In celebration of the Royal Wedding, members of VAST, Happy Valley Street Theatre and the Projection Foundation organized the Beskop Tsechu, Bhutan’s first-ever film festival. For three days, residents of Thimphu were treated to free and open screenings of creative short films at the Thai Pavilion, DYS, and Lugar Theatre. Many of these films were directed and produced by young and aspiring Bhutanese filmmakers who had previously lacked a platform to share their artistic endeavors.

Presently in Bhutan, there is no regularized support for creative filmmaking. Often, mainstream filmmakers will produce feature films that pander to the Bollywood formula of song-dance love stories – and never go beyond that. Filmmakers do this because they believe that these stories are the ones that will appeal to people the most, and thus bring the most financial returns. One of the main intentions of Beskop Tsechu was to turn this assumption on its head, and give the Bhutanese viewing public something different to watch, something that “reflected a more authentic Bhutanese expression”.

Day after day, the festival was successful in drawing large numbers of Bhutanese and foreigners to the evening screenings. The combination of film screenings and live performances by the Happy Valley troupe kept audiences entertained in spite of the chilly outdoor conditions. On the final day, the festival’s most exceptional films were recognized with awards by a distinguished panel of judges. Two student-produced films from past BCMD camps – “Buried in Garbage” and “The Story of Tshering Yangzom” – received special recognition in the documentary category. The student teams involved in the productions include: Zuki Nima, Sonam Lhaki, Thinley Tobgay (for “Buried in Garbage”); and Karma Gyeltshen, Kuenzang Jambay, and Pema Rinchen (for “The Story of Tshering Yangzom”). Please join BCMD in congratulating them!