Santa Barbara, CA (USA) -- What do you have in common with the Dalai Lama of Tibet? A chance to talk with award-winning filmmaker and Brooks Institute instructor Rick Ray. Ray personally interviewed His Holiness and created a film called ?10 Questions for the Dalai Lama? that will screen from 4:30-6:30 p.m., on Saturday, July 9, at the Ojai Playhouse, 145 E. Ojai Ave., in Ojai. Entrance is only $5, and the screening will be followed by a question and answer session with Ray.

Coinciding with the Dalai Lama?s 70th birthday, this presentation is a way of celebrating the life, wisdom and mystery of this exceptional leader who, at only two-years-old, was recognized as the reincarnation of his predecessor, the 13th Dalai Lama.

According to Ray, ?Some kids grow up idolizing great baseball players or rock stars. For me, I was always drawn to the Dalai Lama and to his message of peace for the world.?

However, not everyone who reveres world leaders gets to meet them. So how did Ray come to pose his 10 intriguing questions to this man, who is referred to as ?The Wish-fulfilling Gem? by many Tibetans? It was almost by accident. He had been hired to shoot a film in India as part of a series of short in-flight films to be presented on Air India and what convinced him to take on the project was a scheduling item on his calendar that noted ?Meeting and interview with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama.? Ray signed on to the deal, only to learn that such a meeting had never been scheduled and the meeting reference had simply been a ruse to convince him to do the project.

With a fatalistic attitude, Ray flew to India believing that if it were meant to happen, it would. He proceeded to bombard VIPs and executives with phone calls trying to get a referral to the Dalai Lama. His efforts proved fruitless?until he met a humble taxi driver who told him, ?Why are you trying to get through to him by phone? This is India?he has e-mail!?

?It felt bizarre to be writing an e-mail to the Dalai Lama from an internet café in India,? says Ray. But it worked and he was told that in three months time, he would have 45 minutes with His Holiness to ask 10 questions. This interview, along with beautifully scored footage of some of Buddhism?s most sacred sites, creates a film tapestry of sight and sound that weaves the Dalai?s spirituality with Ray?s own observations as he journeys through India, Tibet and the Middle East. Ray looks at the history of the Dalai Lama tradition, the tragedy of the Chinese takeover and of the Tibetan?s government in exile in Dharamsala, India. And, in the selfless words of the Dalai Lama, it sets forth a thoughtful vision for the 21st century.

A former Lonely Planet backpacker turned prize-winning cinematographer, writer and director, Ray is in high demand on the speaker circuit. His focus is to capture peoples and cultures on film. He has produced films on countries including Israel, Bali, Borneo, Lebanon, Ethiopia, Syria, Iceland, and India. The founder of two stock footage libraries, Ray is an instructor the Visual Journalism and Film & Video Production programs at Brooks Institute.