Living life through film

Why does one go to the cinema? For some, it is to escape the reality of life. For Anika Tokarchuk, cinema is the reality of her life. For the past six years, her existence has revolved around the shifting images, sounds, and characters on the screen. Recently, the Canadian filmmaker who is now living in Taipei debuted her documentary, Life as Cinema, on Public Television Service (PTS, 公視) in Taiwan.

What started off in 1998 as a documentary on the making of The Cup by Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche led Tokarchuk on a journey from Canada through Europe, India and finally to Taiwan. Her project has turned into a three-part series, drawing on support from respected members of the Taiwanese film industry and various buddhist organizations.

"This documentary started off as Rinpoche's idea," Tokarchuk said. "Of course, I really was excited about it, but I had no idea how incredible and how wild the adventure would be. I've lived through this whole amazing experience while making this film, and by doing so I think it has molded the character of the film."

At first, the road was smooth. With a conditional approval for funding through the Canadian film and television industry, Tokarchuk left to begin shooting in India. Six months later, however, on the same day she received permission to interview the Dalai Lama, the offer for funding was unexpectedly withdrawn. Having explored all avenues for financial support before leaving Canada, Tokarchuk felt returning was not an option. To make things worse, she had only US$200 remaining and no return flight.

"It really felt like a dead end to go back. And plus I had my film 80 percent made, it's kind of like if you are seven months pregnant you can't have an abortion, you have to go through with it," she said.

Contemplating her next move, Tokarchuk remained in Dharamshala, where she met a number of individuals teaching English in north-east Asia. Taiwan, a prosperous English teaching market and a country with a growing relationship with Tibet -- both in funding and number of dharma students -- seemed to offer the best environment for Anika's film.

A coincidental meeting with the well-known Taiwanese director, Stan Lai (賴聲川) -- who would later become the creative producer on the film -- also helped put Taiwan on her travel plan. With Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche's encouragement and a possible contact in Taipei, she sold her laptop and purchased a flight to Taiwan.

Two years went by and Tokarchuk took up residence in Taiwan as an English teacher. After earning enough money to furbish her own home film studio, she was ready to begin the arduous job of editing. An increasingly visible future slowly emerged through a web of connections, one of which is Hung Hung (鴻鴻), a prominent Taiwanese documentary-maker.

Associate director of Life as Cinema, Hung encouraged

Tokarchuk to "go wild" with the 200-hours of footage. "It is much more than a film to her," said Hung, "It is a journey of discovery and the Buddhist dharma that she was practicing through the making of this film. She needed to continue, to finish the project."

Hung said that, to some people, the film might be too experimental in its approach. "Some films need to be seen twice to be understood," he said, implying it's not easy to digest a real meal after being fed junk food for so long.