Hello,
Those who’ve read our blog for a while will know that we first pubished it on International Day of Happiness, which aims to make people around the world realise the importance of happiness in life. One country which takes this very seriously is Bhutan, where the goal of “Gross National Happiness” was adopted in the 1970s.
Lunana: A yak in the Classroom
So, we were very intrigued to see an award-winning film called Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom. Set in Bhutan, it’s the story of Ugyen, who has just finished his teacher-training. He doesn’t want to be a teacher, however, and plans instead to move to Australia to become a singer. He’s perusaded to stay a little longer and is appointed as teacher in Lunana, a village with one of the remotest schools in the world. Following an arduous trek to reach Lunana, he is given the warmest of welcomes by the villagers. As he overcomes his uncertainty and grows into his new job, he learns a great deal about himself and what we need to be truly happy.
This film is beautiful, warm-hearted and gentle with a wonderful cast, in particular the young pupils of the school. It offers a fascinating glimpse of life in Bhutan and gives us plenty of food for thought. It’s the first film from Bhutan to be nominated for an Oscar for Best International Film, has won several international prizes and is in the top ten films streamed from the British Film Institue. You can see the trailer here and read more about the film here.
Lunana is available to watch on streaming services including BFI player in the U.K. and Netflix in the U.S.
Have you seen any good films lately? We’d love to hear your recommendations.
See you next time,
Claire and Sam
P.S. If you’d like to read some more about Bhutan, there’s an interesting article by Sarah Marshall here, which describes her journey on the Trans-Bhutan Trail.
Featured image with thanks to yesflicks.com