By Tania Ketenjian

Each year, millions of film festival-goers converge in cities around the world to see a particular kind of movie. Whether the festival’s thematic banner is broad, like at Sundance, or specific, like at San Francisco’s Film Noir Film Festival, most festivals narrow their focus in support of a particular cause or genre. The Buddhist Film Festival is no different. But by showcasing films seemingly removed from traditional Buddhist contexts, the Buddhist Film festival requires more of its audience: that they deepen their understanding of what Buddhism can represent.

In talking with Gaetano Kazuo Maida, executive director of the Buddhist Film Festival, we find that the festival’s wide-range offilms share themes of interconnection, spiritual searches, and humility. Maida also touches on the importance of the festival, the principles that guide it, the founding principles of Buddhism itself, how myths can be debunked and what he hopes that each festival attendant is able to walk away with.