7 posts tagged “www.buddhawild.com”

 "BUDDHA WILD:- MONK IN A HUT" GIFTED TO  PRINCESS ANNE IN CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand

Buddha Wild  Monk in a  Hut – the theatrically released feature film  Directed,Produced Written and Presented by Anna Wilding has been gifted to Princess Anne in Person,on her last day in New Zealand by a former Publicity Officer of NZ Save the Children Fund.

The film played in New Zealand at Rialto Cinemas and Hollywood Sumner  with more dates to come.

The film, mainly for adults also scooped an award  in Best Feature Documentary Catagory in the USA for Kids Ages 12-18 .

Anna academy

The Award was Presented to Miss Wilding in October 2008 at the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences- Ms Wilding's additional responsibilities included cinematography.Music was by Award wining composer Charles David Denler. The film was shot on location in New Zealand.

Academy and statue

The critically acclaimed feature film,that usually plays to adults, also garnered Critics Pic in LA Weekly and NY Times.   Buddha Wild Monk in a Hut, was  recently selected to launch the Film Center Cinemacafe Film Series in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 2008 - home of the Santa Fe Film Festival. Spokesperson and Program Director for the Film Center Cinemacafe stated at the time,"We are proud to be showing this beautiful and moving film and praise the filmmakers for their incredible work." Director and Actress Anna Wilding said that she is "honored" Buddha Wild has won a Kids Award .The film was also given the Quality Monker by the American Coalition of Quality Childrens Media.

Ms Wilding stated that" I hope that people will gain a greater insight and understanding into Asian cultures adapting to the West ,the lives of monks throughout Asia and the South Pacific and the rest of the world, and a greater understanding of ourselves and a way to living in harmony with the world and enviroment around us."

The film has been praised by critics for its " well judged mix of seriousness and humour"

The film has been selected for numerous festivals and screenings throughout Canada,India and the USA.Including Tibet House NY, Screen Actors Guild Series USA, National Academy of Arts and Sciences USA, the Academy Libraries and formal Oscar qualification ,Calgary Film Series, World Earth Week 2007, Indian International  Festival of  Films on Tribal Arts and Culture,The Kids First Film Festival(sponsered by HBO,Paramount,Universal,Fox,Sony,Dicovery,Starz) .The film has been selected for mainstream art house  releases with more to follow.To date these include Laemmle's Los Angeles, Santa Fe New Mexico, and Rialto and Hollywood Cinemas New Zealand.The film is now available to USA and Canadian audiences on  Amazon.com

Anna Wilding latest feature script,Counterswirl,was recently selected for  the 2008  Film Market in Canada,which took place after Toronto.

Ms Wilding has  been inivted to speak on many panels and corporate and industry panels throughout the world.

Recently Wilding was the guest spotlight speaker on an industry environmental,humanities driven panel at the American Pavillion in Cannes Film Festival 2008. She was also a key note guest speaker for World Earth Week 2007

Buddha Wild" by Ms Wilding, has been called "beautiful" by Moving Pictures Magazine2008, and "a must see film" by Splash Magazine 2008. It garnered critics pick in LA Weekly Magazine 2007, and Union Jack Newspapers said, "Anna Wilding Captures Our attention." Moonrise Movies Magazine in Canada said it was "Worth a look. A delightfully sweet and accurate and a fine film for family viewing."Ms Wilding combined with Rialto Cinemas Australia(New Zealand) to give the proceeds from the first public rough cut screenings to the Tsunami Relief Appeal in Thailand.  "Unpretentious," providing an "affectionate glimpse" and a well-judged mixture of "seriousness and humor" into the cultural and monastic lives of missionary monks, the film explores the tenets of Buddhism, celibacy, politics, the role of women in Asian society, cultural life in the South Pacific, and the day-to-day lives of Theravadin monks. "Buddha Wild" has the tag line "Wild to be one with Nature." Ms. Wilding's career spans over a decade in Hollywood, UK and Australia as writer, actress, producer and director. In 2007 Ms Wilding was thanked through her lawyers in New York for her work on all three Lord of the Rings movies by Mark Ordesky, former CEO of New Line

I am  in New Zealand briefly. It too, like America,has a new Prime Minister. In New Zealand he goes by by the name John Key..and he won by a landslide victory.

I arrived during Show Week.Show Week is an iconic New Zealand week long festival in the gorgeous South Island
where  the country comes to town for the Royal New Zealand Show.Princess Anne attends the Show today as below. Show Week also encompasses Race Day at Riccarton and Addington Race Tracks (think The Melbourne Cup or a local peroquial Ascot) and  the new International Rodeo Competition.Yes sirree....I am off to lasso a cowboy.Oddly there are only two New Zealander's competing and the rest are American and Australian cowboys.The lasso is  a new thing for kiwis I guess.

I have never been to a cowboy event in the USA, in spite of living there and calling it home for so long.It's a good thing to come all this way,to a remote part of the world, to see something distinctly Amercan,that I would not in the normal course of life, see there.

I went to the Royal New Zealand Show yesterday.It's good to smell the earth and nature.The photographs appearing in the main papers have been funny to say the least. Well, they do call it "iconic" New Zealand.

Yesterday the front page picture was a large colurful close up of a cows udder, being cooled by hand with a bottle of ice water.Apparently the cool water highlights the seams in the udder.This is apparently important to showcase a full and plump milk bladder in the cow competition. The things you learn. But all being said..it is fun to view and a respite ftom city life.

Show Jumper

The main event is of course the Show Jumping Competition in the main arena -Princess Anne is over from London to present the Cup  to the winner today.So move over Hamptons Classic in New York- Princess Anne is here!  (pic of Princess Anna and Zara Phillips)

In my wander through the three acres set up for the show I ate too much candy floss, stared at many Llamas- the animal kind not monks,watched some show jumping, took in the cattle and all the other livestock, saw some girls doing the Irish jig with their bloomers and skirts flying high in the air, window shopped (open air shopped?)at all the open air stores selling excellent lavender oil and many other goods, and saw huge machinery- the kind that is so large and modern I don't even think it has been utilised  in a movie before. I missed all the show fair fun rides including the real Helicopter rides...but the sun was hot, the wind warm, and all in all a pleasant and different way to spend a morning.From New York concrete to this-  the complete opposite!

Over 150 000 will visit the Royal Show in three days combined with Race Day, over 350 000 - 500 000.

Boat,pacific

Yes I have now crossed the Equator in a two and a half to three week cruise.There is nothing like being on the open ocean.Gives one pause to all those brave early explorers.It is easy to see why they thought the world was square with endless vast 360% horizons.

In those days the navigators only had the stars in the night sky to guide them.Which is just as well,as the lights emissions from these modern day ships make it hard to see all the stars at all!

But a great experience- a great way to visit places you usually wouldn't on your usual flying routes and a great way to see places you may choose to come back to for a longer period of time.Just make sure you take a good book so you can escape the crowds if a large ship.All in all though a good mode of transport.I used it for that,rather than the holiday.
 
A new way to get from A to B and the oldest way in the history books.

(from the deck of the ship.Photo by Erin copyright)

Anna Hawaii

I am in Hawaii...working.
I missed the Presidential debates tonight, the stockmarket crash two or three days ago(that seems to be a constant these days)
and a girl friend being evacuated from her house due to the fires in Los Angeles.

I guess if I was savvy to the following new multi media channel,I could have been reminded to the debates at least ! Am I still in America?  Neither candidate has campaigned in Hawaii- Hawaii marches to its own laid back tune I guess.

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Zannel's unique technology allows people to post multimedia content from anywhere, which is then available on over 800 handsets models across all the major carriers.  This gives citizen journalists covering the election on behalf of the Zannel's PoliticsBlue and PoliticsRed channels unprecedented reach and the ability to better engage audiences in a real-time dialogue.
Anyone interested in joining the conversation on Zannel can text DEM to 58888 or REP to 58888 to sign up to these Zannel channels.

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Zannel makes the mobile industry's first Instant Media Network™, which allows people to instantly and visually communicate what's happening now across mobile and the web.

Buddha Wild Monk in a Hut Movie

Anna

Wilding worked with Emmy Award winning composer Charles David Denler on the music.Buddha Wild was also selected for the International Festival of Films on Tribal Art and Cultures held in India-IFFTAC, the Screen Actors Guild FoundationScreening Series, the Calgary Buddhist film series and cinemas in Los Angeles and New Zealand.It has had selected screenings in New York and it is hoped the film will branch out into more cinemas across the country.

"Buddha Wild" has been called "beautiful" by Moving Pictures Magazine2008, and "a must see film" by Splash Magazine 2008. It garnered critics pick in LA Weekly Magazine 2007, and Union Jack Newspapers said, "AnnaWilding Captures Our attention." Moonrise Movies Magazine inCanada said it was "delightfully sweet and accurate."Ms Wilding combined with Rialto Cinemas Australia(New Zealand) to give the proceeds from the first public rough cut screenings to the Tsunami Relief Appeal in Thailand. The film has been welcomed at temples in the USA and elsewhere.  "Unpretentious," providing an "affectionate glimpse" and a well-judged mixture of "seriousness and humor" into the cultural and monastic lives of missionary monks, the film explores the tenets of Buddhism, celibacy, politics, the role of women in Asian society and the day-to-day lives of Theravadin monks. "Buddha Wild" has the tag line "Wild to be one with Nature." Ms. Wilding's career spans over a decade in Hollywood, UK and Australia as writer, actress, producer and director. In 2007 Ms Wilding was thanked through her lawyers in New York for her work on all three Lord of the Rings movies by Mark Ordesky, former CEO of New Line. The Kids First Film Award 2008 was sponsored by  HBO,Paramount ,Starz,Discovery Kids, Lionsgate,Paramount ,Universal and others. Ms WIlding said she was "honoured"  the film received the Award .

Anna Wilding is a director, producer ,actress and public speaker. She has been published as freelance writer in print press and recently directed and presented the critically acclaimed feature “Buddha Wild Monk a in a Hut” (http://www.buddhawild.com).Anna Wilding is the great  niece of tennis champ Tony Wilding http://www.Anthonywilding.com/

The US Open is upon us once again. I am excited. It is the first time I have been to the US Open in New York. I have seen major tennis tournaments in Melbourne and at Wimbledon, but this year will be my first US Open.

Why am I excited? Aside from having been a player myself, and had considered entering some USTA national tournaments this year, until an injury forced me not too and, distressingly, possibly off the court for good - my great uncle, Captain Tony Wilding won the Wimbledon men’s singles title for four straight years from 1910 to 1913. So beat that all you Borgs and Samparases, and Fedrerer’s! Oh yeah right, three of you did in fact beat his record. HA! Wilding also won the doubles and mixed doubles.

In the days of boat and steamer travel, Anthony Wilding, even played at the hallowed grounds of Forest Hills. He was beaten in a showdown by the California “Comet” Maurice McLoughlin. My “Uncle Tony” actually played his last match in America at Forest Hills, before being killed in the war in 1915 at the tender age of 32. In that time, he also won bronze at the Olympics. He died with no children. He was about to marry American actor, silent screen star, Maxine Elliot.

Wilding was inducted into the International Hall of Tennis Fame at Newport, Rhode Island in 1978. Sadly, we, the closest surviving relatives, never got word of this great honor. I found out about it only in the last decade through my own inquiries. I have yet to visit.

In the New York Times in 1915, W. De B. Whyte wrote under the headline:- “Anthony Wilding: A Gallant and Generous Sportsman and A Brave Gentleman” - the following; “The war has exacted an appallingly heavy toll among the best and bravest athletes of the British Empire, but I believe none who will be more sincerely regretted in this country can be found in that ever-increasing roll of honor than the late Tony Wilding. In tennis he was always the soul of honor; as courteous and gallant a player as ever set foot in an American court. He was the last man ever to excuse himself for poor form or indifferent play. He took his defeat of McLoughlin last summer with the best of good grace, without stopping to explain, as well he might have the heavy handicap and severe strain under which he was playing…..to do his best under these circumstances must have been impossible; yet no word or explanation came from him and if Norman Brooks has not told me I should never have known of them……American players….they will never meet a more worthy opponent, a finer sportsman or a braver gentleman. “

I had occasion to visit Forest Hills, the old courts in Queens where he played, for the first time last year. I was hoping to find remanents of his life. It’s a long way from New Zealand , my birthplace, and his.

In 2005, I went overland to Flanders from Dover, through Calais to find Tony’s grave from World War I. I spent several days there and was followed by an Italian journalist.
We stayed in small bed and breakfasts. I didn’t have much information to go on - it was literally the slender details of the burial site in A. Wallis Myers biography on Tony that was published decades ago - (and yes, we are republishing it in time, so check this site for details)

It was literally a matter of trying to find old French villages that weren’t on any map that I could find. I did find his grave, and it had been moved. I was thankful he was one of several hundred thousand soldiers in the region, who had a name on his gravestone. Many did not. It was tragic to read on a gravestone “An Unknown Soldier “of World War I. Gives one pause, as every soldier has a family and or friends.

Stefano Semarro, the Italian sports writer and I came up with, wrote an entertaining feature article that was published in Europe and England about my journey.

When I visited Forest Hills, it was on a summer day last year. I had just moved to New York. Tony didn’t play the US Championships there. He did, however, play the Davis Cup there.

I couldn’t find a photograph of Tony in the Forest Hills clubhouse so I went on a journey to the depths of the old stadium. I wanted to buy the stadium on the spot. This place of former victory now lies in ruins and is disused in a pretty tree lined part of Queens. My mind pinged with ideas. The empty wallet of reality soon quelled those thoughts and so I continued on. I went around, and up and down, all through the stadium focusing on finding history of Tony.

I was told that most of the old “stuff, plaques, pictures” had been taken over to the new stadium at Flushing Meadows or else had just “disappeared”. There were vague recollections amongst people of there having been a plaque for Tony but no one would know where it was now. I was determined. Nothing like looking for needles in a haystack, or in this case, piles and piles, meters deep of old tennis nets stashed under the stadium. As I stood there with a flashlight and perched precariously on top of the mountain of nets, I realized it would take a bulldozer to move the tonnes of netting, on the off chance a plaque may still be there.

I enjoyed visiting Forest Hills, the lawn courts are still in good form and I guess the old stadium there serves as a reminder of what it was all about for this neck of the woods in Queens. I love grass tennis courts, was an avid grass player myself, and the smell just sets me off to futures I have not yet seen, games I really should be playing, and to the days gone by. The latter a time I could well imagine Tony playing in. A time when men looked stylish and resplendent in long trousers and thousands of women, in Tony’s case, “would swoon” upon seeing him take the court. How times have changed. In fact, do we women, still even swoon in this jaded age? For anyone? Swooning or not, what we do see now on the court is a myriad of colors, clothing lengths, and an athleticism by both men and women that would have been rare in Tony’s day.

We are looking at bringing in an Tony Wilding clothing line in to see if, like Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, there may be a way to make an energy efficient, streamline pair of long white trousers for tennis players. Anyone game to try?

anna wilding copyright 2008

Thursday, July 3, 2008

"Buddha Wild Monk in a Hut" Playing at the Santa Fe Film Center July 6-10 extended through 17th July

This stunning film, an official KIDS FIRST! Film Festival selection will be playing at the Santa Fe Film Center (Santa Fe, NM) beginning the Fourth of July weekend. Directed and Narrated by Anna Wilding who commented, "My film is a joyous and an apolitical film. However, I hope that with the film screening now, people will gain a greater insight and understanding into the lives of monks throughout Asia and the rest of the world, many of whom are going through a difficult and turbulent time right now."

Ms Wilding cited Sri Lanka, Tibet and Myanmar as regions where there has been much recent civil unrest and injustice to Buddhist monks -- places where "there could be peace." Ms Wilding added that what is also of import, but a matter that does not appear to be discussed or bought up in negotiations, is the history of Buddhism and its various branches and how they were formed within countries. Ms Wilding says that perhaps it is now time for the Buddhist monastic community to pull together and support each other as one, and also look at issues within their own communities.

Anna Wilding spoke on an industry panel at the American Pavillion in Cannes 2008 on the topic "Can you be green and proper in show business." While there she also met with monks direct from Myanmar who were holding press junkets. Ms Wilding's film features monks from Thailand and Sri Lanka.

"Buddha Wild Monk in a Hut" was shot partly in New Zealand on a remote monastery and produced by Carpe Diem Films LLC. Wilding worked with Emmy Award winning composer Charles David Denler on the music. The "inspiring and fascinating" film was selected into the Kids FIRST Film Festival, selected for the International Festival of Films on Tribal Art and Cultures held in India-IFFTAC, the Screen Actors Guild Foundation Screening Series, the Calgary Buddhist film series and cinemas in Los Angeles and New Zealand.

"Buddha Wild" has been called "beautiful" by Moving Pictures Magazine 2008, and "a must see film" by Splash Magazine 2008. It garnered critics pick in LA Weekly Magazine 2007, and Union Jack Newspapers said, "Anna Wilding Captures Our attention." Moonrise Movies Magazine in Canada said it was "delightfully sweet and accurate."

Ms Wilding combined with Rialto Cinemas Australia to give the proceeds from the first public rough cut screenings to the Tsunami Relief Appeal in Thailand. The film has been welcomed at temples in the USA and elsewhere. The film is in early limited release stages.

"Unpretentious," providing an "affectionate glimpse" and a well-judged mixture of "seriousness and humor" into the cultural and monastic lives of missionary monks, the film explores the tenets of Buddhism, celibacy, politics, the role of women in Asian society and the day-to-day lives of Theravadin monks.

"Buddha Wild" has the tag line "Wild to be one with Nature." Ms. Wilding's career spans over a decade in Hollywood, UK and Australia as writer, actress, producer and director. In 2007 Ms Wilding was thanked through her lawyers in New York for her humanitarian work on all three Lord of the Rings movies by Mark Ordesky, former CEO of New Line. -http://www.buddhawild.com/ and http://www.amazon.com/ Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzF9ZcV6ccc

To Book Anna Wilding as speaker go to http://www.buddhawild.com/