Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom is, in many respects, a perfect festival film: a small film which is not likely to get a full theatrical release, from a foreign country, by a director you've never head of, with dialogue in a language that you can't understand without subtitles, and featuring some beautiful photography of exotic landscapes. If you've previously had a personal interest in those landscapes: so much the better.

Lunana is a Bhutanese film, from a first-time director, Pawo Choyning Dorji. Bhutan is that small, land-locked Himalayan country on the southern border of Tibet, which most know for its national policy of maximizing Gross National Happiness. Many years ago I'd dreamed of back-packing in Bhutan, at a time when travel there was almost impossible, and 7-day visas were the longest granted. Nowadays it's somewhat easier to visit Bhutan, but solo back-packing on the cheap is still officially impossible: visitors must pay a daily fee of US$250 to cover touring costs and hotel accommodation. I've still not made it to Bhutan, but Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom was an excellent stop-gap, and if you look closely at the closing credits you'll see evidence of generous support from various Bhutanese government agencies; it's no accident that the film serves a secondary purpose as a perfect, feature-length travel ad for the country.

Lunana tells the story of a young Bhutanese teacher, Ugyen, who is living in the capital of Thimpu, and who still has a year to go on his teaching contract. Like many of his generation, Ugyen is restless and bored with his life, so far away from "the action." He's been influenced by a steady diet of Western media, and has fallen for their portrayal of the good life available elsewhere. So he dreams of leaving Bhutan for Australia, where he imagines a successful career as a singer. When the film opens Ugyen has applied for a travel visa, but in the meantime, to finish his contract, he's told that he's to teach his final year in the remote village of Lunana, which is a multi-day trek on foot from the end of the road, in the northern part of the country.

There's a lot to like about this film: the scenery is fantastic, and the story itself is a sweet tale that mixes ambition, national pride, young love, and a love of music. As an added bonus, the children featured in the film are as cute as buttons (see above) and the titular yak adds just the right dose of James Herriot to the mix.

Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom has several screenings scheduled during VIFF 2019: on Sunday, October 6 at 6:15 PM, on Tuesday, October 8 at 1:45 PM, and on Friday, October 11 at 6:15 PM. You can view a trailer for the film here. You can buy tickets, and view more information on the film, here.