On October 16, 2025, audiences across North America will have the chance to take part in a rare collective film experience when Wisdom of Happiness screens for one night only, followed by a live panel featuring Golden Globe and SAG Award-winner Richard Gere. Gere will personally introduce the 7 p.m. premiere at AMC Lincoln Square 13 in Manhattan before joining a post-screening discussion, which will be broadcast to theaters nationwide through the Digital Cinema Distribution Coalition. For audiences in Alaska, the screening begins at 6 p.m. PST, and for Hawaii, 4 p.m. PST, ensuring that viewers in multiple time zones can share the moment together.
The special event precedes the film’s wider release, which begins October 17 at New York City’s QUAD Cinema before expanding across North America. Already qualified for the Best Documentary category at the Oscars, the film arrives in the thick of awards season with considerable momentum, having earned critical and audience acclaim in Europe and beyond.
Directed by Barbara Miller and Philip Delaquis, Wisdom of Happiness offers an intimate portrait of the Dalai Lama, weaving together extraordinary access, archival material, and cinematic imagery to explore his teachings on compassion and happiness. Cinematographer Manuel Bauer, a longtime collaborator and chronicler of the Dalai Lama, captures moments that blend the personal and the universal, illuminating both the humor and gravity of one of the world’s most admired spiritual leaders.
Executive produced by Gere alongside Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Oren Moverman, the documentary is part of The Year of Compassion, a global initiative launched in honor of the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday. Gere described the film as a rare opportunity to sit with “profound wisdom and authentic compassion,” adding that it encourages viewers to discover their own transformative capacity for happiness.
The Dalai Lama’s message is at the heart of the film: that small, conscious steps can open the door to deeper awareness and compassion, a force that can transcend political divides and cultural currents. His lifelong commitment to non-violent revolution and spiritual activism underscores the urgency of issues such as globalization, the climate crisis, and human relationships in the 21st century.
For Abramorama, the distributor behind the North American release, the film represents more than just a documentary. “His Holiness the Dalai Lama's message of compassion and inner peace has never been more relevant,” said Karol Martesko-Fenster, CEO of the company. “We know the special October 16 screening with Richard Gere will create a communal experience that captures the film’s spirit of shared wisdom.”
With music by Ariel Marx and editing by Isai Oswald and Mike Selemon, Wisdom of Happiness combines artistry and intimacy to deliver what its creators describe as a once-in-a-lifetime audience with the Dalai Lama. By pairing breathtaking visuals with a call for compassion as the most essential sentiment, the film positions itself not only as a cinematic experience but as an invitation to participate in a larger global dialogue about how humanity might move forward.
The full list of participating theaters for the October 16 event will be announced on October 6. For many, it may be the only chance to witness the Dalai Lama’s teachings unfold on the big screen in the company of thousands of others—an experience designed to be both personal and profoundly communal.
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