Monk with a Camera

One week exclusive run!

Born into one vocation—globe-trotter and bon vivant, grandson of illustrious Vogue editor Diana Vreeland—photographer Nicky Vreeland’s destiny led him down another road altogether. Unfulfilled by his jet-setting existence, he interpreted the theft of his cameras as a sign to trade material wealth for spiritual capital. He studied Buddhism for years before deciding to become a monk, dispatched by the Dalai Lama (charismatically featured here) to a refugee camp across the Indian border. In a third-act twist out of a Hollywood screenplay, when the 2008 economic crash wiped out anticipated funding for his monastery, Vreeland returned to photography and world travel, raising the needed revenue by selling his images. This insightful portrait of life’s unexpected turns and the winding road to contentment is gracefully directed by Tina Mascara and Guido Santi (Chris & Don: A Love Story). A Kino Lorber release.

“[A] marvelous documentary… Like a good photograph, or a wise abbot, it only presents the evidence and allows us to arrive at truth.” —Diana Clarke, Village Voice

“An engrossing documentary… Suggests an inner odyssey as extraordinary as any journey across continents, mountain ranges and time zones.” —Godfrey Cheshire, RogerEbert.com