Directed by Lois Patiño | Spain | 113 mins

Lao and Swahili with English Subtitles

In the jungles of Laos, an elderly woman named Mon prepares for the end of her years by listening to a Buddhist monk read The Tibetan Book Of The Dead. What follows is a symphonic and cinematic voyage to the Bardo, the transitional realm between life and death. Director Lois Patino utilizes extraordinary, shapeshifting and chimeric visions of the lushness of nature and immersive soundscapes to create a fully captivating and visionary journey to the next life. 

Featuring a 15 minute sequence where the audience is required to close their eyes to “experience” pulsing colours and sounds from the screen.  A sequence where what you see through your eyelids may be as stirring as any image in any film. Samsara was recently featured at the Berlin Film Festival and the Museum of the Moving Image in New York. Calgary Cinematheque is proud to present this radical and deeply moving film on the big screen. 

Written by Scott Lang.

Part of our Divine Awakenings Series 

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In the spirit of respect, reciprocity and truth, we honour and acknowledge that this screening takes place on Moh’kinsstis and the traditional Treaty 7 territory, as well as the oral practices of the Blackfoot confederacy: Siksika, Kainai, Piikani as well as the Îyâxe Nakoda and Tsuut’ina nations. We acknowledge that this territory is home to the Métis Nation of Alberta, Region 3 within the historical Northwest Métis homeland. Finally, we acknowledge all Nations, Indigenous and non, who live, work and play, as well as help steward this land, honour and celebrate this territory.