Living Sanctuaries: Past and upcoming Documentary Screenings
The documentary Living Sanctuaries: The Monasteries of Zanskar follows Studio Nyandak as they undertake a research expedition to document ancient Buddhist monasteries and nunneries in Zanskar and engage with the people who sustain them. Working in partnership with scholars and local community members, the team conducts architectural surveys, oral history interviews, and site assessments to better understand both the resilience and the vulnerability of Zanskar’s built heritage.
At a time when the region faces mounting pressures from seismic risk, climate change, and shifting demographics, Living Sanctuaries explores the cultural and environmental significance of these sacred sites. The film weaves together fieldwork, reflection, and local voices to illuminate the complexities of preservation in a landscape where history, devotion, and architecture remain deeply intertwined.
Scene of Karsha Monastery from Living Sanctuaries.
Our team at Studio Nyandak is delighted that we have now shared Living Sanctuaries, made by the Tibetan filmmaker collective, Drung, with audiences across NYC and Dharamsala, India. Most recently, on January 23rd 2026, Studio Nyandak co-hosted a screening with Tibet House in New York City. Attendance for the screening was at full capacity, and it was followed by a Question & Answer session with Tenzin Nyandak, moderated by Dr. Lauran Hartley (Director, Modern Tibetan Studies Program at Columbia University). Studio Nyandak’s team is grateful for the time and space Tibet House provided for this free, publicly attended screening. This followed an October 2025 screening of the film and proceeding panel discussion at Columbia University, co-hosted by the Modern Tibetan Studies Program and Graduate School of Architecture, Preservation, and Planning.
January 2026 Living Sanctuaries screening at Tibet House NYC.
Looking forward, the documentary will be shown at INALCO in Paris in March 2026. It will also be featured as Tricycle’s May 2026 Film Club film. Please email info@nyandak.com with any questions about these screenings, or with interest in collaborating with out team to show this film.
Living Sanctuaries: The Monasteries of Zanskar was produced and directed by Drung, a nonprofit film collective based in Dharamsala, with support from Folkstreams and the National Endowment for the Arts.