Kingdom of Bhutan: The Land of Hidden Treasures

The Dragon House(en)

The Dragon House portrays the confrontation between tradition and modernity which the Kingdom of Bhutan is currently experiencing. This is done by means of two Bhutanese characters: a young Buddhist monk, heir to the local tradition, and the first disc jockey to dare to play House and Techno music in the small Himalayan kingdom.

Bhutan - Glücksland im Wandel(de)

It was only in the 2000s that the population of Bhutan discovered television and the Internet, as well as the first democratic elections. Near the capital Thimphou, one of the fastest-developing cities in Southeast Asia, live some 20,000 nomadic yak herders.

Crossing Bhutan(en)

Bhutan is known as the last Himalayan Buddhist Kingdom and one of the happiest places on earth. 'Crossing Bhutan' tells the story of four veteran athletes and their journey to explore Bhutan’s enigmatic policy of Gross National Happiness by making the first 485-mile, border-to-border crossing of this isolated kingdom entirely by foot and bike.

Golden Globe - Bhutan(de)

Agent of Happiness(dz)

The documentary team follows two happiness agents in their forties who spend a month and a half on the road twice a year, going door-to-door with their questionnaires in isolated villages in the Himalayas. The filmmakers undertake to provide an intimate insight into the daily lives and desires of Bhutanese people, and also seek the answer to the universal question of whether happiness can really be measured. Gross National Happiness promises a heart-warming journey into a mysterious, fairytale-like world, which is the exact opposite of the social order dominated by consumption and desires.

Happiness(en)

Peyangki is a dreamy and solitary eight-year-old monk living in Laya, a Bhutanese village perched high in the Himalayas. Soon the world will come to him: the village is about to be connected to electricity, and the first television will flicker on before Peyangki's eyes.

1000 Hands of the Guru(en)

Four monks, a royal scholar, and their American guru are fighting to save Bhutan's sacred arts while learning the art of letting go.

Lencha(dz)

After a tragic accident kills her parents and brother, teenager Samaya is sent far away to study abroad by her wealthy grandfather, her only surviving family. After she returns home a well-educated, beautiful young woman she resumes friendship with her two childhood friends- Sonam and Mindu. As Samaya and Sonam’s feelings for each other develop further, Mindu becomes increasingly envious and frustrated.

Travellers and Magicians(dz)

A young government official, named Dondup, 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, a drunk, a widowed rice paper maker, and his beautiful daughter, Sonam.

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore(en)

Professor Albus Dumbledore knows the powerful, dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald is moving to seize control of the wizarding world. Unable to stop him alone, he entrusts magizoologist Newt Scamander to lead an intrepid team of wizards and witches. They soon encounter an array of old and new beasts as they clash with Grindelwald's growing legion of followers.

The Empty Man(en)

On the trail of a missing girl, an ex-cop comes across a secretive group attempting to summon a terrifying supernatural entity.

Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom(dz)

A teacher, in search of inspiration, travels to the most remote school in the world, where he ends up realizing how important his job is and appreciating the value of yak dung.

Honeygiver Among the Dogs(dz)

In the remote Bhutan, an undercover detective investigates the case of a missing Buddhist nun and falls into a risky alliance with his only suspect, an alluring young woman known as the village "demoness".

The Wanted 18(en)

Through stop-motion animation, drawings and interviews, directors Amer Shomali and Paul Cowan recreate an astonishing true story from the First Palestinian Intifada: the Israeli army’s pursuit of eighteen cows, whose independent milk production on a Palestinian collective farm was declared "a threat to the national security of the state of Israel."

Chop My Money(en)

A day in the life of three street kids in the Eastern Congo. Featuring music by Dirty Beaches.

Blessed Blessed Oblivion(ar)

BLESSED BLESSED OBLIVION weaves together a portrait of masculine performativity in East Jerusalem, as manifested in gyms, body shops and hair dressing parlors.

Ariadne(nl)

The constant movement of the wheels, threads, sprockets, feet and hands suggests restlessness, and this is paralleled by the soundtrack. The unknown woman could be Gretchen from Faust, hopelessly in love or Ariadne who gave Theseus the thread to find his way out of labyrinth or perhaps she is one of the fates, weaving destiny… Enlarged from Super-8 to 35mm, the film is very grainy, in itself an homage to the medium of film which is also emphasized by the depiction of all kinds of turning machines, both in image and sound.

Hawaii: A Voice for Sovereignty(en)

The goal of Hawaii, a Voice for Sovereignty is to raise awareness of the issues that threaten the Hawaiians ancient and once-environmentally-sustainable culture. It is an epic documentary about Hawaiian spirituality and the peoples close connection to the land. It focuses on the complicated social, economic and ecological issues that have arisen in Hawaii since the overthrow of Queen Liliuokalani by the United States in 1893. For Hawaiians, sovereignty is the legal, political and moral right to live on and care for the land; build and grow a sustainable economy; protect natural resources; practice spiritual and cultural traditions; honor their ancestral past; and care for family and community. The film is in the voice of native Hawaiian people who address the issues they continue to face in their long struggle to regain sovereignty over their rights and the native lands lost after the U.S. businessmen and military overthrew the Kingdom of Hawaii.

How Bizarre: The Story of an Otara Millionaire(en)

How Bizarre starts with Pauly at the height of his fame, appearing twice on the UK music show “Top of the Pops”, sharing the stage with Cher, the Spice Girls, Bryan Adams, Back Street Boys, Sheryl Crow and other ‘90s music icons, and then rewinds to show his rise from the mean streets of Otara to musical stardom.

The Thirst of a Stone Sea(sr)

Cuce, the most arid, most remote and most deserted region of Montenegro. Where 17th century met the 21st, where the reality is often surreal. One goat shepherd mourns for heroic times and great men... One man builds a road with his bare hands... One office is always open... One young woman is ready to live in a cave for love... One cow-boy is obsessed by roots... One charcoal maker surveys world politics... How long can this authenticity of life remain untouched...!?