Bhutan Film Festival Organizers Talk Inaugural Edition, 2025 Expansion Plans

Launched by the non-profit Bhutan Film Institute (BFI), the first Kingdom of Bhutan International Film Festival (KBIFF) wrapped after a week of screenings, masterclasses and honorary showcases — with organizers planning to double the program’s offerings for 2025.

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Organizers told Deadline that the festival invited around 100 guests for its inaugural edition, including domestic VIPs, major Film Institute supporters, filmmakers, international guests and masterclass presenters.

Screenings were held at the country’s historic Lugar Theater, which has a capacity of 400.

With a modest line-up of eight feature film screenings — including four Bhutanese films and four international films, the festival signaled strong ambitions to continue expanding for next year’s edition.

“Our goal for 2025 is to grow the festival — double the number of international participants, both filmmakers, actors and cinema aficionados too,” said Mel Gee Henderson, co-founder of the Bhutan Film Institute and festival.

Henderson added that her team also plans to double the number of submissions to the BFI’s Short Film Competition. However, she also pointed out that several challenges remain.

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“Bhutan, although vastly innovative in its approach to protecting its environment, is still a developing nation and does not have the infrastructure to support a large festival,” Henderson said. “The country is also a young democracy and receiving government funding is a major challenge. We rely mostly on international donors for support.”

The KBIFF opened with the world premiere of Bhutanese film Aum Penjor on September 19 at the Royal Academy in Paro.

The festival also ran an honorary screening of Adam VillaSenor’s debut film In Full Bloom (2019) as well as Bhutan’s Oscar submission The Old Monk and the Gun (2023).

Both the KBIFF and BFI are still taking their first steps in providing a wider platform for Bhutanese cinema domestically, with the country’s BFI officially established on December 6 last year.

Organizers said that Bhutan’s King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck had advised the festival’s founders to make the inaugural edition “high quality, low volume” and an “intimate gathering for international and Bhutanese filmmakers to gather and learn from one another.”

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