Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom
Donji's screenplay finds an ideal balance of gentle humor and life-affirming drama.
-- Richard Kuipers, Variety
Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom
Ugyen, a young teacher in modern Bhutan, shirks his duties while planning to go to Australia to become a singer. As a reprimand, his superiors send him to the most remote school in the world, in a village called Lunana, to complete his service. He finds himself exiled from his Westernized comforts after an arduous eight-day trek just to get there, where he finds no electricity, no textbooks, not even a blackboard. Though poor, the villagers extend a warm welcome to their new teacher, but he faces the daunting task of teaching the village children without any supplies. He wants to quit and go home, but he learns of the hardship in the lives of the beautiful children he teaches, and begins to be transformed by the villagers' amazing spiritual strength.
Genre
Drama,
Family,
Greg's List
Web Site
Runtime
109
Language
Dzongkha,
English
Director
Pawo Choyning Dorji
Writer(s)
Pawo Choyning Dorji
Cast
Sherab Dorji,
Ugyen Norbu Lhendup,
Kelden Lhamo Gurung
Awards:
Winner, Best Narrative Feature, Palm Springs International Film Festival
Winner, Best of the Fest Audience Vote, Palm Springs International Film Festival
Nominee, New Voices/New Visions Grand Jury Prize, Palm Springs International Film Festival
Nominee, Best Foreign Language Film, Academy Awards
MOREFEATURED REVIEW
Allan Hunter, Screen International
Happiness lies where you least expect it 'Lunana - A Yak in the Classroom,' Pawo Choyning Dorji’s feel good debut feature which follows a discontented teacher who is assigned to the most remote school in Bhutan. High in the mountains, he discovers a sense of community and connection that has been ...
Played at
Town Center 5 1.21.22 - 2.03.22
Royal 1.21.22 - 2.17.22
Playhouse 7 1.21.22 - 2.03.22
Newhall 1.28.22 - 2.03.22
Claremont 5 2.04.22 - 2.10.22
Laemmle Virtual Cinema 2.11.22 - 8.25.22
Glendale 3.15.22 - 3.15.22
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