THE MYSTERY OF A BURYAT LAMA / ФЕНОМЕН ЭТИГЭЛОВА. ЗАГАДКА БУРЯТСКОГО ЛАМЫ

RUSSIA
2018, 93 MIN.
Director Elena Demidova
Camera Sergey Maximov
Music Andjei Petras
Producers Nina Kochelyaeva, Anastassia Razlogova, Marina Kuchkova
Production New Institute of Cultural Studies, Kamer-Ton-Film-Rus Ltd.

The film is a study of the phenomenon of the Buryat Lama Dashi Dorjo Itigelov. According to Buddhists, he is in a special state which is neither life nor death as we are used to understanding these words. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from different places and countries visit him. What does he mean for these people? What do the Buddhist lamas think of him and how does his existence change the current situation in Buddhism? The film crew visited places related to the life of XII Pandido Khambo Lama Itigelov, and met with people for whom his story is not in the past, but is a part of their own daily life.

ELENA DEMIDOVA

Film director, scriptwriter and producer. Graduated from Moscow State Technical University, Voronezh State University, film school “Internews” (workshop of Marina Razbezhkina). Documentaries by Elena Demidova are winners of many international film festivals, in 2016 she made her debut in the feature film “A Touch of Wind (together with Olga Veremeeva). Her filmography includes “Live Water” (2006), “Holly Week” (2006), “Ark” (2007), “The Multiplication Table” (2007), “Its Time to Go Home” (2008), “Mohicans” (2008), “Cranberry Island” (2010), “Lesha” (2011), “Fires in Russia, Summer 2010” (2011, almanac), “Sasha, Lena and Iron Dragon” (2012), “Men’s Choice” (2014), “From Parade to the Oscar” (2016), “Touch of Wind” (2016), “The Last Man” (2016), “Paris 1986” (2017), etc.