Pawo Choyning Dorji gives his familiar fish-out-of-water themes a gentle workout in the unusual setting of rural Bhutan. The mountain settlement of Lunana is certainly the last place that Ugyen Dorji (Sherab Dorji) wants to be, in fact the young teacher is rather too cool for school in general, dreaming instead of emigrating to Australia. The remote posting to Lunana is obviously intended as a punishment from the education ministry and a reminder that Ugyen is supposed to be a part of the Gross Happiness Initiative - a genuine policy you can read more about here.
While definitely no party political broadcast, the writer/director certainly is out to softly illustrate the charms of this holistic philosophy as Ugyen is met by villagers Michen (Ugyen Norbu Lhendup) and Singye (Tshering Dorji) for the eight-day trek that will take him away from what he considers to be civilisation from spring until winter.
While definitely no party political broadcast, the writer/director certainly is out to softly illustrate the charms of this holistic philosophy as Ugyen is met by villagers Michen (Ugyen Norbu Lhendup) and Singye (Tshering Dorji) for the eight-day trek that will take him away from what he considers to be civilisation from spring until winter.
- 3/8/2023
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Films from Bhutan are rare on this side of the Globe and we are always happy when one comes our way, even more so when it’s as charming as “Lunana: a Yak in the Classroom”, Pawo Choyning Dorji’s highland-based drama that is having its World Premiere at the London Film Festival. The director – who also wrote it and produced it – had jumped to the international film business attention not long ago for producing “Hema Hema: Sing Me A Song While I Wait”, one of the movie that contributed to place Bhutan on the filmmaking and festival map.
“Jiseok” is screening at Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema
Thimphu is Bhutan’s capital city and like in many other places connectivity and access that technology and social media bring with them has crept into the dreams and desires of young people. Ugyen (Sherab Dorji) for example, cannot wait...
“Jiseok” is screening at Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema
Thimphu is Bhutan’s capital city and like in many other places connectivity and access that technology and social media bring with them has crept into the dreams and desires of young people. Ugyen (Sherab Dorji) for example, cannot wait...
- 3/7/2023
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Raised by his grandmother after his parents’ deaths, Ugyen (Sherab Dorji) is considered lucky by his friends. He became a teacher and is just one year away from finishing his mandatory government contract, yet the thing he’s discovered most during that time is the unfortunate truth that his heart isn’t in it. So while he’ll complete his tenure, his dream of immigrating to Australia to pursue a singing career is all that’s on his mind. And everyone knows it—including his boss. As punishment for his constant tardiness and obvious disinterest, she declares that his final posting will be at the so-called “most remote school in the world.” At almost twice the elevation of Bhutanese capital city Thimphu and an eight-day hike from the nearest town, Lunana awaits.
Pawo Choyning Dorji’s feature debut Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom captures the juxtaposition of big-city living...
Pawo Choyning Dorji’s feature debut Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom captures the juxtaposition of big-city living...
- 2/15/2022
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
Ugyen (Sherab Dorji) is a government-contracted teacher who doesn’t want to teach in Pawo Choyning Dorji’s Oscar-shortlisted debut film Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom. It was submitted for consideration for last year’s Academy Award for International Feature, but was not accepted because the South Asian nation hadn’t submitted a film since its lone entry in 1999. Beating the odds, Dorji’s film made the International Feature shortlist — making Bhutan one of three countries to make the cut for the first time, along with Kosovo and Panama.
In the film, Ugyen dreams of traveling to Australia to become a singer, but he has another year on his contract before he can quit. He resides in large city in Bhutan, but when his supervisor notices he’s slacking at work, he’s transferred to a remote village called Lunana.
When Ugyen gets off the bus, he meets Michen...
In the film, Ugyen dreams of traveling to Australia to become a singer, but he has another year on his contract before he can quit. He resides in large city in Bhutan, but when his supervisor notices he’s slacking at work, he’s transferred to a remote village called Lunana.
When Ugyen gets off the bus, he meets Michen...
- 1/19/2022
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
The trusty old tale of a city slicker teacher being posted to a school in the sticks is given a fresh coat of paint in the delightful Bhutanese comic drama “Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom.” Gloriously filmed on staggeringly beautiful locations around the most remote school on Earth and wonderfully performed by a cast comprised almost exclusively of first-time actors, this big-hearted crowd-pleaser marks a bright debut for writer-director Pawo Choyning Dorji. After winning audience awards at numerous festivals including Palm Springs and Cairo, “Lunana” will line up as Bhutan’s official entry in this year’s Oscar international feature race.
Premiering at London in 2019, “Lunana” was forced to withdraw from the 2020 international Oscar category on a technicality related to the formal nomination process. It’s fair and correct for this charmer to now be accepted and become the Himalayan country’s first submission since Khyentse Norbu’s 1999 hit “The Cup,...
Premiering at London in 2019, “Lunana” was forced to withdraw from the 2020 international Oscar category on a technicality related to the formal nomination process. It’s fair and correct for this charmer to now be accepted and become the Himalayan country’s first submission since Khyentse Norbu’s 1999 hit “The Cup,...
- 12/19/2021
- by Richard Kuipers
- Variety Film + TV
These are the submissions for the international film Oscar by country. The deadline for entries was Nov. 1. A shortlist of 15 films will be announced Dec. 21 and the nominations will come out Feb 8. The 94th Academy Awards will take place on March 27 at the Dolby Theatre. The Academy has not yet released a final list of entries; Variety compiled this list from individual country’s announcements.
Albania
Two Lions Heading to Venice
Dir. Jonid Jorji
Key cast: Vasjan Lami, Alessandra Bonarotta
Logline: A pair of filmmakers heading to the Venice festival are sidetracked from their destination after meeting two adult film actors.
Prodco: Bajo Films
Algeria
Heliopolis
Dir. Djaafar Gacem
Key cast: Souhila Mallem, Mehdi Ramdani, Cesar Duminil
Logline: True story of an uprising in the Algerian town of Guelma that was violently put down by the colonial French rulers.
Prodco: Hewes Pictures
Argentina
The Intruder
Dir. Natalia Meta
Key cast: Guillermo Arengo,...
Albania
Two Lions Heading to Venice
Dir. Jonid Jorji
Key cast: Vasjan Lami, Alessandra Bonarotta
Logline: A pair of filmmakers heading to the Venice festival are sidetracked from their destination after meeting two adult film actors.
Prodco: Bajo Films
Algeria
Heliopolis
Dir. Djaafar Gacem
Key cast: Souhila Mallem, Mehdi Ramdani, Cesar Duminil
Logline: True story of an uprising in the Algerian town of Guelma that was violently put down by the colonial French rulers.
Prodco: Hewes Pictures
Argentina
The Intruder
Dir. Natalia Meta
Key cast: Guillermo Arengo,...
- 11/11/2021
- by Shalini Dore
- Variety Film + TV
Pawo Choyning Dorji’s directorial debut “Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom” has been selected to represent Bhutan in the international feature race at the Oscars.
“Lunana: A Yak In The Classroom” is the second Oscar entry from Bhutan, a landlocked country in South Asia. The first official Bhutanese Oscar submission was in 1999 with Khyentse Norbu’s “The Cup,” a Tibetan-language drama.
The selection of “Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom” was confirmed by the Ministry of Information and Communications of the Royal Government of Bhutan on Tuesday.
“Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom,” which was released in Bhutan on Feb. 2, shot on solar-charged batteries, on location at the world’s most remote school in the Himalayan glaciers.
The film follows the journey of a teacher, Ugyen, who is sent to Lunana in northern Bhutan for his final year of training. The high altitude and the lack of amenities make...
“Lunana: A Yak In The Classroom” is the second Oscar entry from Bhutan, a landlocked country in South Asia. The first official Bhutanese Oscar submission was in 1999 with Khyentse Norbu’s “The Cup,” a Tibetan-language drama.
The selection of “Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom” was confirmed by the Ministry of Information and Communications of the Royal Government of Bhutan on Tuesday.
“Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom,” which was released in Bhutan on Feb. 2, shot on solar-charged batteries, on location at the world’s most remote school in the Himalayan glaciers.
The film follows the journey of a teacher, Ugyen, who is sent to Lunana in northern Bhutan for his final year of training. The high altitude and the lack of amenities make...
- 9/15/2020
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Pawo Choyning Dorji is a photographer, filmmaker and the author from Bhutan. His photos have been published in international magazines and newspapers including Life, Esquire, Vice and The Wall Street Journal, and his books of photography include “Seeing Sacred: Lights & Shadows Along the Journey” and “Sacred Paths” and “Light of the Moon: The Life & Legacy of Xuanzang of Tang”. He has been working for the Khyentse Labrang since 2006 and is married to Taiwanese actress, Stephanie Lai.
His first brush with cinema was as an assistant director for Khyentse Norbu’s “Vara: A Blessing” and then he went on producing Norbu’s “Hema Hema: Sing Me a Song While I Wait”. “Lunana: a Yak in the Classroom” is his directorial debut and had its World Premiere in London.
Kelden Lhamo Gurung (as Saldon), Sherab Dorji (as Ugyen) and Ugyen Norbu Lhendup (as Michen) are the first-time actors starring in “Lunana: a Yak in the Classroom...
His first brush with cinema was as an assistant director for Khyentse Norbu’s “Vara: A Blessing” and then he went on producing Norbu’s “Hema Hema: Sing Me a Song While I Wait”. “Lunana: a Yak in the Classroom” is his directorial debut and had its World Premiere in London.
Kelden Lhamo Gurung (as Saldon), Sherab Dorji (as Ugyen) and Ugyen Norbu Lhendup (as Michen) are the first-time actors starring in “Lunana: a Yak in the Classroom...
- 10/18/2019
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Films from Bhutan are rare on this side of the Globe and we are always happy when one comes our way, even more so when it’s as charming as “Lunana: a Yak in the Classroom”, Pawo Choyning Dorji’s highland-based drama that is having its World Premiere at the London Film Festival. The director – who also wrote it and produced it – had jumped to the international film business attention not long ago for producing “Hema Hema: Sing Me A Song While I Wait”, one of the movie that contributed to place Bhutan on the filmmaking and festival map.
“Lunana: a Yak in The Classroom” is screening at the BFI London Film Festival 2019
Thimphu is Bhutan’s capital city and like in many other places connectivity and access that technology and social media bring with them has crept into the dreams and desires of young people. Ugyen (Sherab Dorji) for example,...
“Lunana: a Yak in The Classroom” is screening at the BFI London Film Festival 2019
Thimphu is Bhutan’s capital city and like in many other places connectivity and access that technology and social media bring with them has crept into the dreams and desires of young people. Ugyen (Sherab Dorji) for example,...
- 10/6/2019
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
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