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Pawo Choyning Dorji, Director and Writer of Bhutan shortlisted entry LUNANA: A YAK IN THE CLASSROOM, talks about the challenges of shooting in a remote area using only solar powered equipment, and how working with non-professional actors helped in bringing out the authenticity of the characters and of the story.
Tell us how this project came about?
I think storytellers have an important responsibility to tell the stories of our time, and for me ‘Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom’ really is a story of Bhutan at this time. Bhutan has a unique history; we were in self isolation for the better part of the last century as we were worried that opening ourselves up to the outside world would threaten our unique culture and traditions; a culture that prioritized ‘happiness’ over everything else. We were the last country in the world to connect to television and internet in the early 2000s, and we continue to be one of the least visited countries in the world, as our government puts a tax on tourism to protect our culture and fragile eco system.
All this creates a backdrop for the most interesting stories to play out in Bhutan, a coming together of western modern culture with the eastern traditional culture of Bhutan. With Lunana: the trend currently seems to be for the Bhutanese to seek what they seek in the modern glittering lights of the west, so I wanted to create a story where the protagonist is forced to travel into the opposite end of the spectrum, and that into an area of Bhutan that is considered so far, remote and cut off from anything modern and urban that the valley is called ‘Lunana’ (which translates to as the Dark Valley). I wanted to share a story where we explore if we can truly find in the shadows and darkness, what we so desperately seek in the light.
Every element of the film, from the characters, the different storylines, etc… were all inspired and based on true accounts I had collected from my travels across Bhutan.
How challenging was it to shoot in such a remote area with a cast of non-professional actors, most of them children? Can you talk about the production process?
Shooting in the actual location of Lunana, the production was extremely difficult and challenging. We had no electricity, no network connections, even something like turning on a light switch and having running water was a luxury for us. The entire production was solar powered and given that we were so far from anything modern; we were so limited in terms of gear we could use on set. We only had one camera body, and two sets of light mats for the entire shoot in Lunana, as we were just able to carry that and had enough solar energy to power them. I did not even see a play back during the production, as we did not have enough power for that. Seeing the first cut by the editor two months later was the first time I was seeing anything from the film.
Our entire cast were first time actors, with many of the highlanders playing themselves. The highlanders, having never been beyond their village, had never watched a film in their lives! As we cast different people for the roles, we adapted the script according to the lives of those people who were cast. For example, the little girl Pem Zam, I incorporated her own life story into the film, that is she did not have a mother, and her father was always drunk, and even in that tough situation she was so beautifully confident and pure. By doing that, she wasn’t necessarily acting but rather sharing her life story with us. This made it easier for us. For the crew and cast to be living in these tough conditions, living the actual story we were trying to share in the movie helped immensely in making the film as authentic as our own experiences of living the lives translated to the film.
I think many would think it would be difficult to direct yak herders who had never even watched a film before, but that purity actually made it much easier to work with them. Since the whole concept of ‘cinema’ was alien to them, they did not have any inhibitions about being in front of the camera! They didnt even notice it. It was all very organic and natural. Many times, especially in classroom scenes with the children, we would just place the camera and let it play out naturally.
© Kinley Wangchuk and Jigme Thinley
Have you kept in touch with the children? Have they seen the film?
Yes we kept in touch. In a strange twist of fate, as we left Lunana, the next group coming into the village was the officials form the telecommunications ministry. They had come to put up cellular towers to connect Lunana to the outside world. This made it easier for us to keep in touch with the beautiful people of Lunana.
It’s a little bittersweet, because I know these modern amenities will improve living conditions there but at the same time I know these modern facilities will also result in these beautiful stories disappearing from Lunana. Pem Zam now sends me videos of herself dancing and lip syncing to tiktok videos. Change is inevitable, and I am happy that we were able to capture Lunana and it’s people in this movie just before all these were lost.
What would you like audiences to take away from LUNANA: A YAK IN THE CLASSROOM and from your country, Bhutan?
I think with Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom, many people will get a glimpse into a culture and a people that’s not seen often. The film is a story that’s culturally, geographically and linguistically diverse from anything else they have experienced, but within this diversity it is a story that touches upon the themes of home, seeking where one belongs and about happiness. These are universal human qualities that must be celebrated, especially during these difficult times when the pandemic has caused much separation and suspicion amongst people.
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