A selection of films and documentaries featuring Thich Nhat Hanh and the Plum Village monastic community.
A Cloud Never Dies
A biographical documentary of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh narrated by actor Peter Coyote, A Cloud Never Dies weaves together original film and photographic archives, telling the story of a humble young Vietnamese monk and poet whose wisdom and compassion were forged in the suffering of war. In the face of violence, fear, and discrimination, Thich Nhat Hanh’s courageous path of engaged action reveals how insight, community, and a deep aspiration to serve the world can offer hope, peace, and a way forward for millions.
The film is a collaboration involving monastic historians, community members and filmmakers Max Pugh and Marc J. Francis.
More information can be found on the A Cloud Never Dies page.
Walk With Me
“Directed by Marc J Francis & Max Pugh, ‘Walk With Me’ is a cinematic and immersive exploration into the world-famous monastery of Zen Buddhist master Thich Nhat Hanh.
As Benedict Cumberbatch’s meditative voice reads extracts from Thich Nhat Hanh’s early journals, the daily routine and rituals of monks and nuns on a quest to develop a deep sense of presence, slowly unfolds across the four seasons.
With unprecedented access, this visceral film is an insightful rumination on the pursuit of happiness, and what it means to devote one’s life to mindfulness and living in the present moment – a welcome remedy to the stresses of a world in turmoil.”
Films from Evermind Media
Please visit Evermind Media to see full details of subtitle languages available for each film. There is a special webpage in Spanish.
Rebel for Life (2020)
“Rebel for Life is a powerful story about climate activism, the spirit of community and the future of life on Earth. At the centre of this story we follow Vishal, a young hospital doctor who has turned into a full-time climate activist. “The climate crisis is a health crisis”, he says. Systemic change is needed to prevent mass extinction, and there is no time to lose: “We’ve got only one generation left to survive on this Earth.” Vishal and other protagonists in this film were trained in mindfulness and peaceful activism in Plum Village, France.”
The Way Out (2018)
“Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh has a revolutionary proposal for facing the Climate Crisis. ‘The way out is in,’ he states. ‘The way out of climate change is inside each of us.’ An urgent film about climate crisis, activism and mindfulness. Recorded in Plum Village, France, and in London and Yorkshire, UK.”
Dear Earth (2020)
“In the film Dear Earth we follow three climate activists of the Extinction Rebellion movement in England during a siege of London’s administrative and business district. How far are they willing to go to protect life on earth?”
To Live Awake (2016)
“To live awake is an art. The basic condition of this art is to come home to yourself and be fully present. But how to do that? In this film we travel with Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh and his community to Spain and with young monastics to Latin America. A liberating journey, first and foremost inside ourselves. Do you want to wake up too?”
Happy Teachers Will Change the World (2015)
Language: English, Subtitles in 10 languages
“Being a teacher in the world of today is a demanding job with lots of challenges, often resulting in stress and burn-out. Is there a solution? Recorded at Brock University, near Toronto, Canada.”
Happy Teachers Will Change the World in Barcelona (2020)
Language: Spanish and English, English Subtitles
“Both the teachers and students of today face a lot of challenges, like time pressure, workload, lack of attention, etc. How to change the educational system – and the world? Recorded at the University of Barcelona, Spain.”
Films from The 5 Powers and Mindful World
5 Powers (2022)
“The powerful story of Vietnamese Zen masters, Thich Nhat Hanh, whom Martin Luther King nominated for the 1967 Nobel Peace Prize, Sister Chan Khong and American anti-war superhero, Alfred Hassler, and Martin Luther King Jr, is as relevant and important today as it ever was in the past. One of the films big surprises, is Alfred Hasslers 1958, Montgomery Story comic book that turned Martin Luther King Jr, into a Superhero. A comic book that was distributed in the turbulent south, to young and old, African Americans and white Americans.
The film also communicates an ultimate truth.
There is no good or bad, no white or black.
This ultimate truth has the power to unite us”.
Planting Seeds (2016)
“Jasper, a 16 year old Asian-African-American teenager, uses the power of mindfulness, meditation and kindness to cope with everyday family and school situations. The animated movie features TV Star Orlando Jones as the voice of Will the father, and Jasper, a Vietnamese African American Teenager whose family has just moved to a new neighborhood, and a new school to be closer to Jasper’s aging, charming and wise Zen Master like Grandfather. At his new school, Jasper is confronted with bullying, anger, and stress. He uses the techniques that his grandfather taught him, to transform situations both at home and in school.”
Films by other producers
Gone With the Wind (2016)
“Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay) is an influential global spiritual leader of the century. He was also nominated by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for the Nobel Peace Prize. The production team visited Plum Village near Bordeaux in France and interviewed Thay. Why Thay, a native Vietnamese, opposed the Vietnam War? Why was he exiled from his homeland? How did he start the teaching of mindfulness and meditation? How does his teachings influence the world?
This is an original production of Hong Kong Television Network (HKTV).”
In Cantonese and English with English subtitles as well as subtitles in other languages available.
My Life is My Message (2005)
“Portrait of Thich Nhat Hahn, a Zen teacher, and peace activist.
We follow Thich Nhat Hanh around the time of Memorial Day of 9/11 in Washington D.C., where he teaches Members of Congress the concepts of ‘Mindful Living’. He tries to convey his message of peace straight to the centre of world power.
Thousands of people participate each year in the meditation retreats led by Thich Nhat Hanh. In his monastic community Plum Village in the south of France, his home base, he brings groups of Palestinians and Israelis together. Horrible experiences are exchanged and discussed for the first time, in the hope that people may come to recognize each other’s suffering.”
Steps of Mindfulness (1998)
“The documentary Steps of Mindfulness – a Journey with Thich Nhat Hanh takes us on a pilgrimage in the company of his sangha to Bodh Gaya in India, the source of Buddhism. We are thus able to follow the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh and his companions and to see how, through the everyday practice of mindfulness, they water the roots of this spiritual tradition and keep it alive. In his meetings with the people of India, Thich Nhat Hanh asks them to treat social realities and questions of social justice with understanding and sympathy. For without social commitment and sympathy, Buddhism is debased, until it leads only to the renunciation of worldly things. The practice of mindfulness advocated by Thich Nhat Hanh is not limited to any particular religion or culture. This meditative film invites the viewer to follow these ‘steps of mindfulness’, and to take a journey into the self.”