LUNANA: A YAK IN THE CLASSROOM

Reluctant teacher Ugyen is sent to the most remote school in Bhutan where despite a lack of even the most basic facilities he learns to love the children in his school.

Director: Pawo Choyning Dorji | 2019 | Bhutan | 110mins | PG
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A young teacher in modern Bhutan, Ugyen, shirks his duties while planning to go to Australia to become a singer. As a reprimand, his superiors send him to the most remote school in the world, in a glacial Himalayan village called Lunana, to complete his service. He finds himself exiled from his Westernised comforts after an arduous 8 day trek just to get there. There he finds no electricity, no textbooks, not even a blackboard. Though poor, the villagers extend a warm welcome to their new teacher, but he faces the daunting task of teaching the village children without any supplies. He wants to quit and go home, but as he learns of the hardship in the lives of the beautiful children he teaches, begins to be transformed through the amazing spiritual strength of the villagers.

Nominations:

Cairo International Film Festival Prize for Best Actress
The Bronze Pyramid Award for Best First or Second Work
Henry Barakat Award for Best Artistic Contribution
The Golden Pyramid for Best Film
Cairo International Film Festival Prize for Best Actor
Naguib Mahfouz Prize for Best Screenplay
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FILMMAKER: PAWO CHOYNING DORJI

Pawo Choyning Dorji is a writer, photographer and filmmaker from the Kingdom of Bhutan. Pawo's introduction to film came in 2012 when he worked as Khyentse Norbu's assistant for the later's feature Vara – A Blessing. In 2016 he produced the critically acclaimed Bhutanese feature Hema Hema – Sing me a song while I wait. The film had its world premiere at the 69th Festival del film Locarno and went on to win the Special Mention at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival. Lunana – A Yak in the Classroom is his Directorial debut