The Monk and the Gun

Oscar-nominated director Pawo Choyning Dorji returns with a film brimming with warmheartedness – but not without risk.

Modernisation has finally arrived. Bhutan has become the last country in the world to connect to the internet; it's rolling out broadcast television and now democracy is on its way. To teach the people how to vote, authorities organise a mock election, but the locals seem unmoved by their newfound power. As the mock election approaches, an ageing lama bestows a task on a young monk: get me guns.

Curator's note

After receiving an Academy Award nomination for Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom, his feature film debut as director, Pawo Choyning Dorji has followed up with an equally charming comedic drama that casts a recently open Bhutan in a lead role.

It's 2006 and the country is transitioning to a democracy. But what is lost in the transition? And what is waiting at the gates? The Monk and the Gun is one of the sweetest films of the year but with a satirical barb in its tail.

– Reece Goodwin, Curator (Film & TV)