My Reincarnation
| My Reincarnation | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Jennifer Fox |
| Produced by | Jennifer Fox,Babeth M. Vanloo,Carl Ludwig Rettinger,Andres Pfaeffli,Elda Guidinetti,Marta Donzelli,Gregorio Paonessa,Zohe Film Productions,Buddhist Broadcasting Foundation, Lichtblick Film, Ventura Film, and Vivo Film |
| Starring | Chögyal Namkhai Norbu, Khyentse Yeshi Namkhai |
| Cinematography | Jennifer Fox |
| Edited by | Jennifer Fox,Sabine Krayenbühl,Mary Lampson |
| Music by | Jan Tilman Schade with Moe Jaksch |
| Language | English |
My Reincarnation is an epic drama between father and son, that spans two decades and three generations, about spirituality, cultural survival, identity, heritage, family, aging, growing Buddhism, Dzogchen, past and future lives. The film follows the famous Tibetan spiritual master, Namkhai Norbu, while struggling to save their spiritual tradition, and his son, Yeshi, which stubbornly refuses to follow the footsteps of his father. Yeshi was recognized at birth as the reincarnation of his father's uncle, a spiritual teacher who was killed by the Chinese in the Tibet. but while Yeshi craves a normal life, can not escape his fate ...
Jennifer Fox photography began this film in 1988 and continued for twenty years until 2009, filming was done in over 17 countries. the film is the result of many international associations, without which this longitudinal study, it could not have done. turning point in the process of filming arrived in the millennium when Babeth m. loo go Buddhist Broadcasting Foundation approached jennifer. That same year, Jennifer received a grant from the foundation hartley film for the project. continued filming Namkhai Norbu and his son Yeshi, but was concerned that the film lacked narrative structure. was only after Yeshi began to help the community of his father that the story of father and son began to emerge with clarity ...
When Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche escaped Tibet in 1959, he settled in Italy, where he married and had two children, of which Yeshi was the first. Yeshi was recognized as the reincarnation of Rinpoche’s uncle, a famous Dzogchen master, who died after the Chinese invaded Tibet. Yeshi grew up in Italy and never wanted to have anything to do with this legacy. He didn’t want to be a Teacher like his father, nor did he want to return to Tibet and the monastery of Rinpoche’s uncle, to meet the students waiting for him since his birth – something that his father continually admonished him to do. Instead, he dreamed of a normal life, away from the hoards of devoted students that always surrounded his father.
Through intimate scenes we see a young man grow from 18 years old to 39 years old and maturity; and a father who begins the story in his 50 year-old prime turns to 70 years and old age. As the story unravels what is at stake is Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche’s spiritual tradition; for Yeshi it is his own identity. Will Yeshi’s Western lifestyle replace his family tradition and his spiritual roots? Will his father succeed at transplanting the vanishing Tibetan heritage to the Western world? The stories of both the father and the son combine to make MY REINCARNATION a universal drama that taps into the classic narrative of family and inheritance. As time moves forward, both father and son begin to change, giving the film the scope and depth of great fiction.
MY REINCARNATION builds its narrative through a creative weave of archival film, still photographs, and over 1,000 hours of footage shot from 1988 to 2009: intimate cinema verite scenes with never-before-seen access to a high Tibetan Teacher and his family. In addition, the interviews done with Namkhai Norbu and Yeshi over twenty years provide a second text that is married to scenes to give insight and conflict, revealing the changing characters. The image of water and swimming, Namkhai Norbu’s beloved pastime, is used as a repetitive thematic pillar through the film and a representation of his teachings of integration and emptiness. The natural sounds of chanting and song, combined with added effects and carefully scored music, is used to express a non-verbal sense of the spiritual world Norbu Rimpoche seeks to transmit to his son — and to the West.
MY REINCARNATION has been made through a unique co-production with the Dutch Buddhist Broadcasting Foundation, ZDF-ARTE, Swiss TV, YLE-1 Finland and Italy and is pre-sold to POV, the premiere documentary series on American Public Television.
Cast
- Chögyal Namkhai Norbu - Chögyal Namkhai Norbu
- Khyentse Yeshi Namkhai - Khyentse Yeshi Namkhai
External links
Movie Web Site [http://myreincarnationfilm.com/]
IMDB Web Site [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1742084/]
Jennifer Fox [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2060706/]
Khyentse Yeshi Namkhai [http://http://ysn.dyndns.org/]