Living Sanctuaries: Buddhist Monasteries of Zanskar
Living Sanctuaries - Buddhist Monasteries of Zanskar (2025)
Drung Films + Studio Nyandak
Living Sanctuaries: Buddhist Monasteries of Zanskar is a collaborative film project by Drung Films and Studio Nyandak, supported by the National Endowment for the Arts and Folkstreams. The film was recently presented at Columbia University, marking an important academic and public engagement for the project.
The screening took place as part of Columbia’s interdisciplinary programming on Himalayan studies, architecture, and Buddhism, and was followed by a discussion that brought together scholars, architects, and filmmakers. The presentation contextualized the film within broader conversations on living monastic traditions, cultural preservation, and the changing landscapes of the Zanskar region in the Indian Himalayas.
Living Sanctuaries emerges from long-term fieldwork carried out by Studio Nyandak in collaboration with local monastic communities. Through documentary storytelling, architectural documentation, and oral histories, the film explores Buddhist monasteries not only as heritage structures, but as living institutions shaped by ritual, environment, and community life.
Looking ahead, the film will continue its public life through new platforms and audiences. Living Sanctuaries is scheduled for an online release in 2026 on Tricycle Film Club, the curated film platform of Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, a leading American Buddhist online magazine. The project will also be presented at INALCO (Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales) in Paris, extending the film’s engagement into academic and cultural spaces in Europe.
These presentations reflect the film’s evolving journey across institutions, platforms, and audiences, and underline Drung’s commitment to sharing Himalayan-rooted stories within global conversations on culture, spirituality, and world cinema.
