A new documentary, The Dalai Lama – Scientist, is due to make its world premiere at the 76th Venice International Film Festival at the end of this month.

Described as featuring extensive rare and never-before-seen footage, The Dalai Lama – Scientist is billed as “telling the very human story of the Dalai Lama that no one knows.” The feature-length film will be shown at the Cinema Astra as part of the Venice Production Bridge on 31 August.

“We are thrilled to be able to premiere this new film in Venice and to share the fascinating and unexpected story of the Dalai Lama and science in a way that no one has ever seen it before,” said Dawn Gifford Engle, the film’s director and writer. (Central Tibetan Administration)

In the documentary, His Holiness the Dalai Lama tells his own story in his own words of his lifelong journey from the world of Buddhism into the world of modern science, and how the world has changed as a result. In a statement announcing the film’s world premiere, production company PeaceJam Productions said:

Around the world, one of the most recognized leaders on our planet today is The Dalai Lama. Everyone knows him as a man of peace, a great Buddhist teacher, an advocate for humanity. “The Dalai Lama: Scientist” tells the story of the man you do not know; the Dalai Lama that very few people have seen. For the past thirty-five years, The Dalai Lama has been engaged in an ongoing series of dialogues with leading, world class scientists. They have covered subjects ranging from quantum physics and cosmology to neurobiology and destructive emotions. “The Dalai Lama: Scientist” immerses the viewer into these profound dialogues; explores the correlations between science and Buddhism; and shares personal life experiences from The Dalai Lama that have had a deep impact on his development as a world leader -- and also, on the world itself.” (PeaceJam)