August 5, 2020 —

As the first documentary with a Zen Buddhist perspective to reach mainstream western audiences, “7 Days in Bailin Temple”, presented by BON Group and China Publishing Group Kunlun Media, is now available to view on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.

The Buddha once said “There is no path to happiness; happiness is the path.” Perhaps this is truer than ever if the announcement on June 28, 2018 is anything to go. The one-of-a-kind documentary, “7 Days in Bailin Temple", produced and directed by Helene Zhuge, won the Award for Best Documentary Feature at the Los Angeles Cinema Festival of Hollywood, held on July 6th 2018 in Santa Monica, Los Angeles.

The 40-minute film showcases the lives of five Chinese college students who spend a week in the famous Bailin Temple in China’s eastern Hebei Province. Cameras capture the general conversation and daily events that prove unexpectedly life-changing for the students who meet with senior monks at this very special place.

At the heart of “7 Days in Bailin Temple” is the question of whether these students can truly come to understand the deceptively simple questions that lie at the heart of Zen Buddhism. Of course, the audience reaction is the real goal. And with an estimated 5 million practicing Buddhists in the United States of America alone, this eastern life philosophy has proved not so strange to the common man, and the trendy “mindful” business elite alike.

Only 100 years ago, Buddhism was considered to be a “quack theory” in the US. From the days of The Beatles, who travelled to India in 1968 to meet the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, to other modern-day proponents of the philosophy such as celebrities Orlando Bloom and Oliver Stone, Buddhism finds itself cemented into Western society, a living force that continues to intrigue and fascinate the people at large. After only a century, mindfulness is even taught in schools across North America and Western Europe.

So, perhaps Americans view Buddhism favorably. While in Canada Buddhism is viewed to be as favorable as Christianity, according to the Pew Research Center. Winning the 2018 Award for “7 Days in Bailin Temple” could be described as a bolstering of the indelible mark Buddhism has made on popular Western culture.

Located a short hop from central Hollywood, the Los Angeles Cinema Festival of Hollywood offers independent filmmakers the opportunity to have their work recognized, judged and awarded at the very epicenter of the world’s film industry.

A number of well-known, up-and-coming film directors, new and seasoned writers and established actors have won awards at the Festival in previous years, chiefly providing directors with an opportunity to display their work among their peers. Past winners of Best Documentary Feature include “Arctic Brotherhood, Subtitled” Directed by Nikita Snegov, “Break The Chain” Directed by Laura Swanson, “7th Generation” Directed by John L Voth, and “The Little Girl With The Big Voice” Directed by Rafael Moscatel. Previous acting awards at the Los Angeles Cinema Festival of Hollywood include A-list Hollywood talents Jean Reno (Best Actor), Rosanna Arquette (Best Actress), Ed Harris (Best Supporting Actor), and Cybill Shepherd (Best Supporting Actress).

As the first independently Chinese-made documentary which has won such an award, it not only brings renewed understanding of Chinese Buddhism to Western popular culture but also works as a catalyst for all Chinese filmmakers to tell their story of China to the world.

After a screening at Santa Monica’s Promenade Playhouse, the film has been officially released on Amazon and Apple TV now.

Contact Info:
Name: Janet Yang
Email: Send Email
Organization: BON Cloud
Address: The BON Building, CN16, Legend Town, 1 East Balizhuang Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100025,China
Website: http://premium.bon-cloud.net/

Release ID: 88971433