KŪKAI is the first Chinese documentary to offer a complete portrait of the life of Kūkai, the great Japanese monk who undertook a treacherous sea voyage to Tang Dynasty China in search of the true Dharma.

In 2019, Director Yue Ye was deeply touched by the timeless nobility of Kūkai’s life and resolved to bring his spiritual world to contemporary audiences. Over the following five years, she worked alongside more than 800 collaborators to bring the film to the screen.

As of August 2026, KŪKAI has received eight international awards, including Best Documentary at the London Independent Film Awards, and has been selected for 40 competition and showcase slots across 27 international film festivals. The film celebrated its world premiere at the Writers Guild Theater in Beverly Hills on July 30, 2026, followed by an 11-stop roadshow and a community-hosted private screening. To date, it has held more than 50 filmmaker-attended screening events across six countries and over 20 cities. Its first ticketed theatrical engagements in Northern California sold out all three screenings, selling 504 tickets in total—validating the film’s cross-cultural appeal and market potential.