Keepers of the Faith: The Buddhist Nuns of Sagaing Hills
Directed by Hiroko Kawanami
Synopsis
In the Sagaing Hills, 12 miles from the ancient capital of Mandalay are hundreds of pagodas, stupas, monasteries and nunneries which form a focal point of worship for Buddhism in Burma. In 1986 the filmmaker lived for 15 months as a nun in the Thameikdaw Gaung nunnery. Some years later she is coming back for a visit in order to see what has changed. This is an intimate insight into the daily life of a nunnery as well a portrait of the monastic economy and its interactions with the society. This film was remastered in 2022.