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 The Monk Who Would
Be a Director
Neten Chokling on "Milarepa"
by Larry Jaffee
Neten Chokling may be the only monk in history who can claim
to be a feature film director. Milarepa, currently making the
rounds of the film festival circuit, depicts the humble beginnings
of the man who was to become Tibet’s greatest saint.
The film was recently shown at the DGA in New York, and it’s getting
a theatrical release at the end of October in San Rafael, CA.
Other screenings have occurred in Washington, DC, Los Angeles,
Vancouver, and Korea. Audiences have favorably compared Milarepa
to The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
A true story based on centuries-old oral traditions, Milarepa
tells the story of a boy propelled into a world of sorrow and
betrayal after his father’s sudden death. Destitute and hopeless,
his mother sends her son once he becomes a teenager to learn black
magic — and exact revenge on their enemies — encountering magicians,
demons, an enigmatic teacher and unexpected mystical power along
the way.
Chokling was born in 1973 in Wandipodzong, Bhutan, a landlocked
South Asian nation situated between India and Tibet, People’s
Republic of China. He is the spiritual head of the Pema Ewam Choegar
Gyurmeling Monastery (www.gyurmeling.com)
in India and Tibet.
Fascinated with the power of cinematic art and the emotional influence
of storytelling through sound and moving pictures, Chokling had
no formal film education before making Milarepa. However, he had
a taste of film production, working as principal actor in Khyentse
Norbu’s The Cup and assisted in Norbu’s latest production Travellers
and Magicians as a stuntman, assistant to the director and 2nd
unit director.
For Milarepa, Chokling also managed to attract some experienced
Western film professionals, such as editor Suzy Elmiger, whose
impressive credits include cutting films for the likes of Woody
Allen and Robert Altman, while Milarepa’s special effects supervisor,
John P. Nugent, worked on The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Terminator
3, and The Matrix.
Photographed in the stunning Himalayas, Lahaul-Spiti region of
Northern India, Milarepa uses English subtitles and is in the
Tibetan language.
StudentFilmmakers: For how long had
you wanted to make a film about Milarepa?
Neten Chokling: I wanted to make a film on Milarepa
for many years, but we started working on it only two months before
preproduction/ filming. The thought was there for years, but that
thought materialized only two months before the whole production.
StudentFilmmakers: What kind of formal
film production training had you received prior to Milarepa?
Neten Chokling: I have never been to a film school.
StudentFilmmakers: How were you able
to make such a film with no film training?
Neten Chokling: In the Tibetan culture, we believe
that if a work or a project is based on good motivations (and
is able to benefit people in a positive way), the work or project
has the backing and the protection of the “soong-mas” or the “protectors.”
These are supernatural entities, either in male, female or in
the form of animals. So in a way, it is sort of like Lord of the
Rings. But in “real life,” in order to get the Ring, the main
character gets the protection of specific characters on the way.
The other reason why I think I was able to make this even though
I had no training as a filmmaker is because of karma...it required
a lot of patience, determination and optimism even in the worst
days but because of my “karma,” I was to be the one who would
slough and bring the story of Milarepa to the film medium. The
film was worth everything that we went through.
StudentFilmmakers: Speaking of Lord
of the Rings, Milarepa reminds me of Peter Jackson’s trilogy in
many ways: a sweeping epic, the spiritual journey aspects of both
stories— only that yours is a biopic, not a work of fiction, the
majestic mountainous backdrop, etc. Do you see a similar connection?
Neten Chokling: Yes. Many people tell me that
there are similarities to the Lords of the Rings trilogy... the
only difference is the budget. Mine is not even 1% of the budget
of the trilogy.
StudentFilmmakers: Did you shoot film
or DV?
Neten Chokling: The film was shot in super 16mm.
Post production was done in New York. Picture editing was done
on Avid. The size of the budget was USD $1.5 million. The most
amazing part of this film was the fact that most of the crew and
cast were monks from my monastery in India. The monks were of
course, wearing wigs!
StudentFilmmakers: How was it working
with inexperienced actors?
Neten Chokling: Working with inexperienced actors
was difficult. First of all, I myself didn’t have any experience,
and on top of that, I had to teach them how to act! When they
got the act ready, they forgot the lines! It was tough but also
very funny. We had good laughs.
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