Film screening followed by a discussion
The Monk and the Gun
On February 12, the Cinémathèque Leipzig will present a Bhutanese film for the first time as part of the KFG Multiple Secularities series “Screening Religion.” The focus is on Bhutan’s democratization process and the country’s historic first election in 2008.
Free entry, donations welcome
Bhutan, Taiwan, France, USA / 2023 / 107 min
Director: Pawo Choyning Dorji
Original with English subs
The Kingdom of Bhutan was the last country in the world to connect to the internet and television, and now the biggest callenge of all: democracy. To teach the people how to vote, the authorities organize a mock election, but the locals seem unconvinced. Travelling to rural Bhutan where religion is more popular than politics, the election supervisor discovers that a monk is planning a mysterious ceremony for the election day.
The film will be followed by a discussion with Dagmar Schwerk, Professor of Tibetology at Leipzig University.