THE NEXT GUARDIAN

In a remote village in the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan, Gyembo (16) and Tashi (15) aimlessly roam while their father meticulously polishes the ancient relics inside the altar of their family monastery. This family has been taking care of the monastery from one generation to the next for thousands of years. Following tradition, the father wants his son Gyembo to carry on the family heritage, but he has other desires just like his sister. The film through bittersweet micro-situations takes us inside a Bhutanese family where the contrasting dreams of two generations are caught in a time clash.

Arun Bhattarai was born in Samtse, Bhutan. He graduated from the first edition of Docnomads Joint Masters for which he was awarded a full Erasmus Mundus scholarship in Lisbon, Budapest and Brussels. He worked at the Bhutan Broadcasting Service (BBS) as a TV director for youth documentaries and TV programs for more than 5 years. His short documentaries have been screened in festivals like Prix Jeunesse Festival, Germany and Alparvima Film Festival, India. He developed The Guardian on several international workshops.

International Human Rights Documentary Festival 2017