Producing a film is not easy but for the fledgling Bhutanese film, it is not the biggest challenge. Their biggest challenge is finding a cinema hall to screen their movies.
The film industry churns out about 30 films in a year, spending about three months to produce one film. It takes a year before a newly produced Bhutanese film hits the silver screen.
That’s because there is an acute shortage of cinema halls. The capital city where most of the film producers are based has only three cinema halls.
The Luger theatre in the heart of the capital is the main cinema hall. It is almost always taken and has to be reserved months in advance.
The theatre is hired out on first come first serve basis.
“To screen movies in the Lugar theatre, could take a year,” said Lhaki Dolma, an actress and a film producer.
“Thimphu, the capital has the maximum population. This is where most of the movie goers are. But we have to wait for at least eight months to screen our movie,” said Pema Lhamo, another producer.
Waiting for months can be financially burdensome with the interests on the loans producer may have taken growing steadily.
“By the time we get the opportunity to screen the movie, the interests on the loan would have piled up.”
The situation is no better in the districts where movies are screened in school auditoriums. Most districts do not have a proper movie hall.
The situation in the capital is likely to improve slightly with the construction of a new theatre in Chubachu but it is unlikely to bring a sea change.
