Will Parrinello

Emile Norman: By His Own Design

Will Parrinello

Artist Emile Norman is the subject of this compelling documentary profile, which chronicles the 88-year-old's personal life as an "out" gay man long before it was the norm, as well as his lifelong dedication to his art. Norman, whose mixed-media works include the grand marble relief and ornate mosaic window of San Francisco's Masonic Auditorium, found success in New York but retreated to Big Sur, Calif., where he founded an artists' haven.

Mustang: Journey of Transformation

Will Parrinello

Richard Gere

Lost in time, the Himalayan Kingdom of Mustang is one of the last sanctuaries of authentic Tibetan Buddhist culture. But, long isolated by geography and politics, the people struggle to survive and the center of their culture, the fifteenth century monasteries and the art within are dangerously close to collapse. Mustang - Journey of Transformation, tells the compelling story of the efforts to rescue this ancient place from the brink of extinction and help spark a cultural renaissance. Storytellers include His Holiness the Dalai Lama; the King of Mustang; and Luigi Fieni, the chief art restorer.

Dreaming of Tibet

Will Parrinello

This earnest documentary profiles the global community of Tibetan exiles and the Dalai Lama's dramatic 1958 march to freedom with his followers. Interviews with exiles in Los Angeles and Nepal illustrate their struggles to preserve Tibetan culture.