Gifts for the Gods: The Ancient Art of Tibetan Butter Sculpture
Produced under the direct guidance of the 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, this film will be the first full-length documentary about the sacred ritual art of tormas, their complex history, symbolism, and function in the practice of Tibetan Buddhism. Set against the backdrop of Karmapa's personal story and childhood in Tibet, the film follows him into exile in India, where, as the visionary spiritual head of the Karma Kagyu lineage, he has transformed the traditional torma display at the annual Kagyu Monlam in Bodhgaya. The fascinating process of creating these tormas by specially trained and gifted monks and nuns unfolds, illuminated by Karmapa's explanations and other commentary, and culminating in the triumphal and dazzling offering of the butter sculptures at the Monlam.