A Bhutanese documentary about a retired forester’s quiet mission to remove prayer flags from young trees wins the best ICIMOD Mountain Film Award in Kathmandu, Nepal. Directed by Sonam Yangzom, the documentary highlights how synthetic flags, though religious in intent, are harming nature.
Butterfly Bhutan follows the story of Sonam Phuntsho, who removes prayer flags from young trees.
His action has sparked both outrage and admiration.
Sonam Yangzom said “At the time, I saw him removing the prayer flags, I was also shocked. I felt like this is against our religion. But finding out the reason why he was doing it made me realise that what we’re doing is not against our religion. In fact, by hoisting the prayer flag in the wrong way, we are actually causing harm to the tree. So, we are not doing it the right way. Whatever we do, we have to do it in the right way. And if we know that, we’re not going against our religion but instead educating people.”
The film, which took nearly three years to complete, was made with minimal resources, often using smartphones and borrowed cameras from others.
But it was Sonam Yangzom’s vision and deep personal connection to the story that gave the film its heart.
The ICIMOD Mountain Film Award recognises outstanding films that explore environmental and mountain issues. This year’s festival, themed “Fractured Voices, Reclaiming Narratives,” featured over 65 films from 30 countries.
Sonam Yangzom said “I was not expecting that my documentary would actually win an international award, and that too, a prestigious ICIMOD Mountain Film Award. So, it was a happy moment for me, and then, because of the award, I felt that at least we can spread the message of what I am trying to convey.”
Additionally, she said that the documentary’s title Butterfly Bhutan draws from the “Butterfly effect” the idea that a single action can lead to far-reaching consequences.
“The butterfly effect theory is that if a butterfly flap its wings here then because of its ripple effect there’s this hurricane in other side of the world. Just like that my character is the butterfly, because of his actions of removing the prayer flags that is actually killing the trees will benefit our future generation.”
Meanwhile, Butterfly Bhutan was also screened at last year’s Beskop Tshechu, where it won Best Short Documentary.
Currently, she is working on a feature documentary about yak herders in Laya, continuing her commitment to telling authentic, real life stories from Bhutan.
With Butterfly Bhutan, Sonam Yangzom has not only captured the quiet bravery of one man but has also set a precedent for how Bhutanese voices can shape the global environmental dialogue, one story at a time.
Kinley Bidha
Edited by Tshering Zam
