AllMovie

This thoughtful documentary from director Daphna Yachin profiles E. Gene Smith, an American pacifist who spent half a century locating, preserving, and systematically digitizing 20,000 volumes of ancient Tibetan manuscripts. Smith's journey culminates in 2008, when he travels to South Asia, toting hard drives that contain 12,000 of the 20,000 volumes that he's rescued. His stops include the Bonpo, Dharamsala, Delhi, monasteries of four different Buddhist sects, and ultimately, the Salva Monlam, a massive peace/prayer event that witnesses ten thousand Buddhist monks coming together in Nepal.