HANNAH: BUDDHISM’S UNTOLD JOURNEY
Wins Audience Choice Award for Best Documentary
at 17th Annual ARPA International Film Festival
LOS ANGELES (November 21, 2014) – HANNAH: BUDDHISM’S UNTOLD JOURNEY, the story of a courageous and enigmatic woman, Hannah Nydahl, who dedicated her life to spreading Buddhism to the West, premiered in North America at the 17th Annual ARPA International Film Festival, hosted at the legendary Egyptian Theater in Hollywood last week. Audiences and critics responded to the screening with overwhelming praise and emotion, touched by the heart-wrenching and awe-inspiring true story and awarding it with the Audience Choice Award for Best Documentary.
“Winning the Audience Award for Best Documentary is an honor and is incredibly meaningful for us,” says Co Director/Producer Marta György Kessler, who spent 15 years traveling with Hannah and some of the most renowned Buddhist Lamas.
“HANNAH is not just a story about an exceptional and brave woman, it’s an adventure of historical significance as well. With such a profound, rich narrative, it has been our deepest wish and mission to not just tell the story – but to touch people with it. Winning the ARPA Audience Choice Award confirms and inspires us to continue our journey in sharing and connecting others to this extraordinary, singular woman. We are thankful to the wonderful organizers of the ARPA International Film Festival and are especially grateful for their enthusiasm and support of our film.”
HANNAH: BUDDHISM’S UNTOLD JOURNEY is a never-before-seen look into the life of Hannah Nydahl and her unfaltering dedication to introduce Buddhism to the western hemisphere. HANNAH is a film that offers a unique insight into not only Buddhist practices and beliefs but also the Buddhist way of living. Hannah was a woman looking to expand her own mind and she ended up altering history. Her story is one of sweeping adventure full of love, loss, and learning that resonates with audiences across the world.
The film is the untold story of a young Danish woman’s life, searching for greater levels of perception in the 1960’s until as an adult, she became a pillar of living Buddhism and one of the first Buddhist pioneers dedicated to saving the religion from extinction, with her husband Ole Nydahl (Lama Ole). HANNAH is a story unlike any other, transcending what is expected from a documentary about Buddhism.
“Winning the Audience Choice Award for Best Documentary means so much to everyone who dedicated the last 5 years to making this film,” said Co Director/Producer Adam Penny. “This honor will help us reach an even broader audience, and allow more people to experience the powerful journey of an incredible woman.”
HANNAH is a Connected Pictures Film.
The film was edited by Emmy Award-Winner Simon Barker (PUSSY RIOT: A PUNK PRAYER, GOOGLE AND THE WORLD BRAIN – Sundance Grand Jury Prize nominee, REAGAN – 2012 Emmy-winner for Outstanding Historical Documentary and 9/11 Heroes of the 88th Floor).
HANNAH was filmed in India, Nepal, the Far East and Europe.
For more information on HANNAH, please visit www.hannahthefilm.com.
About Connected Pictures
Connected Pictures is an award-winning London-based production company specializing in brand campaigns and documentaries, headed up by Adam Penny and Jon Ayres.
They have been involved in campaigns for the relaunched BRITISH AIRWAYS, creating documentaries around First Class and the luxury design of the cabins, behind the scenes content at the CANNES FILM FESTIVAL for headline sponsors ELECTROLUX, online content for STRONGBOW, NISSAN and SABMILLER as well as work for LEVIS, JD SPORT, JOHN LEWIS, MICROSOFT, STRONGBOW, EE, HALIFAX and BRITISH GAS.
Television programs include THE URBAN CHEF for BBC, EVERYBODY LOVES LIL CHRIS for T4, THE WORLD’S YOUNGEST DAREDEVILS with Mylene Klass for Sky as well as co-productions on Docudrama TURING for Channel 4 and most recently THE FOUR YEAR PLAN, following Flavio Briatorie, Bernie Ecclestone and Amit Bhatia as they took over debt ridden club QPR.
For more information please visit www.connectedpictures.com
