New Film: Shugendô Now

Image borrowed from Shugendo Now Welcome Page

An announcement from H-Japan brought this film to my attention. Here is a brief description form the film's web page:

How does one integrate lessons learned from nature in daily life?

This feature documentary is an experiential journey into the mystical practices of Japanese mountain asceticism. In Shugendô (The Way of Acquiring Power), practitioners perform ritual actions from shamanism, “Shintô,” Daoism, and Tantric Buddhism. They seek experiential truth of the teachings during arduous climbs in sacred mountains. Through the peace and beauty of the natural world, practitioners purify the six roots of perception, revitalize their energy and reconnect with their truest nature – all while grasping the fundamental interconnectedness with nature and all sentient beings.

How does one return to the city after an enlightening experience in the mountains?

More poetic than analytical, this film explores how a group of modern Japanese people integrate the myriad ways mountain learning interacts with urban life. With intimate camera work and a sensual sound design the viewer is taken from deep within the Kumano mountains to the floating worlds of Osaka and Tokyo and back again.

Might the two be seen as one?

For more details:
http://www.shugendonow.com/Shugeno_Now/Welcome.html

The film will be screened in the near future at these places:

Festival du film ethnographique du Quebec
29 January (Friday) @ 5:15pm
Concordia University's J.A. De Seve Cinema (1400 De Maisonneuve Boulevard West)
www.fifeq.ca

Green Mountain Film Festival
20 March (Saturday) @ 12pm
21 March (Sunday) @ 2pm
Montpelier's Savoy Theater, 24 Main Street
www.greenmountainfilmfestival.org

And of course there's a trailer at YouTube:



Seems like a very interesting and beautiful film - looking forward to checking it out.