Travellers & Magicians

Travellers and Magicians is a 2003 Bhutanese Dzongkha language film written and directed by Khyentse Norbu, a reincarnate lama of Tibetan Buddhism, who is also known as Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche. The movie is the first feature film shot entirely in the kingdom of Bhutan. The majority of the casts are not professional actors; Dendup, a well-known Bhutanese radio actor and producer, is the exception. This movie is among the first to take a Himalayan Buddhist perspective.




Tagline: The bitter and the sweet of temporary things.

A young government official named Dondup (played by Tshewang Dendup) who is smitten with America (he even has a denim gho) dreams of escaping there while stuck in a beautiful but isolated village. He hopes to connect in the U.S. with a visa out of the country. He misses the one bus out of town to Thimphu, however, and is forced to hitchhike and walk along the Lateral Road to the west, accompanied by an apple seller, a Buddhist monk with his ornate, dragon-headed dramyin heading to Thimphu, a drunk, a widowed rice paper maker and his daughter Sonam (played by Sonam Lhamo).

To pass the time, the monk tells the tale of Tashi, a restless farmboy who, like Dondup, dreams of escaping village life. Tashi rides a horse that goes into a forest. He immediately becomes lost in remote mountains and finds his life entwined with that of an elderly hermit woodcutter and his beautiful young wife. Tashi's wish of escape granted, he finds himself caught in a web of lust and jealousy, enchanted by the beautiful and yielding wife, but fearing the woodsman and his axe. Tashi finally tries to murder the woodcutter, aided by his wife who is pregnant by Tashi. He runs away, however, while the old man is near death, burdened by his guilt. Deki, the woodcutter's wife calls and runs after him, but probably falls into a mountain river while giving pursuit.

Tashi's adventures finally turn out to be hallucinations induced by chhaang, home-brewed liquor. The monk's tale merely parallels Dondup's growing attraction to Sonam. During a dilemma similar to Tashi's, Dondup manages to hitch a ride to Thimphu. The film ends without showing the final outcome of Dondup's journey - his visa interview and his trip abroad. The audience is left to wonder whether the trip changed his attitude toward the village and Bhutan, and if he returned to the village.

According to the director, the story of Dendup was inspired by Izu No Odoriko (The Dancing Girl of Izu), a story by Yasunari Kawabata about a group of travellers and an infatuation between a dancing girl and a schoolboy. The story of Tashi was inspired by a Buddhist fable about two brothers, one of whom aspires to become a magician.

In making this film, Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche, an internationally-renowned Buddhist lama, sets the standard for the nascent Bhutanese film industry. The film depicts traditional Bhutanese folklore, and storytelling techniques. Travellers and Magicians is a profoundly Bhutanese film, with a theme and vocabulary that reflects the culture of Bhutan.

The storytelling technique employed in the film is the one of a story within a story, as the monk narrates the story of Tashi within the film. The nesting of worlds go three levels deep, as Tashi hallucinates/dreams after consuming chhang. Traditional, as well as fusion music is used in the movie, with Western rock and Western-influenced music being heard via Dondup's music system, and traditional music from the dramyin of the monk and as ambient music. The noted chant music advocate David Hykes also contributed music to the film at the invitation of the director. A soundtrack of the movie has been commercially released.

Since only a quarter of the people of Bhutan have a mother tongue of Dzongkha, one of the cast members - Sonam Kinga, acted as dialog coach to the cast.

A kingdom emerges from isolation, along with its filmmakers

How does a royal bodyguard become a scriptwriter? Ask Tshering Penjore.

Until last year Penjore, 34, was aide de camp to Bhutan's crown prince, Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck, who has since become the country's fifth king. But when in April 2006 a friend suggested that the film-loving Penjore write a script, he couldn't resist. There was only one problem. Penjore had never seen a script.

With no film schools in Bhutan, he turned to the Internet. He downloaded the script of "Ocean's 11," the throwback caper film starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon, pored over the pirouettes of the plot and wrote his own. Though that film is still awaiting release, Penjore has been flooded with offers. In the months since, he has become a full-time writer, written seven screenplays and even co-produced one.

Penjore's story is typical of the growing film industry in Bhutan, which until very recently had closed itself off, by choice, from the rest of the world. Last year a record 24 films were produced in the tiny Himalayan kingdom, population 700,000; in 2003 the total was only six. (India, by comparison, made more than 1,000 movies last year.) The only theater in Bhutan's capital city, Thimpu, is booked for the next nine months.

Budget constraints force filmmakers to use digital technology instead of film stock, and most of the players are self-taught. But directors are churning out movies at the dizzying pace of four a year. Sixty production companies are now registered with the Motion Picture Association of Bhutan.

Landlocked between the world's two most populous countries — India and China — Bhutan has aggressively preserved its cultural identity by insulating itself. Three decades ago the fourth king, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, coined the phrase Gross National Happiness, which sought to measure prosperity through well being rather than consumption. The country has since followed policies of sustainable development, limited industrialization and environmental protection. Often referred to as the hermit kingdom of the Himalayas, Bhutan has one national highway, one airport, one airline and three newspapers, all of which publish once a week.

But in the last decade technology has subverted Bhutan's closed-door policies. Television arrived in 1999 and the Internet soon after. Suddenly Bhutan, a highly codified Buddhist society, found itself grappling with MTV and World Wrestling Entertainment. And next year the country will undergo a political metamorphosis when it shifts from an absolute monarchy to a parliamentary democracy. As the reclusive kingdom changes, the fledgling film industry will play an important role.

"Cinema already has a strong influence on the culture and behavior of the general public," said Kinley Dorji, editor in chief of The Kuensel, the government-owned newspaper. "It is creating new heroes and new values."

But making and screening movies in Bhutan is a difficult business.

The country has only six theaters, all of which need make-overs. Kalden Sonam Dorji, the only Bhutanese actor working in Indian cinema, described the country's main theater, the Luger, as "flea-infested and rat-ridden, with chewed-up seats covered in paan-spit." Filmmakers must wait at least six months to get their allotted time at a theater or screen their films in rented school auditoriums. To reach rural audiences, filmmakers use mobile movie vans fitted with digital projectors, DVD players, generators and posters. Major religious festivals have become important exhibition sites too.

In this industry everyone has a hyphenated label. The budgets — most films cost 1.5 million to 3 million ngultrum (about $37,500 to $75,000) — don't allow for solo job designations. So producers are also exhibitors, writers design posters, and actors double up as production assistants. Only a handful of Bhutanese technicians are formally trained, and until recently the actors were all amateurs.

"There were no full-time actors in Bhutan because acting was not considered a job," said Rinchen Namgay, an actor-singer with 10 films on his résumé. "All actors were civil servants or employed by private companies. Now we have full-time actors, but no one has actually learned acting. Everything we do is on an experimental basis."

Penjore, the bodyguard turned moviemaker, often finds his actors by frequenting clubs and bars and approaching whomever seems suitable. Though some actors are well known, none are stars in a country without a celebrity culture. In January the romantic comedy "Sergyel" pulled in crowds in school auditoriums, turning a newcomer named Sonam Tenzing (who played both a village boy and a hipster college student) into a sensation. Women started to ask for his cellphone number, which, Penjore said, "made Sonam's girlfriend very angry." Tenzing wasn't seduced by fame; he has since quit show business and joined the civil service.

Nonetheless Kalden, who has worked in several splashy Indian films, hopes to introduce the trappings of stardom to his country. "I'm planning a blitz," said Kalden, who is making his first Bhutanese film this December. "Out of the 20-odd films made in Bhutan, I'll star in four or five. I will take the Bollywood formula and apply it there."

Most Bhutanese directors have already done that, adopting the fantastical, song-and-dance-infused narrative style of popular Hindi film. "At the moment we are restricted by market forces," said Tshering Wangyel, who spent seven years with the Agriculture Ministry and is now among Bhutan's leading directors. "The masses want fantasy, not reality." Wangyel, whose recent movies include "The Golden Cup," shot in a remote village using untrained actors, is now making Bhutan's first horror film, "Bakchha" ("A Ghost's Attachment"), but he is hedging his bets by inserting seven songs.

Reality is a tough sell. In 2003 Bhutan's best-known filmmaker, Khyentse Norbu, made the country's first celluloid film, "Travelers and Magicians." Khyentse, better known as His Eminence Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche, is one of the most revered lamas in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. The film, about a literal, spiritual and metaphorical journey, received rave reviews in the Western press and was screened at the Venice and Toronto film festivals. But the Rinpoche (perhaps the world's only director-saint) had a harder time finding local viewers. The Rinpoche is now working on a script that involves a gun, a monk and the mock elections in Bhutan.

There are concerns that Bhutanese films, which unapologetically derive from Bollywood, Hollywood and Korean cinema, might dilute the painstakingly conserved culture. But filmmakers argue the opposite. By creating local movies they have driven out foreign films, because theaters can no longer accommodate them. The Luger Theater hasn't screened a foreign film since February 2005. This, Wangyel said, makes him very proud: "We are helping our country and preserving our identity and culture."

The FARAWAY GIRL: When love happens...

Love knows no boundary. This is the theme of the next Bhutanese flick, The Far Away Girl, which will be screened at the Mig Cinema hall in Phuentsholing from January 20.

Directed by Sonam Yeshey, the film is about two people from two different countries, different cultural background, and different ways of living falling in love.

Rigsel is a villager in Bhutan. Priya from Kolkata in India comes to his village as a teacher. The two fall in love, and live the best time of their lives together until Priya returns to her country.

The story takes a turn when Rigsel, accompanied by his friend, leave for Kolkata in search of Priya. The duo is able to find Priya but get entangled in a mysterious murder case. However, in the end, all mysteries are solved and the lovers are united.

The film is a complete entertainment. Filled with songs and fight sequence, the film has some action stunts that have never been seen in Bhutanese films. In the last action scene, some 10 people come to hold the protagonist but he runs and jumps over them kicking the main villain. A stunt master and a few stunts men were hired from West Bengal, especially for the action scenes.

The music in the film is fresh. Modern Bhutanese tunes are mixed with familiar Indian tunes to give catchy tunes. There are six songs, including one Hindi and Dzongkha mixed song and one boedra song.

A ccording to the script writer, Lobzang Dorji, through Rigsel’s life, the film portrays a typical village life in Bhutan. The film highlights some culture and tradition of the country. Priya is invited to join a Thrue celebration where there is an archery match amid traditional songs and dances.

The film shows subtle differences between India and Bhutan. It is also a tribute to Bhutan-India friendship, he said, adding that, through the film, they want to take entertainment to a new height.

More than half of the two hour-film has been shot in Kolkata and some part in Punakha and Phuentsholing. The film was shot in 60 days.

D ebut actor and producer, Sonam Rinchen Tshering, plays the role of Rigsel and Choki Wangmo Tenzin, plays Priya. They are supported by Jalab Laki and Tshering Yuden. While most of the people on the set were first timers, some 15 Indian actors from West Bengal were also hired. The film was well received by the review board because the whole team was new.

A love story with drama, suspense, action, fun and adventure, The Far Away Girl is refreshing and not to be missed.

By Tandin Pem (Bhutan Observer)

His Majesty awards Gold Medal to MPAB

Convenience for clients, safety of vital communication, efficient service is taking the services near its rivals

In order to recognise the contribution of Bhutan’s nebulous and unsupported film industry, His Majesty the King awarded the Motion Picture Association of Bhutan (MPAB) with a gold medal on the occasion of the National Day on December 17.

The medal has been given in recognition of the association’s contribution to the nation in preservation and promotion of the rich culture and language through films and music, thus contributing to Gross National Happiness (GNH) philosophy of the country.

Yesterday, at the Bhutan Chamber of Commerce and Industry conference hall, the president of MPAB, Dasho Ugyen Tshechup Dorji and the other members of the association held a press conference to showcase the efforts put in by association members, as well as share their gratitude towards His Majesty for appreciating their effort.

However, the MPAB also shared the difficulties and handicaps faced by the film industry in Bhutan.

“During the National day, MPAB was awarded a gold medal and this is a great honour. It has also been a great boost to each and every person involved in making films and music. I feel that MPAB has come a long way, despite the existing difficulties, and I am proud to say that MPAB has been able to contribute something to GNH and to the country as a whole,” said Dasho Ugyen Tshechup Dorji.

MPAB also disclosed their proposals to the government, like request for allotment of land in urban areas to build theatres, a film and music development fund in order to segregate avant garde movies – which have a poor market restricted to the culturally conscious – from commercial ones; development of a film city, and most importantly, to provide the film producers loan from banks in the country.

Dasho Ugyen told the media that the producers are not eligible for loans from the banks due to lack of ‘industry’ status and absence of infrastructure.

Incidentally, in May, the Prime Minister had promised to look into the issue of granting ‘industry’ status to movie making but nothing has happened so far.

The MPAB was established on 9 September, 1999, with the aim to preserve the culture and tradition of the country, create employment for youth, link up with other associations of the world and stay abreast of affairs that could be used to market Bhutanese films.

One of its original goals was also to assist the protection of individual copyright and protect local audiovisual products from any form of piracy.

The industry had kicked off with the making of “Gasa Lamai Singye”, a period romance in 1987, and the first commercial film “Jigdrel” was produced by Norling Drayang in 1998.

The success of Jigdrel led to the emergence of the Bhutanese film industry and the formation of MPAB. As of December 2009, more than 150 feature films have been made, with an average of 18 films produced each year.

The films in Bhutan are made in digital format rather than on celluloid, with producers working on shoestring budgets and lacking in a team of trained professionals.

By Kesang Wangmo (Bhutan Today)

The year in Bhutanese cinema

From releasing Sungchop Magmi, which took six years in the making, to Return of Ata Khawjay to receiving a gold medal from His Majesty, 2009 was an exciting year for the burgeoning Bhutanese movie industry.

In total, 18 films were produced, out of which only five made it to the theatres in Thimphu. Karma Entertainment’s Sem da Sem and Dechen Pem’s Sem ge Damtshe were among the commercially successful films of the year.

Sem da Sem also became the Bhutanese film to be screened at the Palace and was reportedly watched and appreciated by His Majesty.

Sem ge Jurwa was well received by the review board as it carried a lot of social messages.

Far away girl, produced by a new team, was also well received. O ther films like Chorten Kora, which is based on nomadic lifestyle, City of Dreams, which dwells on the urban lifestyle, 4 Friends, a film by a woman director, Karma Deki, were also released last year.

The last film to be released was Sergi Zhongm, which centres on livestock and rural-urban migration. While all the films were produced within the range of Nu 1.5 to Nu 2 million on average, the producer of Return of Ata Khawjay claims to have spent more than Nu 2 million.

Actor Chencho Dorji dominated as the male protagonist in most of the films. The 27-year-old actor, who acted in five films last year, says he gave his best in every film. I n 2008, a number of female actors had been introduced but in 2009, senior female actors stole the limelight.

Tshering Wangyel directed four films, the maximum number in the year. The year also saw the making of a big budget film by NT Sound and Vision starring the Bhutanese Bollywood actor, Kelley Dorji.

Achievements

According to Motion Picture Association of Bhutan (MPAB), the Bhutanese cinema’s greatest achievement in the past year was dominating the local market not only in Thimphu, but also in the southern region. Earlier, Bollywood films had dominated local theaters in the south.

The gold medal awarded to the association by His Majesty was another achievement. “Getting recognition from the highest level was indeed an achievement,” said Sherub Gyeltshen, the general secretary of MPAB.

Difficulties

The shortage of theaters continues to ail the industry. To ease the crunch, MPAB started a system whereby a film cannot be screened for the year in Bhutanese cinema more than 22 days.

However, with the upcoming theaters in Chubachu and twin theater in Olakha in Thimphu, the problem is expected to be addressed.

The film industry is also lacking training. Even after 10 years of establishment, it hardly gets human resource development training from the government.

However, the concern is expected to be addressed because the cabinet assured the industry that the government would support it in various ways.Meanwhile, the MPAB is yet to gain industry status.

But it is positive about the industry’s future. “We expect a better paved way now on,” said Sherub Gyeltshen.

By Tandin Pem (Bhutan Observer)

'The Young Victoria' wins Academy Award

Sandy Powell was summoned to the podium twice Thursday night at the 12th annual Costume Designers Guild Awards at the Beverly Hilton.

Powell was awarded the prize for excellence in period film for her work in Apparition's "The Young Victoria," in which she dressed Emily Blunt as the young queen just assuming her throne.

Sandy Powell picked up her third Academy Award for The Young Victoria, Jean-Marc Vallée’s lavish adaptation of Philippa Gregory’s novel, starring Emily Blunt. It is Powell's fourth award for the film, including the Costume Design gong at last month's Baftas.

Powell, who won her first two Academy Awards for Shakespeare in Love (1998) and The Aviator (2004), joked as she collected her Oscar: "I've already got two of these at home so I'm feeling greedy."

She dedicated the gong to designers on low budget and contemporary films, saying: "This one's for you but I'm going to take it home tonight, thank you."

Powell studied Theatre Design at London’s Central School of Art, but left midway through the course to design in fringe theatre, before moving into film. Her break in cinema came in Derek Jarman’s 1986 film Caravaggio, and she went on to work on such films such as the Oscar-winning The Crying Game, Michael Collins, Gangs of New York, The Other Boleyn Girl and The Departed.

In an interview in 2008, Powell told The Times that exploring different time periods was her favourite part of the job. “Since the internet, it is now possible to cover a wide area without leaving your desk," she added. "However, it’s always better to look at the real thing. For Young Victoria, I was lucky enough to see and touch some of Queen Victoria’s clothes, including her wedding dress.”

Powell, who has forged a continuing collaboration with the director Martin Scorcese, is also the designer behind his latest thriller, Shutter Island, currently on release, and is soon to begin work on his next project, a biopic of Frank Sinatra.

(Source: The Hollywood Reporter/ TimesOnline)

Jurmey: Casts

LODAY CHOPHEL (Jurmey)

21st Century Ox Entertainment
P.O Box 849
Thimphu, Bhutan


SONAM TENZIN (Jamyang)

Sharchokpa Tshongkhang
P.O Box 738
Thimphu, Bhutan


SONAM YANGKI (Deki)

Yangki Automobiles
P.O Box 384
Thimphu, Bhutan


THINLEY CHOEDEN (Yangchen)

XI Science
Yangchenphug High School
Thimphu, Bhutan


GOMCHEN PENJOR (Grandpa)

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Thimphu, Bhutan


LUNGTEN WANGDE (Village Head)

Below U.N.D.P Office
Thimphu
Bhutan


KARMA SAMDRUP (Lungten)

C.O Karma Tshering
Lungtenphug RBA
Thimphu, Bhutan


MEMI SANJAY (Hermit)

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City of Dreamz: A film by Chungdra Gyeltshen

‘The grass is always greener on the other side’ is the theme of the latest film showing at the Trowa Theatre in Thimphu.

Kezang Tobgay, a new comer, plays the male protagonist as Tobgay and Choki Wangmo plays the female lead as Yeshey, a village girl. Tandin Penjore plays Penjor, a cousin of Tobgay from Thimphu.

C ity of Dreamz is about a young boy coming to Thimphu from a remote place chasing a dream to become an actor.

On his arrival in Thimphu, the city of fierce competition and rat race, he experiences the harsh realities of life that stand in stark contrast to a village life.

His dream of making it to the celluloid world of glitz and glamour becomes a mirage when he comes across deceitful friends and phoney love.

Ultimately, he returns to his village as an unsuccessful actor.

But he comes out of the ordeal and obstacles to his dream afresh. He is born again as a successful human being.

The film, in a way, shows that people from remote places look at Thimphu as an urban paradise oblivious to its hardships and challenges.

D irected and written by Chungdra Gyeltshen, a new comer, the film also has some social messages. After watching the film, people will be more aware of the helpline numbers of the police and hospital.

The two hours and 10 minutes long film has seven songs, some of which are catchy. “The film is based on realities and every viewer can connect to it,” said Chungdra Gyeltshen.

S hot in 40 days in Thimphu and Trongsa, City of Dreamz hit the screen on August 24. A t the end of the film, the viewer is still kept in the dark about Tobgay’s village and its name. It is only known that he is a village boy.

A ll in all, the film has a lot to offer to the viewers. It is refreshing and entertaining, worth watching. The film is a debut production of Karma Ugyen Tshulthrim.

Viewers commented that the film was impressive with most of them saying the lead actor had done a good job. The film is presently being screened at Trowa Threatre in Changjiji housing colony at 7 pm.

By Tandin Pem

Movie Synopsis

Jurmey is a restless teenager staying with his brother, Namgay, in Thimphu.

Being in the same class, same desk, for three years in a row, he is quite a bully at school. Once, the principal of the school finds him standing outside the classroom due to his misbehavior at class. As a result and way to correct him, the principal places him in the care of Jamyang, an exemplary student excellent in both studies and character. This is where the trouble begins.

Yangchen, a school beauty, finds Jamyang beaten to a pulp and decides to help him, more out of pity. They become friends much to the dislike of Jurmey who also happens to like her. The enraged Jurmey corners Jamyang in a classroom and beats him. The principal catches them red-handed and Jurmey is expelled.

Namgay is disheartened and tries advising Jurmey to be more responsible. Angry, Jurmey walks away from home and finds Jamyang and Yangchen walking into the woods, making their way to a secret hut where Jamyang invents homemade instruments like gun and crossbow. Here, Jamyang displays his invention to Yangchen. They prepare the gun to fire when Jurmey barges into the hut and threatens Jamyang. Yangchen is disappointed with Jamyang and calls him a coward. To prove his bravery, Jamyang fires the gun. Jurmey dodges and Namgay, who came after Jurmey, is hit and dies.

Scared, Jamyang runs away deep into the forest. On the way, he meets a hermit who helped him a bit. Tired and disillusioned, Jamyang reaches a monastery after loitering in the forest for more than two weeks.

Meanwhile, Jurmey decides to go to his village and stay with his grandfather. He tries to live a life of a farmer, his grandfather bullying him with sharp words and hard assignments. Drunk, he courts a village girl, Deki, and to his dislike, he is forced to marry her.

Jamyang stays in the monastery for a long time and decides to become a monk.

With the death of grandpa Wangdi comes self-annihilation of Jurmey. He learns that he inherited his parent's land in the village.

One day, Jamyang, now a monk, comes begging for alms in the village. As Jamyang leaves, Jurmey stands at the door holding his child and watches Jamyang going back to the monastery.