Filmmaker Laurence Brahm's latest documentary attempts to retrace the story of a legendary figure who spread Buddhism in China, Xu Fan reports.

American explorer and film director Laurence Brahm's courtyard nestles in a narrow hutong (alley) lined with lush greenery in a corner of downtown Beijing. A knock on his red wooden gate guarded by a pair of lion statues brings the tall, thin filmmaker out. He has a warm smile and is wearing a black jacket and jeans.

After having spent the night editing his upcoming documentary, Searching for the Lotus-Born Master-which is subtitled Eight Manifestations of Quantum Energy-Brahm looks a little tired.

But he becomes animated when talking about his latest film of 75 minutes, which is due to have its international debut at the Canada Golden Maple Film Festival in Vancouver.

As an annual event that serves as a bridge between Chinese and North American audiences, the festival will run from Sept 21 to 24 and the documentary will be premiered on Sept 22.

Brahm coproduced Searching for the Lotus-Born Master with William Lo, a Shanghai-based businessman who has always had a fascination with the legendary figure, and believes that his legacy is an important aspect of spiritual culture.

The Lotus-Born Master, who is also known by the names Padmasambhava in Sanskrit or Guru Rinpoche in both Tibetan and Bhutanese, is a historical figure who lived during the 8th century and traveled across the Himalayan mountains to spread Buddhism.

Shrouded in myth and mystery, the monk is recognized by researchers as the founder of Tibetan Buddhism, according to Brahm.