Wisdom of Happiness to be Shown at the 78th Cannes Film Festival

Wisdom of Happiness, a documentary about the Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, will be shown at the 78th Cannes Film Festival in May. The 90-minute film was made by Barbara Miller and Philip Delaquis over a period of six years.

Wisdom of Happiness to be shown at the 78th Cannes Film Festival

It is an intimate and unique documentary in which the Dalai Lama speaks directly to the camera about what he calls the source of happiness – inner peace, and shares practical wisdom for dealing with the challenges of this century and the controversy surrounding the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama. The documentary also shows the Dalai Lamas early life, including rare archival material documenting his journey as Tenzin Gyatso.

American actor Richard Gere, a long-time follower of the Dalai Lama, served as executive producer and said it was a blessing to be involved in this documentary about love and compassion. With the support of private Swiss funds, Wisdom of Happiness was shot by photographer Manuel Bauer. Austrian sales company Autlook Filmsales is responsible for global sales. The film premiered at the Zurich Film Festival in October 2024 and was selected for the Dharamshala International Film Festival in India and the DocPoint Documentary Film Festival in Helsinki, Finland.

Wisdom of Happiness will be screened at the main venue, the Palais of Cannes Film Festival. Another film about exiled Tibetans, State of Statelessness, will also show in the market of Cannes Film Festival.