Overview
In 804 AD, Kūkai traveled to Tang China with the Japanese diplomatic mission to study under Master Huiguo, the seventh patriarch of Tang Esoteric Buddhism. After returning to Japan, his knowledge and practices went on to influence religion, literature, calligraphy, architecture, and education, shaping religious practice, artistic tradition, and intellectual life across East Asia for more than 1,250 years. Rooted in rigorous historical research, location-based storytelling, documentary techniques, cinematic reconstruction, and CG technology, the film recreates Kūkai’s world and revisits the Tang-era cultural exchange that transmitted ideas, philosophy, and spiritual traditions across East Asia. Through Kūkai’s journey, the documentary explores enduring themes of faith, learning, compassion, and cultural exchange, inviting timely conversations on ethical leadership, education, mental well-being, and intercultural dialogue in today’s increasingly interconnected world.
More films
West Point: The First 200 Years (2002)
Documentary · History
A documentary about the United States Military Academy at West Point that conveys the vibrancy, sense of fraternity and fierce loyalty that mark the West Point experience.
- Runtime
- 1h 57m
- Cast
- Andre Braugher
Espagne : la couronne de tous les scandales (2024)
Documentary · History
Alongside England, Spain is the other great historical monarchy on the European continent. Sex, money, revenge, and betrayal—the recent history of the Spanish monarchy reads like a suspenseful soap opera. We take a closer look at the best-kept secrets of the Spanish crown: its true heritage, its daily lifestyle, and finally, how the wo...
13 novembre, nos vies en éclats (2025)
Documentary · Drama · History · N/A
On November 13, 2015, the attacks in Paris and Saint-Denis, carried out by three Islamist commandos and claimed by ISIS, were the deadliest in France since the end of World War II. In the months that followed, the November 13 Program was launched by the CNRS and Inserm to study the construction of individual and collective memory aroun...
- Director
- Valérie Manns
"La case de l'oncle Tom", du héros au traître (2025)
Documentary · N/A
A huge bestseller in its day, the novel Uncle Tom's Cabin championed the abolitionist cause while perpetuating racist prejudices about African Americans. A remarkable analysis of a work steeped in ambivalence, which left a lasting impression on readers.
- Cast
- Elsa Lepoivre
Ghuza da Sher
Documentary
The story of Nisar Ahmed Khan, told through his children and the people he served, a spiritual guide whose followers still visit his tomb on his birth and death anniversaries. And alongside how his family spends a few days at the village keeping his traditions alive.
- Cast
- Kamran Ahmed Khan
Comments
Talk about the film with other members