The Ring of the Buddha

Nepal 1950. A mysterious, unexplored country. The Swiss geologist Toni Hagen, was the first European to pass through the "forbidden" kingdom. He doesn't discover any mineral resources there. Yet he does uncover the mysteries of life and penetrates towards a more profound truth which lends a new dimension to his life. In the spring of 1999, Hagen returns to Nepal to keep a promise of almost 50 years: At that time a Buddhist monk had presented him with the gift of a valuable and mystical ring.

2003-01-30 | de

The Carthusian Cloistered Monastery

2020-11-19 | ko

Aleph

Structured as a labyrinth-like game and inspired by Jorge Luis Borges, Aleph is a travelogue of experience, a dreamer's journey through the lives, experiences, stories and musings of protagonists spanning ten countries and five continents.

2021-04-30 | es

Athos

The Athos peninsula in Greece is one of Europe's last secrets. Over 2000 monks live on Athos - cut off from the outside world. Access is denied to women, tourists are not welcome. Only workers and pilgrims can obtain a visa. The "Autonomous Monastic State of the Holy Mountain" attracts people who feel like they are missing something from their modern lives. With the help of three Athos monks, "Athos - A Taste of Heaven" tells the story of the island and its inhabitants in a unique filmed diary style. The film's guiding theme is the path we as people have to find and follow - each and everyone for themselves. "First we must heal our own souls, only then we can help others", is one of Father Galaktions core messages. He lives as a hermit on the holy mountain. Not all monks, however, live as secluded and demure as Father Galaktion. The film team is also received by Father Epiphanios - a gifted and poetic cook who certainly does not disdain the pleasures of life.

2016-06-23 | de

Into Great Silence

An intimate portrayal of the everyday lives of Carthusian monks of the Grande Chartreuse, high in the French Alps (Chartreuse Mountains). The idea for the film was proposed to the monks in 1984, but the Carthusians said they wanted time to think about it. The Carthusians finally contacted Gröning 16 years later to say they were now willing to permit Gröning to shoot the movie, if he was still interested.

2005-09-04 | de

Kláštorisko

2011-01-01 | sk

Celibaat

A documentary about the oldest continuously inhabited monastery in the Netherlands.

2019-09-28 | nl

Gå i kloster

1974-01-01 | da

On the Other Side

The oldest Quebecois Benedictine convent open its gates to a documentary filmmaker for the first time. Observed up close, life behind its walls is busier than one would expect. About twenty cloistered nuns, most of them over 70, share their daily life with diligence and humor. A contemplative portrait of a community of sisterhood and solidarity emerges, punctuated by prayer, work and games evenings.

2022-11-22 | fr

The Monastery: Mr. Vig and the Nun

50 years ago Jørgen Lauersen Vig bought Hesbjerg Castle, situated in the Danish country side, with the purpose of turning it into a monastery. Now, many years later, he is about to realize his old dream. A group of Russian Orthodox nuns are on their way, and thus Mr. Vigs life-long dream is about to come true. But, nuns have plans and wills of their own, and Mr. Vig must realize that the road to fulfilling his dream is very different than what he imagined.

2007-03-29 | en

As in Heaven so on Earth

Abbess Maria leads the only Orthodox women's monastery in Germany. Together with 13 sisters of international origin, she tries to escape the mundane life while coming closer to God. A film about women dressed in black, about life and death and a monastery as an unusual place of destiny and peace.

2024-09-05 | de

The Monastery

For the first time, cloistered sisters agree to be filmed for one year in all aspects of their lives. The nuns of Berthierville, the only Francophone community of Dominican nuns in North America for nearly a century, engage in a rare and unique documentary in which exceptional testimonies and archives intermingle.

2019-09-27 | fr

St. Michael's Golden-domed Monastery. 900 years

Against the backdrop of historical events, from the time of Kyivan Rus' until the arrival of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in Ukraine, the film deals with the history of the construction, flourishing, destruction and revival of the Mykhailivskyi Golden-Domed Monastery over 900 years, as well as the difficult history of the struggle for independence of Ukraine. the church that continues to this day.

2008-01-01 | uk

Essene

Essene is about daily life in a Benedictine monastery and the resolution of conflict between personal needs and the institutional and organizational priorities of the community. In the Order, where the focus of life is the relationship of individual work and worship to the community as a whole, the brethren must cope with the same issues that arise in any community: rules, work, worship, values, love, and play.

1972-11-13 | en

The White Wall

A young painter comes to the monastery where he's supposed to paint Virgin Mary. There he meets and falls in love with a beautiful novice named Agripina, eventually modeling his artwork by her appearance. This gets him in trouble with the church canons and Mother Superior, and he leaves.

1978-01-01 | mk

Catacombs

In the 17th century, an order of monks in Italy capture and entomb a demon that has possessed a member of their group. 400 years later, school teacher Elizabeth Magrino visits the monastery in order to do some research. What she and the current monks do not realize is that the evil hiding within the catacombs has unwittingly been released.

1988-05-14 | en

Timebreakers - auf der Suche nach dem geheimnisvollen Heidekristall

The nine year old Larissa lives in the Luneburg Heath. She is in the clique "The Timies", which is devoted to historical events and facts. In this summer holidays, Larissa's cousins from Berlin are visiting the Luneburg Heath for the first time. From now on, Emma more and more realizes that she disposes of a mysterious talent. By touching antique objects she is able to look into the past of these things. Will they be able to find this treasure? And what has this shining crystal appearing in Emma's visions to do with it?

2016-09-01 | de

The Appearance

Mateho, an officer of the Inquisition and rational man of science, visits a remote monastery to investigate a bizarre murder of a monk. And you guessed it: something evil is afoot. But is the terror man-made or the result of witchcraft?

2018-12-07 | en

Ship of Theseus

Three stories about persons forced to think about the ethics and moral issues raised by medical advances.

2012-09-06 | hi

Word of Honour

Drama set in 1940 about a peasant who traverses Cyprus to pray at a monastery.

2001-01-01 | el