Four years in the making, Tibet: A Buddhist Trilogy was hailed as a cinematic masterpiece following its first release in 1979. Not widely shown in cinemas for over twenty years, now digitally re-mastered, with new material and a new commentary, the Trilogy is opening in theatres in New York, California and Seattle from March 31st.

Filmed in the Dalai Lama's residence and the rebuilt Sera Monastery, Part I of this acclaimed classic includes an intimate portrait of the Dalai Lama as a spiritual and temporal leader.

Part II presents an unprecedented insight into the mystical inner world of monastic life. Set in the ancient village of Boudha, Nepal and the isolated mountain caves of the yogis, the film follows the lamas of the Phulwary Sakya Monastery through their contemplative retreats, the building of an intricate cosmogram, and the performance of an ancient protective ritual known as "A Beautiful Ornament", in which the qualities of the female deity Tara are invoked. With a subtitled commentary based on the teachings of the great 20th century master Dudjom Rinpoche, the essence of tantric Buddhism is powerfully revealed.

Part III is a meditation on impermanence and the relationship between the mind, body and environment, ending with an unflinching depiction of the monastery's moving ritual response to a death in the community. As in The Tibetan Book of the Dead, the departed is guided through the dream-like intermediate state between death and birth.

The confirmed opening one week runs in these cities are:

• New York, Quad Cinema, March 31st
• Los Angeles, Westside Pavilion, April 7th
• San Francisco, Opera Plaza, April 7th
• Berkeley, Shattuck, April 7th
• San Diego, Hillcrest, April 7th
• Seattle, Varsity, April 14th

To visit the movie website and read more, go to: Tibet: A Buddhist Trilogy

To find other feature-length videos and DVDs about Tibet, visit Snow Lion's Videos & DVDs library.