Saffron Robe

Tickets:
Saturday, March 21 – 11:45am – Room D100
Sunday, March 22 – 1:50pm – Room B204

Saffron Robe is a feature documentary that follows a revered Buddhist abbot in the remote northern region of Laos as he navigates the challenges of a sacred life under a communist regime.

An ambitious spiritual leader, Abbot Onekeo Sittivong defied convention by establishing a new school for the his country’s poor and undereducated children. But something else is happening at this school in a misty forest. The abbot and his fellow saffron-robed monks and young novices are working tirelessly to revitalize ancient Lao Theravada Buddhist practices and education almost lost to history.

Documentary  • USA • 2025 • 85 Minutes
Director: Jane Centofante
Writer: Jane Centofante, Jayne Hufschmid
Producers: Jane Centofante, Jayne Hufschmid, Kraig Butrum
Cinematographer: Alexander Hufschmid
Editor: Thavisouk Phrasavath
Composer: Peter Golub
Cast: Abbot Onekeo Sittivong, Novice Tao Bualaone, Novice Yengkong Lee, Novice Bountham Tanikone

Short film preceding feature:

A Moonlit Night

In a secluded temple where moonlight is gathered through ritual practice, a lay Buddhist cultivator breaks an unspoken rule by refusing to share her gift. As her connection to the moonlight fades, she wanders through spaces of devotion and nature, until an act of quiet release alters the balance between loss, faith, and renewal.

Narrative • China • USA • 2025 • 19 Minutes
Director: Jing Wen
Writer: Jing Wen
Producers: Winfred Wang
Cast: Meixian Li, Xinqi Lin