A friend’s experience… While shortlisting films for a Buddhist short film festival, I spoke firmly against the choice of one, listing more than 20 reasons why it should not be selected. To my shock, despite this, someone exclaims that ‘It’s just a movie’. Disturbing… because aren’t Buddhist film festivals for sharing the Dharma; and not warped Dharma?
If warped Dharma is going to be presented, doesn’t it become an anti-Buddhism film festival? And wouldn’t any other movie do too, without needing any special selection? Thankfully, the film was not chosen at the end, despite some further short-lived contentions. I realised too, that any single thing is not ‘just something’ – there are always wider consequences, because that thing can influence other things, even if the scope of this influence might vary.