HAPPINESS
synopsis
In 1999, King Jigme Wangchuck approved the use of television and Internet throughout the largely undeveloped nation of Bhutan, assuring the masses that rapid development was synonymous with the “gross national happiness” of his country, a term he himself coined. Director Thomas Balmès’s film Happiness begins at the end of this process as Laya, the last remaining village tucked away within the Himalayan kingdom, becomes enmeshed in roads, electricity, and cable television.
international title: | Happiness |
original title: | Happiness |
country: | France, Finland |
year: | 2013 |
genre: | documentary |
directed by: | Thomas Balmès |
film run: | 80' |
screenplay: | Thomas Balmès |
cinematography by: | Thomas Balmès, Nina Bernfeld |
film editing: | Alex Cardon, Ronan Sinquin |
producer: | Thomas Balmès, Juliette Guigon, Patrick Winocour, Kaarle Aho |
production: | TBC, Quark Productions, ARTE France, BBC Films, YLE, DR, SVT, BBF, YesDocu, VRT, Région Ile-de-France, CNC, programme MEDIA, Finnish Film Foundation, AVEK, PROCIREP, ANGOA |