Shiva Darsan 
| Directed by: | Barbara Sykes |
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| Written by: | Barbara Sykes |
| Country: | Nepal |
| Created: | 1994 |
| Runtime: | 12 min. |
| Member: | barbara_sykes |
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Synopsis
'Shiva Darsan' is as much a video poem and mystic story, as it is an experimental, ethnographic documentary on Hinduism, holy men, spirituality and transcendence. Shiva is the Hindu lord of procreation and death. Darsan is sacred perception. Darsan is as much to see, as it is to be seen by that of the worshipper and the deity, holy person or sacred place. It is as much the spiritual that yields to be grasped, known, touched and experienced, as it is the worshipper who is there to receive the divine. This piece is also a personal reflection on the Shivaratri Festival at Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, Nepal, the birthday celebration of Shiva at one of his most important pilgrimage sites in Asia and at the most sacred of Nepalese shrines. 'Shiva Darsan' is the first tape produced for 'In Celebration of Life.... In Celebration of Death...', a series of experimental, ethnographic documentaries shot during a fourteen month sabbatical in Asia, the Mid-East and Africa. This series reveals the religious, cultural and philosophical beliefs of indigenous people from various cultures by exploring their rituals, dance, music and daily activities that revolve around life and death. From birth to death, special rites and celebrations mark the important events of one's existence, assuring a symbiosis of body and soul with the divine. This deep relationship between the people and their gods are reaffirmed through daily activity. At times, the person symbolically becomes god; strengthening their own sense of sacredness and self-respect.
Forms: Documentary, Experimental, Narrative Fiction, Short, Music Video, Television
Genres: Educational, Religious, Musical, Nature, Avant-garde, Independent, Road Trip, Reality, Culture, Art, Spiritual
Niches: Native/Aboriginal Peoples, Asian, Asian American, Christian, Third World, Student, Mature/Adult, Buddhist
Screenings & Events
Videoasis, The Screening Room
Film Festival
Amherst, U S A
September 1994
Intercom / Chicago International Film Festival
Film Festival
Awards: Certificate of Merit, Religious & Ethics Category
Chicago, U S A
October 1994
Video Tusculum
Film Festival
Awards: Certificate of Merit
Greeneville, U S A
November 1994
Council on International Nontheatrical Events
Film Festival
Awards: CINE Golden Eagle, Arts Category
Washington, U S A
March 1995
Image Union, PBS, WTTW, Channel 11
Broadcast TV
Chicago, U S A
April 1995
Broadcast Education Association
Film Festival
Awards: 1st Place, Faculty Production Award
Las Vegas, U S A
April 1995
National Educational Media Network
Film Festival
Awards: Bronze Apple, Domestic & International Concerns
Oakland, U S A
May 1995
La Crosse Video Festival
Film Festival
Awards: 1st Place, Documentary Category
La Crosse , U S A
May 1995
BACA's 29th Annual Film & Video Festival
Film Festival
Awards: 3rd Place, Experimental Category
Brooklyn, U S A
May 1995
Three Rivers Arts Festival
Film Festival
Pittsburg, U S A
June 1995
Utah Short Film & Video Festival
Film Festival
Salt Lake City, U S A
June 1995
28th US International Film & Video Festival
Film Festival
Awards: Certificate For Creative Excellence, Religion
Chicago, U S A
June 1995
Long Island Film & Video Festival
Film Festival
Awards: Certificate of Merit
Long Island, U S A
August 1995
2nd Annual Metroland International Short Film Festival
Film Festival
Albany, U S A
October 1995
Festival of Illinois Film and Video Artists
Film Festival
Chicago, U S A
October 1995
XI International Women's Film Festival
Film Festival
Madrid, Spain
November 1995
Festival International de la creation Video et Cinematographiqu
Film Festival
Allee de Provence, Manosque, France
November 1995
12th International Hamburg Short Film Festival
Film Festival
Hamburg, U S A
June 1996
10th Parnu International Visual Anthropology Film Festival
Film Festival
Parnu, Estonia
July 1996
Columbus International Film & Video Festival
Film Festival
Columbus, U S A
October 1996
Channel 52, The 20th Poetry Film/Video Festival
Cable/Satellite
San Francisco, U S A
November 1996
Cablecast on ECTV, Channel 3
Cable/Satellite
Evanston, U S A
October 1997
Honolulu Underground Film Festival
Film Festival
Honolulu , U S A
November 1997
Canadian International Film & Video Festival
Film Festival
Awards: Special Commendation
British Columbia, Canada
October 1999
Banff Mountain Film Festival
Film Festival
Alberta, Canada
November 1999
Electronic Fields: Many Voices
Video/DVD
Chicago, U S A
October 2001
Columbia Celebrates Women
Video/DVD
Chicago, U S A
March 2003
Hollywood Spiritual Film and Entertainment Festival
Film Festival
Awards: First Place, Short Documentary Category
Hollywood, U S A
July 2004
The Spiritual Film Festival
Film Festival
Goa, India
February 2005
Lev Tahor Festival/ Healing Art Festival
Film Festival
Shitim, Israel
May 2005
OM Cinema
OTHER
Tel Aviv, Israel
May 2005
Cast & Crew
Barbara Sykes (Executive Producer, Producer, Director)
WritingBarbara Sykes (Author of Adapted Material, Writer)
PerformanceKritaka Ragajopalan (Voice-Over)
CameraBarbara Sykes (Cinematographer/DP)
Post ProductionScott Marvel, On-Line Editor and (Picture Editor)
MusicPatric Marks, Sitar Composition and Performance, and (Original Music/Composer)
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