Filmed in Dharamsala by Martin Meissonnier, this documentary immerses viewers in the heart of Losar, the Tibetan New Year, as it unfolds inside monastic spaces usually closed to outsiders. Through tantric prayers, sacred Cham dances, and the powerful Gutor exorcism rites, monks and lay devotees work to purge the past year of negative forces and restore cosmic balance.
At the private monastery of the Dalai Lama, the celebrations reach their climax with the cremation of a towering ritual effigy—a symbolic destruction of the old year and its accumulated impurities. Far from folklore, these ceremonies reflect a living cosmology where ritual action, movement, sound, and space are inseparable.
From Dharamsala to the region of Kongpo, Losar reveals a deeply rooted ritual calendar shaped by local traditions, shared beliefs, and monastic discipline. Filmed in total immersion and without commentary, this documentary invites viewers to observe, listen, and experience a ceremony where time resets, spirits are confronted, and the world is ritually renewed.
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