A 2022 Oscar-nominated film has put the tiny Asian state of Bhutan back on the maps of global interest. The Himalayan monarchy has been rediscovered by the major international radars for its pleasant timeless position. In this climate, UBU workshops will distribute in Italy from March 31st the film LUNANA: THE VILLAGE AT THE END OF THE WORLD from Pawo Choyning Dorjithe first film made entirely in Bhutan to be nominated for the 2022 Academy Award for Best International Film.
In a world where people seem to have lost their spirituality in search of material well-being, Bhutan is a model from which to draw inspiration: this is where GDP is replaced by FIL, the index of Gross Internal Happiness. LUNANA: THE VILLAGE AT THE END OF THE WORLD is set and made in the happiest country in the world, but what does it really mean to be happy? And is it possible to find happiness in a place you don’t expect?
This is also asked by Ugyen, a young teacher, who would like to go in search of his happiness, but is forced to undertake an 8-day journey that will take him to the most remote school in the world, in the remote village of Lunana, located along the glaciers. of the Himalayas on the border between Bhutan and Tibet at 4,800 meters above sea level. There, in the company of placid yaks and deprived of all modern comforts, he will discover that the secret of happiness is in the simplicity of the small gestures and smiles of the inhabitants of Lunana, a microcosm that is slowly fading. Shot in collaboration with the villagers, the film introduces us to a place suspended in time, miles away from big cities and protected by the mountains, as if it were a small hidden treasure chest, containing the most precious of riches.
There are not only people in the remote strip of land bordering Tibet. The tiger is the largest feline in the world and in Bhutan there is one of the Conservation Assured Tiger Standards (CATS) which establish the standards for the management and monitoring of the effectiveness of interventions towards ‘target’ species. There are currently over 100 CATS sites in Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Malaysia, Nepal and Russia, covering over 70% of the world’s tiger population.
Photographs in Bhutan: The Sacred Within reflect Izu’s exploration of a country he visited repeatedly over a period of six years (2002-2007) and in which he found a wealth of spiritual value.
For those wishing to learn more about the particularities of this still little known corner of the world, there is the photo book by Kenro Izu Bhutan: The Sacred Within and a rich Lonely Planet guide. Details and photos also in Bhutan a visual odyssey across the kingdom by Michael Hawley.