The US debut of My Reincarnation previewed to a full house at the Rubin Museum of Art in New York City on May 18. This screening was sponsored in association with the Lion’s Roar Foundation and the Shang-Shung Institute.
Filmed intermittently over a decade alongside the Tibetan master Chogyal Namkhai Norbu and his Italian family, the filmmaker Jennifer Fox has created a movie about the relationship between father and son, both ordinary and spiritual.
Namkhai Norbu’s son Yeshi speaks candidly about being the son of a Dzogchen master, being identified as a tulku, and living as an Italian in the world of Tibetan Buddhism. Through Yeshi’s narration, the film highlights both personal and perennial tensions in being a practitioner in a cultural tradition different than your own, as well as being recognized as a reincarnation in the Tibetan Buddhist system.
The real gem of this movie, however, is Fox’s up-close footage with Namkhai Norbu. Her privileged access invites the viewer into the life of this extraordinary Tibetan Dzogchen master and scholar.
My Reincarnation – Festival Trailer from Zohe Films on Vimeo.