Thich Nhat Hanh ‘Walk With Me’ Documentary on Mindfulness Premieres at SXSW

Benedict Cumberbatch-narrated Thich Nhat Hanh documentary Walk with Me will premiered at SXSW.

Walk with Me, a documentary directed by Max Pugh and Marc J. Francis, premiered at the South By Southwest festival.[/tweetit] The film, which has been narrated by actor Benedict Cumberbatch, was made over a period of three years at Thich Nhat Hanh’s Plum Village monastery in France and on the road in the United States.

Documentary on Mindfulness Premier at SXSW.[/tweetthis]

According to the directors, the film is immersive in nature, with a primary focus on the “poetry of the present moment.”

According to the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation, the premier of the film is a significant as it is being screened at the SXSW festival, which happens to be one of the most influential cinema festivals in the world. The festival will screen around 125 movies, placing the documentary among varied entities such as Bill Nye, Armistead Maupin and the Muppets.

Buddhist monks from Plum Village monastery, France, @ screening of 'Walk With Me,' #SXSW, @usatodaytech pic.twitter.com/Kxw6eHHasg

— Rick Jervis (@MrRJervis) March 13, 2017

Alejandro G. Inarritu, an Oscar winning director, has shown immense support for the film. He describes it as a “silent and pure” production that uses sounds and images to communicate about “forgotten conciseness.”

Inarritu stated he admired the filmmakers for being able to cinematically communicate the state of being awake, which is a complex task. The director feels the film emphasizes the beauty of a the “quiet voice,” which, in today’s times, is desperately needed.

Describing Thich Nhat Hanh as  “one of the deepest and wisest”, Inarritu spoke of his own experience at the Thich Nhat Hanh monastery. The director considers himself fortunate for being able to have such an opportunity, where he was able to interact with a Buddhist master.

Inarritu, himself, is a practitioner of mindfulness, calling it a transformative state of mind, rather than just something that helps.

The film relies on observational filming and personal interviews to showcase the monastic life at Thich Nhat Hanh, while also providing a glimpse into why so many nuns and monks choose this path. The film is made up of images, moments, and impressions that transition according to the change in seasons. It focuses on how fragmented moments actually have an inherent commonality that impact our lives in the here and now.

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