Forthcoming Thich Nhat Hanh documentary “Interbeing” to be narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch

Interbering, the first official documentary biopic of the Vietnamese Buddhist monk and founder of Engaged Buddhism Thich Nhat Hanh, has been announced by ScreenDaily following London-based WestEnd Films’ acquisition of the global rights.

Directed by filmmaker Max Pugh and narrated by actor Benedict Cumberbatch, the new documentary mirrors the approach of the 2017 film Walk With Me, which offered a look inside Thich Nhat Hanh’s community, Plum Village. In Walk with Me, Cumberbatch from Thich Nhat Hanh’s journals over serene imagery from Plum Village, including monastics washing the dishes, walking in the woods, and attending ordination ceremonies. Interbeing comes after Thich Nhat Hanh’s death in January of 2022.

As ScreenDaily reports, the film will include testimonials from Oscar-winning filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu and Costa Rican diplomat, Buddhist practitioner, and climate leader Christiana Figueres, who was featured in Lion’s Roar earlier this year.

Production will begin September 2025, with filming to take place in the United States, Vietnam, France, and Africa. Plum Village monastic Brother Phap Huu suggested in a recent Facebook post that the film will be released in 2026.

In a Lion’s Roar profile, “The Buddhist Life of Benedict Cumberbatch,” the film’s narrator shared how he was first introduced to Buddhism while staying at a monastery in Nepal, and how meditation has informed his work as an actor. Of the new film, Cumberbatch emphasized the necessity of Thich Nhat Hanh’s teachings in today’s world, saying “Thich Nhat Hanh changed my perspective on life,” said Cumberbatch. “Lending my voice to his poetry was necessary. His teachings are not only timeless, they are more urgently needed now than ever before.”

About the new film, WestEnd founder Maya Amsellem said, “Interbeing is an inspiring story of our time, successfully weaving themes of spirituality, mental health, and activism in a world that needs an alternative to the many crises we currently see unfolding.”