Stan has recommended the film Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom (2021).
Description:
An alienated young teacher is assigned to teach at the most remote school in the world, in the tiny yak herding village of Lunana, high up in the Himalayas, with no electricity.
This film in the Dzongkha language is from the Buddhist nation of the Kingdom of Bhutan, whose government policy is to maximize the happiness of its people above all else. It was the first Bhutanese film to receive an Oscar Nomination for Best International Feature.
Where to watch:
If you have Netflix you can watch it here:
https://www.netflix.com/title/81587946
And with a library card you can watch it on Kanopy:
https://www.kanopy.com/en/video/12024434
Where to chat:
Discussion 8:00pm on February 3 at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2272006912 Meeting ID: 227 200 6912
Notes:
Here's some articles about Yak in the Classroom. The first NPR piece discusses some of the challenges. It took over a year to carry the needed equipment to the village to make the film, and nearly everyone is the film are actual villagers from Lunana who had never seen a film. Many of the events in the film are simply unscripted things that actually happened.
https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2022/03/25/1088217111/a-yak-a-ticked-off-teacher-an-oscar-nomination-for-bhutan-we-interview-the-direc
When we talk about happiness in Buddhist tradition, we really mean contentment and acceptance.
https://thefilmstage.com/lunana-a-yak-in-the-classroom-review-bhutan-oscar/
https://www.screendaily.com/features/the-long-road-to-success-for-lunana-a-yak-in-the-classroom-bhutan-was-not-an-option-on-the-academy-list/5166907.article
Shortly after filming completed, Bhutan began construction of a road toward Lunana, shortening the travel time by one day. Here is an article about that project:
https://kuenselonline.com/road-construction-to-lunana-begins/
Bhutan is a newcomer to the filmmaking world and pretty much everything made so far is worth seeing. The first feature film ever shot entirely in Bhutan was "Travelers and Magicians" (2003), in the Dzongkha language. It was made by director and writer Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche (Khyentse Norbu), who is a Bhutanese Lama considered to be the third incarnation of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, the founder of Khyentse lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. When not doing overt Tibetan Lama stuff, he went to film school and started making fascinating films.
If you like Lunana, maybe try "Travelers and Magicians" next, which is a sort of Buddhist buddy road movie. Kind of. Maybe.
https://www.kanopy.com/en/video/5346776