“…a lovely reminder that while there is a lot of darkness in the world, there are also beautiful shining points of light.”
Andrew Hinton is a filmmaker and co-director of the sublime Emmy-nominated documentary film, Tashi & the Monk. If you haven’t seen Tashi & the Monk, I can’t recommend it enough. It’s moving, funny, wise and at times heart-breaking. This film follows former Buddhist monk Lobsang (who was trained under the guidance of the Dalai Lama by the by) who created a community of orphaned and neglected kids in the foothills of the Himalayas and a precocious 5-year old, Tashi, who just joined the community and is trying to find her way. I can’t say enough about this film, it brought tears to my eyes and a shot of joy to my soul. Andrew shares the serendipitous story of how he came to meet Lobsang thanks to an email from billionaire Peter Thiel’s foundation, the impact Lobsang and Tashi had on him, and how he got started in filmmaking by interviewing people in the lobby of an apartment building. Andrew Hinton makes beautiful films, and you can watch Tashi & the Monk for free. You should also head over to tashiandthemonk.com to find out how you can support this community that Lobsang created and the children bring to life. Learn more about Andrew Hinton’s work at pilgrimfilms.com, learn more about Tashi and the Monk at tashiandthemonk.com, and learn more about the community in the film at jhamtsegatsal.org.
Subscribe to Contemplify via iTunes, Stitcher, Podbean, Overcast or Google Play
EPISODE SHOW NOTES
Films by Andrew Hinton (see complete list at pilgrimfilms.com)
Resources Mentioned
- The Happy Film by Stefan Sagmeister
- Wild at Heart by David Lynch
- Lift by Marc Isaacs (Watch entire film here)
- The Big Lebowski by the Coen Brothers
People
- Stefan Sagmeister
- Marc Isaacs
- Johnny Burke
- Lobsang Phuntsok
- Tashi Drolma
- Jhamtse Gatsal (Community in focus in the film)
- Peter Thiel
- The Thiel Foundation
- Dan Wienberg
- Message to Bears
Drinks Pairings
Tea
Highlights
2m40s When you hear the word “contemplative”, how does that moniker relate to you or work, if you think it does at all?
4m34s Do you have any practices that you engage in your personal life?
7m20s If someone were going to teach a class on the formation of Andrew Hinton, what 3 filmmakers or films that formed you would definitely be on that syllabus?
14m20s Your co-director, Johnny Burke, writes that he calls you “The Dude’, can you say a bit about how that nickname came to be?
18m15s How did you first come to learn of the community Jhamtse Gatsal?
24m05s Can you describe Lobsang? What was is he like to be with?
29m13s Why did you choose 5-year old Tashi to be one of the focal points of the film?
31m55s The interactions between Tashi and the older boy who is charged with showing her the ropes and looking after is heartwarming despite Tashi’s threats and defiance. Can you say a little bit about the intentional older sibling/younger sibling relationships in the community?
39m There are scenes of Lobsang visiting families who wish for him to take their child to the community. Lobsang, reflects that it is a decision he does not take lightly. He knows that it is ultimately a life and death decision that he has to make in light of the health of the entire community. What did you learn by witnessing those family visits and Lobsang’s discernment process?
47m20s The subtlety of this story, the way that we watch Tashi slow change. This may sound silly, but the image that comes to mind is when she shares a walnut with another girl. It was so touching to see this small act of friendship from Tashi after all of the initial troublemaking. How would describe Tashi’s growing development?
52m55s After watching Tashi and the Monk, what do you hope viewers take away?
58m45s We always pair an episode with a drink, what drink of choice goes best with this conversation?
Photo credit: Death To Stock Photo
You must be logged in to post a comment.