Only Global film on Asia's greatest Zen & warrior monk
Like the coolest ever K-Pop video Zen by Blackpink's Jenny and Korea's all-time hit 'Along with the Gods", Buddha Files: Samurai, Shaolin & Hwarang is also inspired by the all-time most iconic Buddhist art about Dalma/Daruma/Damo - Asia's most beloved warrior monk and patron of Asian martial arts & Zen.
Bodhidharma (Dalma in Korea, Daruma in Japan and Damo in China) is the most famous cultural icon of Korea, Japan and China and his paintings and statues can be found in museums, martial arts dojos, homes, stores and even wallets across the Asian Tiger nations. He is also the cultural mascot of Japan and the founder of Kung Fu & Zen. Buddha Files: Samurai, Shaolin & Hwarang" is the first international film based on the most famous Asian after the historic Buddha. As the biography of Bodhidharma is incomplete, we have recreated it using the paintings of history's greatest artists from Sasshu and Haranobu to Musashi and Hokusai who inspired the likes of Monet, Renoir and Picasso. This approach of using ancient Buddhist paintings to inspire a film also led to "Along with the Gods" being the biggest box office hit in Korean history and the Korean film "Why has Bodhidharma gone to the East" became Korea's first film to win acclaim at Cannes and gain distribution overseas. Furthermore, in order to make Dalma relatable to present and future generations, the film has been updated to a contemporary context with even futuristic costumes mixed with traditional -- reminiscent of Baz Luhrman's ground-breaking Romeo and Juliet featuring Leonardo Dicaprio and Blackpink's Jenny's video called Zen which is the coolest K-Pop video of all time. However, the authenticity of Buddha Files is beyond reproach with more research than any other Buddhist or martial arts film ever made.
This modern day retelling of the story of Bodhidharma sees an Indian Prince, who like the historic Buddha, relinquishes his palace and royal status to become a Buddhist monk and then empowers women like Amrapali as well as battles adversaries and assassins like Devdutta (as these 2 characters are among the most famous Buddhist prototypes). Set during the Buddhist Extinction of India -- arguably ancient history's worst ever genocide where every Buddhist was killed in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan -- Bodhidharma was destined to become the most influential monk in the history of China, Japan and Korea where he became the Patron saint of the Samurai, Shaolin and Hwarang warriors. Hence, the film is shot in Japan, China and Korea and pays tribute to Japanese, Chinese and Korean culture, martial arts and fashion.
Recently, Korea's President Lee Jae-Myung said the Korean Government will "promote Buddhism as the foundation of Korea's traditional culture" and from Squid Games star Lee Byung-hun to Oscar-winner Michele Yeoh, many Asian stars have been promoting pride in their Buddhist culture. Even Japan's late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Buddhism played a seminal role in Japanese civilization. Similarly, China's Xi Jingping has spent billions on promoting Buddhism as China's soft power and even sent the Buddhist film "Xuanzhang" as an Official Entry to the Oscars. This clearly shows that Asians need films that promote Asian culture, traditions, history and heritage. "Buddha Files: Samurai, Shaolin & Hwarang" is thus the most important Asian, Kung Fu and Buddhist film ever made as Dalma/Daruma/Damo is the most influential Buddhist monk and martial artist in history.
