California Buddhists Initiate Film Festival in Thailand Marking Buddha's Birth & Death

HUFFINGTON POST
By Xinyan Yu

Thai Buddhists carrying candles march in procession around Wat Mahaeyong Temple, an ancient Buddhist temple in Ayutthaya province, Thailand Monday night, June 4, 2012 as part of Wesaka Bucha activities. Wesaka Bucha, the most important Buddhist holy day of the year, marks the birth, enlightenment and death of Lord Buddha. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

THAILAND— Religion can be a tough sell nowadays, so instead of waiting for disciples to make their way to temple, some promoters brought 36 films with Buddhist themes to the heart of modern Thailand earlier this month. Initiated by the California-based Buddhism Film Foundation, the movie festival came to Bangkok for the first time this year since its debut in Los Angeles in 2003, and pulled in 3,700 visitors. The International Buddhism Film Festival was an effort by the government and private religious groups to popularize Buddhism among the younger generation. [link]