‘Wisdom Of Happiness,’ Richard Gere-Executive Produced Film Featuring Dalai Lama, To Launch With Special Live Event Ahead Of Theatrical Release
EXCLUSIVE: Wisdom of Happinessa documentary from executive producer Richard Gere featuring the Dalai Lama, will screen coast-to-coast in the U.S. on October 16 in what’s being described as a unique “experiential event.”
Gere will introduce the 7PM ET public screening at the AMC Lincoln Square 13 in Manhattan, joining a panel discussion afterwards that will be transmitted live to theaters, “offering geographically distant audiences a rare opportunity to experience the film collectively on the big screen.” Several other guests to be announced with take part in the panel discussion with Gere, who has known the Dalai Lama for more than 40 years.
The Oscar-contending film directed by Barbara Miller and Philip Delaquis and executive produced by Gere alongside Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Oren Moverman, “follows the world’s greatest ambassador of compassion, the Dalai Lama, as he invites audiences along for a journey to the source of happiness.”
Watch the trailer for the film below.
‘Wisdom of Happiness’
Abramorama/Theorem Media
Following the October 16 experiential event, Abramorama, in partnership with Theorem Media, will release Wisdom of Happiness in theaters across North America, beginning on October 17 at New York’s QUAD Cinema.
“Wisdom of Happiness offers audiences something increasingly rare in our fractured world,” Gere said in a statement, “an opportunity to sit with profound wisdom and authentic compassion. Barbara and Philip have created a film that doesn’t just document the Dalai Lama’s perspective on the most urgent issues facing us in the 21st century, but inspires viewers to discover their own transformative capacity for wisdom and happiness.”
The film, guided by the Dalai Lama’s words, “uses poignant imagery to expose both the beauty and peril of a world shaped by human activity,” according to a release. “In the film, he describes the small steps anyone can take to develop their own consciousness in ways that transcend the zeitgeist or political currents of the day. Our awareness can unfold tremendous power through the single most important sentiment according to the Dalai Lama: profound compassion for all living beings.”
The October 16 experiential event will be beamed live to theaters through the Digital Cinema Distribution Coalition in coordination with Abramorama’s live event partner, take2productions. The film will start at 7PM across most time zones in North America with Alaska at 6PM PT and Hawaii at 4 PM PT. The full list of participating theaters will be announced on October 6.
‘Wisdom of Happiness’
Abramorama/Theorem Media
“Wisdom of Happiness represents exactly the kind of meaningful cinema that deserves the widest possible audience,” said Karol Martesko-Fenster, CEO of Abramorama. “His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s message of compassion and inner peace has never been more relevant. We’re thrilled to bring this extraordinary documentary to theaters across North America, and we know the special October 16th screening event with Richard Gere will create a truly communal experience that captures the film’s spirit of shared wisdom.”
The 14th Dalai Lama recently turned 90. The film’s release is part of the Year of Compassion, a global celebration of the Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader’s birthday.
Director Barbara Miller, E.P. Richard Gere, directdor Philip Delaquis
Abramorama/Theorem Media
Abramorama, in partnership with Theorem Media, presents Wisdom of HappinessA the collective for audiovisual works and mons veneris films production. On the initiative of Walo Kamm. Directed by Barbara Miller and Philip Delaquis and Produced by Delaquis. Executive Produced by Richard Gere, Oren Moverman, Walo Kamm, Tashi Albertini-Kaiser, Hanspeter & Monlam Maurer-Adotang, Tobias Asch and Annette Werenfels and Anne-Marie Le Flanchec. Cinematography for Wisdom of Happiness is by long-time Dalai Lama documentarian Manuel Bauer. Music by Ariel Marx. Editing by Isai Oswald and Mike Selemon.
Worldwide sales are being handled by Autlook Films. Wisdom of Happiness has screened theatrically in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Greece, Spain, and more countries. It has qualified for the 2025 Oscar race.
Watch the trailer here:
