Wheel of Time (film)

This article is about a documentary film. For other uses, see Wheel of time (disambiguation).

Wheel of Time
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Werner Herzog
Produced by	Werner Herzog
Written by	Werner Herzog
Narrated by	Werner Herzog
Starring	The Dalai Lama Takna Jigme Zangpo
Distributed by	518 Media
Release date(s)	2003
Running time	81 minutes
Country	Germany United Kingdom France Italy
Language	English

Wheel of Time is a 2003 documentary film by German director Werner Herzog about Tibetan Buddhism. The title refers to the Kalachakra sand mandala that provides a recurring image for the film.

The film documents the two Kalachakra initiations of 2002, presided over by the fourteenth Dalai Lama. The first, in Bodhgaya India, was disrupted by the Dalai Lama's illness. Later that same year, the event was held again, this time without disruption, in Graz Austria. The film's first location is the Bodhgaya, the site of the Mahabodhi Temple and the Bodhi tree. Herzog then turns to the pilgrimage at Mount Kailash. The film then focuses on the second gathering in Graz.

Herzog includes a personal interview with the Dalai Lama, as well as Tibetan former political prisoner Takna Jigme Zangpo, who served 37 years in a Chinese prison for his support of the International Tibet Independence Movement.

External links

• Wheel of Time at the Internet Movie Database