The Venerable W.

Hatred will never put an end to hatred. Only love can do that. This is the eternal law. A celebrated observation, attributed to the Buddha, helps to account for the high regard in which the West has long held Buddhism as a religion of peace, tolerance, and generosity. That its large religious community or sangha in Myanmar has played a decisive role in the persecution and ethnic cleansing of the 4% Muslim population who call themselves Rohingya is almost unthinkable. Even more shocking: the most prolific, strident voice to be heard on Myanmar’s national stage, energetically preaching racial hatred and fanning the flames of division, belongs to a preternaturally calm monk who calls himself Wirathu, or simply W. In the local premiere of this award-winning non-fiction film, acclaimed Swiss director Barbet Schroeder follows the influential 51-year-old monk as he campaigns tirelessly to rid Myanmar of non-Buddhists, spouting absurd racist tropes, fear-mongering conspiracy theories, and ‘fake news’ to incite violence in western Rakhine state as the government of the once-idealized Aung San Suu Kyi stands by, watching. It is a graphic, unflinching depiction of an unfolding genocide, captured by cellphone cameras and citizen observers. The Venerable W. is a riveting and extraordinarily compelling testament: an examination of dharmas both true and hideously false. It is also a timely, dire warning how a society and its peaceful religious traditions can be hijacked by nationalist extremism, racial bigotry, and supremacist ideology