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qIFF: The Monk and The Gun
March 14, 2025 @ 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm
Following up his Oscar-nominated debut film Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom, Bhutanese filmmaker Pawo Choyning Dorji’s The Monk and the Gun is a political satire set in the year 2006 as the Kingdom of Bhutan transitions towards becoming the world’s youngest democracy. Lusciously lensed by cinematographer Jigme Tenzing, the ensemble comedy examines how the country’s upcoming mock elections affect the titular monk, a rural family, an election official, and a desperate liaison from the city, all of whose lives collide in minor and major ways.
Known throughout the world for its extraordinary beauty and its emphasis on Gross National Happiness, the remote Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan was the last nation to connect to the internet and television. And if that weren’t enough change, the King announced shortly afterwards that he would cede his power to the people via their vote and a new form of government: Democracy.
