The FCBC management team. From left to right: Fina Iñiguez Abad, Nuria Fenollar, Mònica Pagés Correcher and Muntsa Castellà Olivé. Photo courtesy of FCBC
The Catalan Coordinator of Buddhist Entities (Coordinadora Catalana d’Entitats Budistes – CCEB) and the Dharma-Gaia Foundation (Fundación the Dharma-Gaia – FDG) have jointly announced the second edition of the Buddhist Film Festival of Catalonia (II FCBC) that will take place, once again, at the Verdi cinemas in the city of Barcelona, from October 23 to 27, 2024.
The Buddhist Film Festival of Catalonia is a joint initiative of the Catalan Coordinator of Buddhist Entities, also known as the Catalan Buddhist Union, and the Dharma-Gaia Foundation. It is organized by the Catalan Coordinator of Buddhist Entities and has the Dharma-Gaia Foundation as its official sponsor, both non-profit entities. The Festival also has as a prominent collaborator, the Buddhist Film Foundation (BFF), the organizing institution of the International Buddhist Film Festival held in the main cities of the world, and counts on the support of the Barcelona City Council and the Generalitat de Catalunya. In the future, the organizers of the FCBC and the BFF intend to bring the International Buddhist Film Festival to the city of Barcelona.
With the aim of consolidating itself as a biennial event, the second edition of the Buddhist Film Festival of Catalonia will exhibit a meticulously curated selection of recent or not yet commercially released Buddhist films or documentaries. The aim is to familiarize the Catalan public with Buddhism and its fundamental values and principles, such as non-violence, compassion, the interdependence of all beings, and the protection of the environment.
The leadership team of the second edition is made up entirely of women, including its two co-directors: Montse Castellà, who represents the CCEB, and Fina Íñiguez, who represents the FDG.In this interview, the team shared their unique experience of bringing Buddhist-themed films to a Spanish-speaking audience, and the special medium of filmmaking as a platform for Catalonian and wider Spanish society.
Raymond Lam (RL): Why was it necessary to establish a film festival that could showcase Dharma-themed productions?
Muntsa Castellà Olivé (MCO): “Necessary” may not be the word, but we do consider the cinematic language a “skilful means” to spread Buddhism and bring it closer to a wide audience, promoting a meeting between culture and spirituality.
Two entities, the FDG and the FCBC, joined forces to carry out in 2022 this pioneering initiative not only in Catalonia, but in Spain. The success of the first edition, with sold-out tickets in all sessions, confirmed that we were on the right track. Our goal is to broaden the scope of the Festival and expand the knowledge of Buddhism in this second edition that we will celebrate next October, once again in Barcelona. It is a small format festival, non-competitive, with a reduced team, but with the ambition to grow with each edition.
The FCBC was born with the vocation of being biennial and with the motivation of, in addition to arouse interest in Buddhism, offer films with themes that connect with current affairs. In this edition, themes such as mental health, the role of weapons, sisterhood, neuroscience, reflections on life and death from a Buddhist perspective are the main topics. We also try to maintain coherence with Buddhist values beyond those implicit in the projections, committing ourselves, among other things, to respect gender equality and the environment.
RL: Thematically, do most of the films that focus on Buddhism focus on Tibet and Vajrayana?
Fina Iñiguez Abad (FIA): The themes of the films in our Festival have not been pre-established. Our selection process begins with the advice of Gaetano Kazuo Maida, executive director of the Buddhist Film Foundation-BFF, which, since 2003, has been organizing international film festivals in different cities around the world. Gaetano presents works according to certain criteria, such as that they show the diversity of the Buddhist traditions most present in our country, that there is gender equity – either in the direction or in the leading role – and that, as far as possible, they are films of recent production.
Tibetan Buddhism is the most present in our Festival because it is also the one that produces more works and, on the other hand, is the one that has more representatives, not only in Catalonia but throughout Spain. Likewise, we believe that what is relevant in our Festival are the themes dealt with and, therefore, we have selected films that deal with themes that cross all traditions, such as reincarnation, the bardo, suffering or monastic life.
RL: How can the films shown present the Dharma in a more culturally relevant way for Spanish speakers?
Nuria Fenollar (NF): Most Buddhist films are not made in our country, so we offer original versions subtitled in Catalan, which is the vehicular language of Catalonia, and also in Spanish. This brings distant realities closer to our local audience, but also beyond our borders thanks to the important diffusion of our Festival through the digital magazine Buddhistdoor en Español. The films show situations that are often distant from our culture, and we believe that this is where their appeal lies. We invite the audience, especially non-Buddhists, to take a “trip” to cultures, philosophies and knowledge to which they normally do not have access. Or have it in a biased way.
And, above all, we invite the audience to deepen their understanding of the topics discussed through discussions that, after the screenings, specialists in the subjects and representatives of the different Buddhist traditions, hold with the public. This is our strong point as a festival.
RL: How have recent economic and production trends in Spanish cinema affected the presentations and the judges’ selection process?
Mònica Pagés Correcher (MPC): Our selection of films has nothing to do with the economic trends in Spanish film production. Our focus is different, as we have said before. In general, we do not find recent Spanish-produced films that fit our format, although fortunately in this edition we can count on the production of a beautiful film by a young Spanish director.
RL: As artists and film lovers and experts, how do your own Dharma beliefs or practices influence and inform your vision of how films can educate, edify and entertain?
Mònica Pagés Correcher (MPC): We are not experts in cinema, or artists, we have different backgrounds, references and practices, but we share the breadth of views on issues that we consider significant, and we believe can provide elements for reflection. Buddhism offers tools of analysis that help self-knowledge and, by extension, knowledge of others and the world. If, in addition, these tools can be offered in the form of art, culture, entertainment… it all adds up.
See more
FESTIVAL DE CINEMA BUDISTA DE CATALUNYA (Spanish)
FESTIVAL DE CINEMA BUDISTA DE CATALUNYA (Catalan)
BUDDHIST FILM FESTIVAL OF CATALONIA (English)
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