World Premiere! (UCLA Film & Television Archive, The Boethius Initiative at UCLA, and Fisher Center at Bard)

this body is so impermanent…

IMDB:  https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14450418/

Wang Dongling, Michael Schumacher, Ganavya
Cinematographer: Yu Lik-wai
Editor: Tim Squyres
Sound Design: Shahrokh Yadegari

Like the 1st-century sacred Buddhist text that inspired it, the latest project from renowned theater director Peter Sellars is a call to community to learn and heal together during a time of sickness. In the Vimalakirti Sutra, Buddha sends his disciples to the sickbed of an enlightened lay person to hear his reflections on the fragility of physical being and the liberation of conscious awareness. A foundational scripture of Zen Buddhism, it is the resonant center of this body is so impermanent…, a multi-disciplinary performance film born of a remarkable international collaboration between Sellars and a trio of acclaimed artists as COVID-19 washed over the globe. Working virtually across continents under quarantine, South Indian devotional singer Ganavya, master calligrapher Wang Dongling and improvisatory dancer Michael Schumacher engaged with the Sutra and each other in an ensemble act of creation and healing. Sellars orchestrates breath and brushstroke, movement and mindfulness into a visual poem of stunning power. At a moment when grief persists and hope seems more possible, UCLA Film & Television Archive is honored to present the world premiere of this timely work in collaboration with the producers and UCLA program partners.

this body is so impermanent… is a production of The Boethius Initiative at UCLA and Fisher Center at Bard.