The Venerable W.

Buddhism is based on non-violence and unconditional love, yet it too has its hate preachers. Ashin Wirathu, a highly respected monk from Myanmar, has been spreading his anti-Islam message for years. In speeches, on DVDs and on social media, he maintains that Muslims—just four percent of the population—are threatening to take over the country. He describes them as animals and calls for them to be socially, economically and politically excluded. His extremist statements have provoked deadly rioting and are seen by many as incitement to genocide. Meanwhile, the military junta looks on passively, only too happy to have a classic scapegoat. The Venerable W. is the final part of Barbet Schroeder’s Trilogy of Evil, which has previously featured the Ugandan dictator Idi Amin and "terror’s advocate" Jacques Vergès. As in the first two films, the director relies on talking heads: in addition to the self-satisfied and blatantly power-hungry Wirathu, we also hear from other monks and international journalists. Archive footage provides historical background, while mobile phone videos and other citizen journalism from YouTube starkly reveal the vicious effect of Wirathu’s toxic rhetoric.