Cinema Nirvana
by Poep Sa Frank Jude Boccio
Dear Tucson Yoga Community,
For years I’ve had the vision of curating a film series that would allow me to integrate two of my deepest passions: Dharma and film! Through the graces and generosity of Tucson Yoga, I have been given the opportunity to do just that with “Cinema Nirvana.”
My love of film began with weekly visits to the local cinema with my dad when I was a young child. Back then, it would set us back about $1.75 for the two of us – and we got a free plate, cup or saucer as well! Later, in college, I had the privilege to study film with some amazing scholars. During those years, I immersed myself in film, viewing over 1,000 films in one year! I also wrote, shot and directed several short films, and wrote two features, one of which was screened at the Sundance and Berlin Film Festivals. I was also the founder of a film society at Queens College, where I won the Norman O. Silverstein Award for Film Scholarship two years running. In one paper, I wrote about the female process of individuation in Fellini’s Juliet of the Spirits, and in the other, I compared Nietzsche’s conception of the vita femina (the eternal feminine) with the femme fatale of Hollywood films noir such as Double Indemnity, The Postman Always Rings Twice, Gun Crazy and Kiss Me Deadly. Yes, I’m a non-discriminating egg-head! J
So, it’s safe to say I LOVE film, or as Chance the Gardener, the Peter Sellers character from Being There would put it, “I like to watch.” And that’s just about everything – from the films of the avant-garde to the studio B-films of the 40s, 50s and 60s, from International “art cinema,” to mondo cinema. And if it is true – as I believe that it is – that when one has the eye to see it, as Dogen Zenji says, “the mountains and the rivers chant the Dharma,” then so do the celluloid dreams we call “the movies!”
In this series, we won’t always be watching those films that are overtly ‘spiritual,’ ‘yogic,’ or ‘dharmic,’ such as The Wizard of Oz or Vanilla Sky, though we will occasionally. Rather, I think it might be more fun to see if we can find the dharma in the chaotic mayhem of the Marx Brothers, the paranoia of 50s Sci-Fi, the gothic horror of old M.G.M. films from the 30s and 40s, and in the future, the forensic science of C.S.I., the magic of Buffy The Vampire Slayer and films that you, the Tucson Yoga Community help to choose!
The idea behind this series is to have fun watching movies with fellow yogis, strengthening our community while helping the community. While the films are shown freely, we will gratefully and happily accept donations at each screening to help offset our costs as well as to raise money for local non-profit charities. And you can help us with that as well by letting us know of your own favorite local charitable organizations.
I plan on posting a bit of info on each film each month, and welcome you to join in the discussion, share your thoughts, insights and suggestions!
So, please set aside some time, the fourth Saturday of each month, to join me and other yogi film buffs, for some fun and enlightening discussion. And feel free to bring along your own snacks and non-alcoholic beverages. I’ll provide the pop corn!
Metta,
Poep Sa Frank Jude
Click here for the Cinema Nirvana schedule
Frank Jude Boccio | bio
Upcoming Workshops
Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation
A 6-week course with Frank Jude Boccio
January 30-February 27, 2010
More info
Ongoing Classes:
Tue 9:00-10:30am, Mindfulness Yoga (Mixed-Level)
Sun 9:00-10:30am, Gentle Mindfulness Yoga
Sun 7:00-8:30pm, Mindfulness Practice Sangha (by donation)
Past Blogs:
Kind and Generous 12/7/09
Thoughts Prompted by a New Year 1/2/10
