Community Building in the Washington, DC area!!

SFP Editor: What inspired you to start Washington DC's first buddhafest Film Festival? Gabriel Riera, Buddhafest co-director: We believe in the transformative power of film. Eric Forbis, the festival co-director and I came up with this idea because we were both intrigued by the challenge of living our hurried urban lives according to the wisdom of Buddhist philosophy. The gentle, compassionate approach of Buddhism often seems to stand in stark contrast to the ambitious, multi-tasking models that our culture holds up as examples of right aspiration and success. We were interested in exploring the particular moment in history that we're living. Can we survive the demands of this life by living according to principles that were taught 2,500 years ago? We felt that films about contemporary Buddhism along with teachings and discussions would be a good way consider our situation. BuddhaFest is organizing a 5-minute flashmob next week on Thursday, June 3 at 6 pm, and we'd love for you to be there! We're going to infuse a public place with the meditative energy of peace, while we chant ohm, the universal sound of interconnectedness. We'll meet up Thursday, June 3 at 6 pm. The location will be in downtown DC near a Metro stop. We'll reveal it that morning on our homepage www.buddhafest.org and also via Facebook and Twitter. If you'd like us to send you an email telling you where it is, please let us know ahead of time at buddhafestdc@gmail.com.

SFP Editor: What is BuddhaFest?

Gabriel Riera: BuddhaFest is DC's first Buddhist Film Festival. It's a four-day event with films, talks and meditation led by prominent teachers. It will be presented from June 17-20th at the Kazten Arts Center at American University.

SFP Editor: How did you choose the twelve films to be screened?

Gabriel Riera: We decided that we were going to curate these films with an eye toward subject matter that illustrated the clash of the old and the new. In most of these films, the protagonists find themselves in difficult situations that the modern world has thrust upon them and they need to draw on the reserves of the timeless wisdom of the Buddhist path to resolve, as much as possible, their dilemmas. Roughly speaking, that was our approach. Not every film falls neatly into that category. But in one way or another they all have to do with living in the moment, cultivating self awareness, and acting with compassion. We were fortunate to have some some very good advice from people who have worked on film festivals before and have a good knowledge of Buddhist films.

SFP Editor: What do you hope to achieve through the film festival?

Gabriel Riera: We feel that Buddhism promotes a very humane and hopeful outlook. Its principles can be useful to everyone, whether you have a meditation practice or not. As the Dalai Lama says, "my religion is kindness." We are putting this together in the spirit of sharing what we feel are important tools for living that anyone can use, regardless of religion, point of view or personal background. There is a strong meditation community in the DC Metro area that we hope to bring together through BuddhaFest. But also, we'd like to open the door to others who may be curious about meditation and Buddhism but haven't been exposed.

SFP Editor: What about Buddism has impacted you the most in your life?

Gabriel Riera: Buddhism has helped me find a place of acceptance for myself and others. It's a very special feeling when you can move away from judgment and accept people just as they are. That's definitely an aspiration for me. Because of our conditioning, it's a struggle to maintain that clarity and open heart at each moment. I work at it every day. Bit by bit

SFP Editor: What can non-Buddists get from attending the festival?

Gabriel Riera: I hope they understand that Buddhism is about investigating your life rather than following what someone says. I would like them to understand that they can still hold fast to their religion--if it's working for them--while incorporating the wisdom of Buddhism into their lives. Simple things like breathing deeply, relaxing and radiating peace are powerful instruments of change that everyone can rely on, whatever one's background.

SFP Editor: What types of speakers have you invited to the festival?

Gabriel Riera: We've invited a diverse group of speakers who have a modern take on Buddhism. These are teachers and writers whose work has interested us.

SFP Editor: What does it mean to be a peacemaker?

Gabriel Riera: I can only answer that from the perspective of my own heart. There's a saying that we at BuddhaFest came up with. It expresses how we feel about the role of peacemakers, "...peace in, peace out..." What that means is that if you cultivate peace within yourself, you are likely to radiate that energy in your daily endeavors. Whether you manifest the role of peacemaker at the personal level or on a grander, civic or global scale, depends on the individual. For now, we're just trying to focus on the breath, "...peace in, peace out..."

SFP Editor: What brought you to the DC Area?

Gabriel Riera: I came here about three years ago for a job at the Smithsonian.

SFP Editor: What are your long terms goals for BuddhaFest?

Gabriel Riera: We'd love to have BuddhaFest continue as annual event that attracts fascinating films, wise teachers and joyful audiences. That's our aspiration.