Paths of the Soul (Zhang Yang, China, 2015)

Chinese director Zhang Yang’s Paths of the Soul is a captivating and profound portrait of a small group of Tibetan villagers on an arduous, one-thousand-mile pilgrimage to the holy city of Lhasa. With a graceful documentary style that makes full use of the glorious vistas of the Himalayas, Paths captures the astonishing self-sacrifice required as the group faced physical challenges, as well as the transcendence that helps liberate the pilgrims from their suffering.

Part of the 59th San Francisco International Film Festival at the BAMPFA!