Monks over the moon The Magic of Tibet

A pre-eminent Tibetan lama, Khyentse Norbu, has caused a sensation by making a film about monks and football. Sheila Johnston meets the unlikeliest movie mogul of all

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Khyentse Norbu is polite about the involvement of Hollywood stars like Richard Gere with Buddhism: "Some people are genuinely interested. But, for some, I think that Buddhism is serving them." And he professes admiration for Western films on his country: for Kundun, which he says he has seen eight times, and even for Keanu Reeves's controversial performance as Prince Siddhartha in Little Buddha.

His immediate plans include a year's solitary retreat (which, one suspects, would greatly benefit many another film director). But he likes to think that he has another four or five movies in him: "I want one day to be able to make a film about the life of the Buddha, without a big Hollywood star. But," he adds a little sadly, thoroughly pragmatic after barely a year in the business, "that probably means throwing money in the ocean"...