Pure Land Foundation has announced the winners of the inaugural online Buddhist Film Festival for emerging filmmakers, created to widen the festival’s international reach and open a submission route for emerging filmmakers working with themes drawn from Buddhist philosophy and the human experience.
-- The four winning films were selected by festival co-curator Bruno Wang, from 402 international submissions, narrowed to a twelve-film shortlist spanning Asia, Europe, Africa and North America. Representing China, Canada and Indonesia. The 2026 winners reflect the festival’s growing global scope and its interest in stories that explore identity, impermanence, belonging, moral consequence and the search for meaning.
The 2026 winners are:
LGBTQ+ Short: Love, Faith, Hope - PengHang Yu, China
Narrative Short: Zhong Kui Slaying Demons - Wang Xiaodong, China
Animation Short: a certain old friend - Ashley Lor, Canada
Documentary Short: The Entangled - Sugiyanto Widomulyono, Indonesia
The Buddhist Film Festival is presented by Pure Land Foundation in partnership with Tricycle: The Buddhist Review. Bruno Wang, founder of Pure Land Foundation and Chairman and Co-curator of the Buddhist Film Festival, said:
“The submissions showed how powerfully filmmakers around the world are engaging with questions that sit at the heart of Buddhist-inspired thought and the human experience. These films come from different countries, cultures and creative traditions, yet they are all exploring how we live with change, how we understand ourselves and how we remain connected to the world around us.
“Each film invites us to slow down and look more carefully. That is very much the spirit of the Buddhist Film Festival. Through the festival, and through the wider work of Pure Land Foundation and Bruno Wang Productions, we want to support storytelling that helps people reflect on compassion, impermanence, identity and our shared human condition.”
Love, Faith, Hope follows a lonely man on a boundless, soul-searching road trip across mountains and rivers, capturing fleeting landscapes from the window of an old truck as he tries to anchor his inner self.
Zhong Kui Slaying Demons draws on Chinese folklore to explore greed, temptation and moral consequence.
A certain old friend brings mythological figures into present-day Hong Kong as a meditation on cultural memory and displacement.
The Entangled observes an Indonesian migrant filmmaker’s coexistence with Javan mynas in Singapore public housing, offering a quiet reflection on adaptation, migration and belonging.
The fringe festival creates a global platform for a new generation of filmmakers to showcase their work, opening space for stories shaped by compassion, identity, change and interdependence. It also reflects Bruno Wang’s wider cultural work across Pure Land Foundation and Bruno Wang Productions, where film, spirituality and live experience are used to explore how ancient wisdom can speak to contemporary life.
About the Buddhist Film Festival
The Buddhist Film Festival is presented by Tricycle: The Buddhist Review in collaboration with the Pure Land Foundation. Founded in 1991, Tricycle: The Buddhist Review is a leading independent Buddhist publication dedicated to making Buddhist teachings and practices broadly available. Through its quarterly magazine, online platform and events, Tricycle fosters dialogue across Buddhist traditions and engages contemporary issues through a Buddhist lens.
About Pure Land Foundation
Pure Land Foundation supports initiatives that promote social, spiritual and emotional wellness. Founded by philanthropist and cultural patron Bruno Wang, the foundation reflects a wider commitment to compassion, contemplative practice and the role of culture in helping people connect more deeply with themselves and others. Its work spans film, digital platforms, live experiences and cross-cultural exchange, championing projects that cultivate awareness, resilience and shared human values.
Contact Info:
Name: Pure Land Foundation
Email: Send Email
Organization: Pure Land Foundation
Website: http://purelandfoundation.com/
Release ID: 89196858
In the event of encountering any errors, concerns, or inconsistencies within the content shared in this press release, we kindly request that you immediately contact us at error@releasecontact.com (it is important to note that this email is the authorized channel for such matters, sending multiple emails to multiple addresses does not necessarily help expedite your request). Our dedicated team will be readily accessible to address your feedback within 8 hours and take appropriate measures to rectify any identified issues or facilitate press release takedowns. Ensuring accuracy and reliability are central to our commitment.
