SEEfest Documentary Programmers Celebrate their Newest Film

Vera Mijojlic | December 7, 2014, 7:27 PM

It is with great pleasure that we announce that our friends, fellow SEEfest volunteers, Tina Mascara and Guido Santi are celebrating the theatrical release of their newest documentary, Monk with a Camera, a film about the life and journey of Nicholas Vreeland. It will be opening this coming Friday, December 12^th at Laemmle Royal Theater. There will be Q&A with Nicholas Vreeland and the filmmakers at 2:55, 5:20 and 7:45.

Get your tickets now!

MONK WITH A CAMERA chronicles the life and spiritual quest of Nicholas (Nicky) Vreeland, who for the past twenty-eight years, has been a Tibetan Buddhist monk. The son of a United StatesAmbassador, grandson of legendary Vogue editor Diana Vreeland, and a photographer by trade, Nicky left his privileged life behind to follow his true calling. He moved to India, cutting his ties with society, photography, and his pleasure-filled world, to live in a monastery with no running water or electricity. There he would spend the next 14 years studying to become a monk. Then in one of life’s beautiful twists, Nicky went back to the worldly pursuit of photography in order to help his fellow monks rebuild their mnastery, one of the most important of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. His journey from being a photographer to becoming a monk and, most recently, to being appointed as the abbot of the monastery he helped to rebuild, are the core of the story.

Guido and Tina were last year’s documentary programmers for the festival. Guido Santi started his career directing narrative short films for Italian television and working with director Ermanno Olmi’s group of young filmmakers, Ipotesi Cinema. After receiving his Master’s degree in Film at USC, he produced and directed TV specials and documentaries.

Tina Mascara started her career making narrative feature films, “Jacklight” and “Asphalt Stars”. In 2006, Tina co-founded Asphalt Stars Productions with Guido Santi and embarked on her first documentary film, the critically acclaimed and awards winning “Chris & Don: A Love Story” released by Zeitgeist Films in 2008.

See Nicholas Vreelands’ website here. http://nicholasvreeland.com

Review from Variety.

Nicholas Vreeland’s interview with NPR.

Follow the film:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/monkwithacamera

Twitter: @monkwithacamera

Don’t miss this exciting film!

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