Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom

Ugyen is a young teacher in Bhutan who would rather pursue a singing career in Australia. When his attitude at work draws the attention of his superiors, he is sent to complete his service in Lunana, a village high in the Himalayas reachable only after a long trek. The school there has few of the basics he expects, and the surrounding community lives simply, close to the land and its animals. Ugyen intends to leave as soon as he can, but his students and their families gradually draw him in, and their warmth and appetite for learning lead him to reconsider what his work means.

Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom is a 2019 Bhutanese drama written and directed by Pawo Choyning Dorji, marking his first feature. The cast is led by Sherab Dorji as Ugyen, alongside Ugyen Norbu Lhendup, Keldon Lhamo Gurung, Pem Zam, Chimi Dem and Tshering Dorji. Dorji went on to direct The Monk and the Gun, Tales of Taipei and A Song for the Snow Lion, with this film standing at the start of that run.

Audiences have responded well to it: on IMDb it holds a rating of 7.5 from around 8,300 votes, and on TMDB a rating of 7.4 from roughly 240 votes. Those figures point to a modest but appreciative viewership rather than a large mainstream one.