The Bhutan Film Institute is set to host Bhutan’s inaugural international film festival titled “Kingdom of Bhutan International Film Festival” next month. The festival will feature a short film competition, with 24 short films currently submitted. Among the international guests are an award-winning wildlife photographer, a BAFTA-winning producer, a Bollywood score composer and a director at the Cannes Film Festival among others.
The Kingdom of Bhutan International Film Festival according to the organisers represents a bold step for Bhutan’s film industry.
Chencho Dorji, one of the founders and the president of the Bhutan Film Institute, noted the significant challenges Bhutanese films have faced in gaining international recognition, with only a few exceptions.
This is why he has dreamt of hosting an international film festival in Bhutan since 2014. He believes it is time for the Bhutanese film industry to make its mark on the global stage.
“Screening Bhutanese films in other countries can be quite challenging. By hosting festivals like this one in Bhutan, we can create more opportunities and promote films produced in our own country. This year marks the inaugural festival, and we hope it will offer valuable knowledge and outcomes for everyone involved in the film industry.”
“So, I first came to Bhutan as a tourist and as a tourist, I think all of us chillips (foreigners) can understand that there is something, there is a magic about Bhutan that is really, really hard to explain and quantify. We go home and people ask, “oh how was your trip?” and I don’t really know how to explain it. That is why I keep coming back. And we hope through the magic of film and cinema, that is something we will be able to communicate clearly,” said Charles Tang, Production Director of the Kingdom of Bhutan International Film Festival.
The Bhutan Film Institute will also host masterclasses featuring distinguished professionals, including award-winning wildlife photographer Roie Galitz and Indian score composer and musician Shantanu Moitra, who composed background scores for notable Indian films such as 3 Idiots, PK, Lage Raho Munna Bhai and more recently, 12th Fail.
Additionally, British Academy Film Awards or BAFTA-winning producer Charles Steel and Christian Jeune, the director of the Films Department and Deputy General Delegate at the globally reputed, Cannes Film Festival, will also be giving masterclasses.
“So, we are really excited to present that to the Bhutanese filmmakers and on the other hand, you know it’s not cheap to put something like this. So that is why we have international guests coming and through that revenue, we will be able to introduce more people to the magic of Bhutan,” said Charles Tang, Production Director of Kingdom of Bhutan International Film Festival.
As a part of the festival, six feature films—three Bhutanese and three international, a documentary, and the winning short film will be screened throughout the event.
The documentary will be screened at the Royal Academy in Paro while the six feature films—In Full Bloom, The Monk and the Gun, Lift, Boed Garp Sonam Drugyel, Aum Penjor, and Don’t Sleep—will be screened for free at the Lugar Theatre.
For the competition, only Bhutanese-produced short films are eligible. The winning short film will be featured during the closing ceremony at Hotel Pemako. The festival will take place from 19th to 23rd September.
Tenzin Loday Gyeltshen
Edited by Kipchu
