While a few Bhutanese films have graced prestigious platforms like the Oscars, many remain relatively unknown, even within Bhutan. To bridge this gap and foster an understanding of cinema, the Bhutan InfoComm and Media Authority, BICMA conducted a five-day Film Appreciation Workshop. The initiative was aimed to enhance participants’ grasp of filmmaking as an art form, providing insights into analysis, storytelling and exploring platforms to showcase their films.
During the workshop which was held last week, eight feature films from South Asia, including Bhutan’s The Honey Giver Among the Dogs, were screened.
After each screening, participants and filmmakers engaged in discussion and analysed the film.
Meenakshi Shedde, South Asian Programmer of Berlin and Toronto Film Festivals led the workshop. She said although the Bhutanese film industry is small, it has produced some top filmmakers.
“So, for a small country like this to produce so many accomplished artists with so few resources are many times more accomplished than most Indian filmmakers because with so little, they have accomplished so much. So, I think they are much greater credit to Bhutanese filmmakers than they do. I think it is very important for people to see their own local films. They can say it is not good and it is good. That is different. That is not my job, that is their opinion. But my job is to train people to what makes a film great that is what I am teaching.”
Dechen Roder, whose film, The Honey Giver Among the Dogs was screened at the workshop said that the biggest challenge for the Bhutanese film industry right now is to develop the story concepts and transform scripts into films.
So, she said the workshop has been timely for the filmmakers.
“Once that is there, again I feel a challenge that we have is also in directing the craft. The vision of a director is really important for films, and I think sometimes we don’t fully recognise that, the aesthetic and vision of a director. So that is why a class like this, a film appreciation class, is also really important for our industry here because it is like studying a film.”
Other participants said the workshop has familiarised them with many international film festivals and provided insights on how to participate in such events.
Sonam Yangzom, a filmmaker said, “She (Meenakshi) is sharing her experience about how to get into festivals and which festivals to target so, workshops like this are really important for the Bhutanese cinema to go forward.”
Ninjyed, an actor/aspiring filmmaker said “Bhutan is so small that we cannot compete with each other. We just have 700,000 audiences and why would we compete for that? Rather than that, I think it would be amazing if we have a community of artists, filmmakers, and by filmmakers, I mean scriptwriters, directors, producers, and whatever way that you are involved in film, if there is a forum, if there is like a community, a club where the knowledge can be shared and are understood.”
The Film Appreciation Workshop served as more than just a learning platform, it ignited a collective passion for storytelling and filmmaking among Bhutanese filmmakers.
Devika Pradhan
