Come join us at the Charleston Library Society on November 2nd at 6pm for one remarkably shot film with a remarkably powerful message! Peggy Callahan, Producer & Co-Director, will be here to share the story behind Mission: JOY – Finding Happiness in Troubled Times and all the inner goodness that spun out of these 90 mins on screen.
The boldness of this title is not an overstatement. Joy is the subject and this is a mission. It is not so much taught, as revealed by example in the lives of the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet and South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, two of our most influential, controversial and beloved contemporary spiritual leaders who happen to have a phenomenally close friendship. The differences in background and their paths to the present could hardly be more disparate and the story could hardly be more compelling. Based on The Book of Joy published by Doug Abrams about the intertwining lives of these two men and the concept of happiness and joy which they both wholeheartedly and unequivocally espouse.
Tickets are $10 for CLS members and $15 for guests. Free for students by calling the number listed below and showing a valid ID at check in.
To purchase tickets, please click here or call 843-723-9912.
About the film:
Academy Award-winning director Louie Psihoyos teams up with co-director Peggy Callahan on MISSION: JOY – FINDING HAPPINESS IN TROUBLED TIMES, a documentary with unprecedented access to the unlikely friendship of two international icons who transcend religion: His Holiness the Dalai Lama & Archbishop Tutu. In their final joint mission, these self-described mischievous brothers give a master class in how to create joy in a world that was never easy for them. They offer neuroscience-backed wisdom to help each of us live with more joy, despite circumstances.
Inspired by New York Times bestseller The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World, the film showcases the exchange between these two Nobel Peace Prize winners that led to that book. Consisting largely of never-before-seen footage shot over 5 days at the Dalai Lama’s residence in Dharamsala, the film invites viewers to join these luminaries behind the scenes as they recount stories from their lives, each having lived through periods of incredible difficulty and strife. With genuine affection, mutual respect and a healthy dose of teasing, these unlikely friends impart lessons gleaned from lived experience, ancient traditions, and the latest cutting-edge science regarding how to live with joy in the face of all of life’s challenges from the extraordinary to the mundane. MISSION: JOY is an antidote for the times.
About Peggy Callahan:
Peggy Callahan is an anti-slavery activist, filmmaker and producer who has spent nearly 20 years fighting modern-day slavery and decades producing films on poverty, the foster care system, the death penalty, racism, homelessness and slavery. Callahan is the co-director of the feature film Mission: Joy — Finding Happiness in Troubled Times (Mountainfilm 2022).