Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom
Pawo Choyning Dirji / Bhutan / 2019 / 109 min / Colour
Italian premiere
Ugyen, a young novice teacher, willingly neglects his professional duties while dreaming of a singing career that takes him away from Bhutan, perhaps to Australia. Worried, his superiors send him to finish his service in Lunana, home to the most remote school in the world. The small village in the Himalayas, in fact, can only be reached after eight days of walking and there is no electricity or internet connection. The school itself has neither books nor blackboard, just a placid yak grazing in the courtyard. What seems like a nightmare from which to escape will slowly reveal itself to Ugyen as a profound lesson in life. Shooting in real locations, relying only on solar batteries and a small crew, the director drew on the spiritual strength of an entire village to weave this story of a search for happiness and a sense of belonging with universal values.
Pawo Choyning Dirji
Pawo Choyning Dorji is a photographer and director from Bhutan. His photos have been published in prestigious international magazines such as LIFE, Esquire and VICE. Luana - A Yak in the Classroom, his first feature, was screened at numerous festivals including the BFI London Film Festival and the Palm Springs International Film Festival, where it won the prize from the public.
Credits
Subject Pawo Choyning DorjiScreenplay Pawo Choyning DorjiCinematography Jigme TenzingEditing Ku Hsiao-YunMain cast Sherab Dorji, Ugyen Norbu Lhendup, Kelden Lhamo Gurung, Pema ZamProducer Pawo Choyning Dorji, Steven Xiang, Stephanie Lai, Jia HonglinProduction company Dangphu Dingphu: a 3 pigs production
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