‘Lunana: A Yak In The Classroom’: How A Rare Bhutanese Film Became A Surprise Oscar Nominee Against The Odds
deadline.comWhen the Oscar nominations dropped on February 8, one of the most surprising and celebrated inclusions was the Bhutanese feature Lunana: A Yak In The Classroom, only the second ever movie submitted by the small Asian nation.The pic emerged from 93 total country submissions and a 15-strong shortlist to become a bonafide contender for the International Oscar statue, a result that was “beyond the wildest expectations” of the film team, as director Pawo Choyning Dorji explains to Deadline below.The team did put in the hard yards with the film when it came to applying to the Academy, however.
The pic was originally submitted during last year’s awards season, but was ineligible due to the country not having an official selection committee in place.
At the time, the Academy’s website did not even list Bhutan or the language Dzongkha as options when making the submission.After regrouping and trying again, the result was very different, which Dorji puts down to two factors: hope and resilience.
Below, we discuss the process of shooting in the mountains, the success of the awards campaign, where Bhutanese cinema is heading, and how they saved a person’s life during production.DEADLINE: Congratulations on the amazing run of success for your film – how much of a surprise has this been?PAWO CHOYNING DORJI: Forget about getting nominated, even to be shortlisted was beyond our wildest expectations!
Read more on deadline.com