In 2005, Manuel Collas De La Roche gave up Buddhist monkhood to enter the filmmaking business. But the teachings of Buddhism, its call for peace, stayed with him.
“When I was a monk I met the director Jan Kounen and he proposed to me to do a movie. I was a bit surprised, and I spoke to people in Dharamsala and they said ‘you have a mission for peace’,” recalls Manuel. With Kounen, Manuel made a film titled “Darshan: The Embrace” on Mata Amritanandamayi, also known as “the hugging mother”, who has been in the news lately after a former disciple made allegations of sexual against her ashram.
The film, which went to Cannes Film Festival in 2005, provided the template for the films being made currently and to be made in the future by Films For Peace Foundation, the organisation Manuel co-founded in 2012. “I am very realistic, and I love human rights, peace and compassion... The foundation was created to defend values, and create awareness on social causes and subjects such as ocean, water, food, women's rights, child abuse,” says Manuel, during a recent visit to India. “You cannot do movies on only wars and violence. Violence begets violence, war begets war...”
With his production house, Lotus Productions, Manuel is involved in two productions in India. “A Journey into the Heart of Kalachakra”, directed by Nathalie Fuchs, tells the story of an important Buddhist ritual through different personal stories. The film, currently at the post-production stage, will be presented at the Cannes film festival this year.
Also in the works is a film, being made with the support of the French Embassy, on the Mother, or Mira Alfassa, who was associated with the Sri Aurobindo Ashram and Auroville. “She came to India 100 years ago. To celebrate the occasion we are doing a documentary,” he says. The film, titled “Mere”, is being directed by Jerome Cecil Auffret. The movie will be shot in April.
Later this year, Manuel is organising the Films for Peace festival in Monaco, where he hopes to show that films can also be conduits of peace.
Through these films, he also hopes to challenge received wisdom about what sells. Assured that there is no dearth of interest in films on such themes, he says, “People who go to see these movies are spiritual people, people who are curious, who want to see other things than violence and craziness in this world, and go on a journey.” For them to be able to access it, these films need to be made in the “classic commercial way”, involving the big names in the movie business, so as to ensure theatrical and television screenings in several countries, he clarifies.
Manuel is adamant that “peace can also be entertaining.” He points to “Wojtyla, from Conspiracy to Forgiveness” for proof. The film tells the backstory of the attack on Pope John Paul II, and has been penned by a Vatican priest. “Through the story of the Pope, we are telling a story about forgiveness,” he says.
