddha statue at her family's temple stolen and has her parents killed at the same time. She needs to know what caused the death of a parents and dreams of revenge. She goes on a fantastical journey to ultimately face the demon. The entire film is produced by hand drawing all the gods 'manifesto animation' or 'gekimation' based on the amazing hand drawings.

From one gompa to another

January 1979 •French

Buddha Wild: Monk in a Hut

April 2008 •English

Buddhist monks open up about the joys and challenges of living out the precepts of the Buddha as a full-time vocation. Controversies swirling within modern monastic Buddhism are examined, from celibacy and the role of women to racism and concerns about the environment.

Tempelriddaren

January 2014 •Swedish

The Fatal Raid

September 2019 •

An ultraviolent cops vs. gangsters bloodbath leaves casualties on both sides. Twenty years later, surviving team member Madam Fong leads a new squad in pursuit of reckless young anarchists terrorizing Macao.

Pulse

July 2021 •Ukrainian

As a result of a terrible car accident, young Ukrainian athlete Oksana Boturchuk suffers several serious injuries, almost losing her eyesight. However, after long rehabilitation and a returning to incredible training, she is able to conquer a gold medal at the Paralympic Games in Beijing.

Open Cafe v2.5

August 2012 •English

An old man ventures into the virtual world.

The Giraffe

November 2018 •Arabic

Ahmed drives through the derelict nightscape of Cairo, anxious to secure money to pay for an abortion for a young woman - a procedure that must take place immediately. He comes across an intriguing group of young people, led by a woman who aims to solve the enigma surrounding a giraffe rumoured to be hidden at the Cairo zoo. As an absurd chain of events unfolds, Ahmed is distracted from his mission

The Banker's Daughters

October 1910 •English

A criminal gang conspire to rob the home of a wealthy banker and his two daughters. To do so, they first lure the banker from his home, then have a trunk containing one of the gang delivered there, where it is taken into the daughters’ dressing-room. One daughter, at her mirror, sees the trunk begin to open, and, using her small cousin as a messenger, warns her sister of their danger. The younger daughter telephones the police, and only after some difficulty persuades them to come to their rescue. The police arrive after the robbers have broken into the house, but succeed in overpowering and capturing them.

The Ulysses Project

July 2022 •English

An irreverent, modern, non-traditional re-telling of Ulysses, told rapidly by a succession of over 75 international actors. The film maintains the rhythm of the novel's stream of consciousness with intimate, minutely nuanced provocative performances.

Amends of the Father

November 2023 •English

A washed-up rocker has failed those around him. Can he forgive and be forgiven?

Aunty

July 1995 •Telugu

The story revolves around three young men who fall in love with a pretty older woman who had moved into their neighbourhood.