Digital Dharma documentary to be previewed internationally online

Lunchbox and vcopious™ Team Up to Bring Good Karma to Locations Around the World

Virtual Environment Hosts International Private Preview of Digital Dharma Documentary for Embassies, Monasteries and Universities

December 6, 2011, Philadelphia, PA -- Redefining modern transmission, Philadelphia-based multimedia agency Lunchbox Communications will offer select locations around the world a sneak peek at its upcoming documentary, Digital Dharma. A private preview screening of the film will be hosted for hundreds of worldwide fans of the film’s central character via the virtual environment platform of vcopious™, a Philadelphia-based global virtual environment technology provider. The live event will be streamed from The 8th Floor, a gallery and screening room in New York City.

“We wanted to be able to share this advance private screening with some key audiences that have a special interest in the story,” explains Digital Dharma director Dafna Yachin. The U.S. Embassy in India, a nunnery in Nepal, the Library of Congress in D.C. and leading universities across the globe are among the groups that will host the December 15 event for their communities.

“The unique vcopious interactive arena will allow these remote virtual guests to participate as if they were actually attending the live event,” says Yachin. “The audience will then be able to participate in a Q&A session following the screening.”

Digital Dharma is the story of E. Gene Smith, the man who saved Tibetan Buddhism. This feature-length documentary uncovers Smith’s 50-year journey with renowned scholars, lamas and laypeople as they struggle to find, preserve and digitize more than 20,000 volumes of ancient Tibetan text. Crossing multiple borders – geographic, political and philosophical – Digital Dharma is an epic story of a cultural rescue and how one man’s mission became the catalyst for an international movement to provide free access to the story of a people and share their wisdom with the world.

Ken Hayward, CEO of vcopious, says the partnership with Lunchbox feeds the soul. “Lunchbox has helped brand our platform and continues to be a valuable partner. We appreciate the work they’ve done for us and admire their documentaries on social justice and human rights. It is an honor for us to contribute the vcopious environment to the Digital Dharma preview screening event.”

Across India, the Himalayas and throughout the U.S., Yachin and her crew followed Smith over the past five years. His untimely death last December underscores the importance of completing the film for this year’s festival market and heightening awareness of Smith’s mission and organization, the Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center. http://www.tbrc.org/#home

The Lunchbox team has completed an 86-minute fine cut of this epic story. To help raise the finishing funds for the music score, color correction and marketing, the company recently launched a Kickstarter campaign. Kickstarter is an online platform that facilitates public support for ambitious creative projects. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/602060953/digital-dharma?ref=live
Kickstarter allows the team just 60 days to raise its target of $30,000 – or walk away with nothing. “It’s an all-or-nothing venture,” says Digital Dharma marketing coordinator Anita Reher. “We are reaching out to organizations and individuals in all parts of the world, from Halifax to Seattle to Kathmandu… from monasteries to universities to the film world. The documentary is about more than Buddhism. It’s about how to live a life, so it appeals to a broad range of people on many different levels.”

Donors to the campaign can choose from a list of treasures in the way of appreciation.

“We have some one-of-a-kind sculptures created by Gene’s sister, Delaware-based artist Roseann Smith; unique Digital Dharma-inspired trinkets; and some extraordinary experience gifts as rewards to our supporters,” explains Yachin.

The first supporter to pledge $2,000 through Kickstarter before December 13 will receive a secret code to host their own screening of the live private event on December 15. You can also learn more about the film at www.digitaldharma.com.

About Lunchbox
Any company can make talking pictures... Lunchbox creates media that people talk about.
Lunchbox Communication's talented team of marketing, creative, production and post professionals have been bringing great stories and brands to life for more than 20 years. Whether it’s digital for online and interactive or film productions for television series, documentaries, commercials, or promos... Crossplatform, we engage our audience in accurate, in-depth and compelling stories. Lunchbox will make your audience laugh, cry, believe and take action.

We bring much more than good content to production... we bring you technical experience that translates to the most efficient and proven production execution. These attributes guarantee a production that excels in creative art direction, set design, lighting, animation and direction, all to bring you the best programming possible.

About vcopious™
vcopious provides systems and software services that create virtual business environments. The vcopious applications allow businesses to engage with customers, prospects, employees, and partners to increase their productivity and growth. vcopious virtual environments provide the greatest level of choice and control to business users and IT teams, by ensuring that they can tightly manage costs, schedule, customer experience, and system integration and data security. For more information, visit www.vcopious.com.

For more information contact:
Tamela Knapp
ph: 215-327-6017
[email protected]