Gurukulam (film)

Gurukulam
Directed byJillian Elizabeth
Neil Dalal
Produced byJillian Elizabeth
Starring
CinematographyJ.P. Sniadecki
Jillian Elizabeth
Edited byMary Lampson
Production
companies
Advaita Films[1]
Soma Productions[2]
Distributed byMatson Films[3]
1091 Pictures[4]
Amazon Prime Video
Release date
  • February 2, 2014 (2014-02-02)
[5][6]
Running time
108 minutes
CountriesUnited States
Canada[2]
LanguagesEnglish, Tamil, Sanskrit
Box officeGross: $25,651

Gurukulam (Sanskrit: गुरुकुलम्) is a 2014 documentary, directed and produced independently by Jillian Elizabeth and Neil Dalal.[7][8][9]

Development

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Principal photography took place[when?] in the Arsha Vidya Gurukulam of Tamil Nadu.

Anantanand Rambachan served as an advisor for the film.[10]

The film came with support from the Hartley Film Foundation and the Alberta Foundation for the Arts.[3]

Release

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Gurukulam premiered at the 2014 Santa Barbara International Film Festival to a limited audience.

In 2015, the movie premiered at small theaters in the United States and Canada. In June 2016, more screenings were shown in the United States. It is now available on multiple streaming platforms.

Reception

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Andrew Gow of the University of Alberta praised Gurukulum for providing the "erudite intellectual context" for the practice of yoga. Gow emphasized the film's teaching of Indian philosophy, from Vedanta to broader aspects of Indian culture.[3] Sanjiv Chopra of the Harvard Medical School lauded the applicability of the film to modern humans both in the West and in remote Himalayan villages.[3]

Others were critical of the fly on the wall style of filming and found the pacing difficult to engage with.[11] Other reviewers lamented the absence of an explanation of the philosophy and its traditions,[12][13] while praising the beauty of the setting.[14]

References

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  1. ^ "Advaita Films - North Carolina corporation". Retrieved 2021-04-14.
  2. ^ a b "Soma Productions". Retrieved 2021-04-14.
  3. ^ a b c d Kersh, Adam. "Gurukulam film - press kit". Brigade Marketing. Retrieved 2021-04-13.
  4. ^ "1091 Pictures: Gurukulam". 1091.tv. 1091 Pictures. 2016-08-23. Retrieved 2021-04-12.
  5. ^ "Santa Barbara International Film Festival Reveals 2014 Lineup". www.indiewire.com. IndieWire. 2014-01-07.
  6. ^ "SBIFF 2014 - Gurukulam". festivalgenius.com. Retrieved 2021-04-14.
  7. ^ Trailer and info for 2014 movie, Gurukulam
  8. ^ "Gurukulam (FULL MOVIE)". youtube.com. 1091 Pictures. 2014.
  9. ^ "Gurukulam:A film about life at a remote forest ashram in Tamil Nadu, India, and the ancient roots of modern day meditation and yoga practice". gurukulamfilm.com. 2015. Retrieved 2021-04-12.
  10. ^ "Gurukulam film - cast and crew". Retrieved 2021-04-12.
  11. ^ Goldstein, Gary (2016-06-09). "Review: 'Gurukulam' documentary fails to find oneness with itself". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2021-04-14.
  12. ^ Lindquist, Steven E. (2018). "Review of film "Gurukulam" by Elizabeth and Dalal". Asian Ethnology. 77 (1 & 2).
  13. ^ Scheck, Frank (2016-06-03). "'Gurukulam': Film Review". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-06-30.
  14. ^ Verongos, Helen T. (2016-06-02). "Review: 'Gurukulam' Offers Sights and Sounds of a Spiritual Awakening". New York Times. Retrieved 2023-06-30.
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