The International Buddhist Film Festival will encourage Londoners to consider a whole new interpretation of the famous phrase ‘Mind the Gap’ this May.
The festival takes place at the Barbican and will introduce the British public to Buddhist ideas, including that of the spiritual belief Bardo, through unexpected and inspiring feature films.
The bardo is the Tibetan Buddhist concept which suggests there is an intermediate or transitional state, or 'gap,' between this life and the next. A number of filmmakers have taken this as an inspiration and explored its possibilities; this May the International Buddhist Film Festival will encourage people to take a fresh look at some unexpected films, showcasing several inspired by this Buddhist idea.

Many films which attempt to portray the understanding of bardo present its characters as dealing with psychological demons and obstacles in everyday life, encapsulated in The Tibetan Book of the Dead. These themes often result in films being labelled ‘thrillers’ and falling in to crowded genres where they get lost in the market; three excellent examples are Dead Man, Stay, and Donnie Darko, which will all feature at the festival.

Gaetano Kazuo Maida, IBFF executive director said: "It is important we demonstrate that the festival isn't just a platform for screening Buddhist films, and with recognisable titles such as these with known stars, we hope that audiences will gain a better understanding of Buddhism and its ideas."



The International Buddhist Film Festival 2009 is presented as part of The Many Faces of Buddhism – a city-wide celebration of Buddhist ideas and values through the arts. It is sponsored by The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation whose new Gallery of Asian Buddhist Sculptures at the V&A opens on 29 April. A series of arts events including an International forum on Buddhism and the Arts Today and A Day of Rare Buddhist Dances will be held at the V&A in celebration of the Gallery inauguration while the International Buddhist Film Festival will take place at East London’s cultural hub The Barbican.