By NICOLE VALICEK
Christopher Basile’s film ’A Meeting with Maharsi Pamungkas’ will be premiered later this month. 109752 Picture: DAMJAN JANEVSKI
A FILM by a Williamstown music teacher and research scholar that documents a previously secret spiritual belief system will be premiered to the world.
Christopher Basile’s film ’A Meeting with Maharsi Pamungkas’ will have its world premiere at an Asia-Pacific film festival at the University of Melbourne this month.
Dr Basile went to Java, Indonesia, with anthropologist Prof Thomas Reuter to capture the insights and wisdom of an intriguing mystic, who for the first time reveals the core teachings of an ancient belief system known as Ilmu Kasampurnan, which translates as The Science of Perfection.
“It is very exciting, on the same day Maharsi Pamungkas allowed me to film him, he provided copies of his personal illustrated journals dating back to 1940.”
The journals have been translated and are featured in the film.
Dr Basile said that while he could not confirm or deny the efficacy of this system of meditation he was happy to have been present to capture it with his camera as a filmmaker and researcher.
“I hope people appreciate the fact that this film presents a rare opportunity to get an intimate and personal view of a side of life in Indonesia, our nearest neighbour to Australia, which is rarely seen on film.”
His film is among more than 30 to be shown during the Aperture Asia-Pacific International Ethnographic Documentary Film Festival at The University of Melbourne 21-23 November.
In Williamstown, Chicago-born Dr Basile is best known as a teacher of guitar, bass and ukulele at The Williamstown Guitar School.
