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1-7 of 7
- In 1999, King Jigme Wangchuck approved the use of television and Internet throughout the largely undeveloped nation of Bhutan, assuring the masses that rapid development was synonymous with the "gross national happiness" of his country, a term he himself coined. Director Thomas Balmès's film Happiness begins at the end of this process as Laya, the last remaining village tucked away within the Himalayan kingdom, becomes enmeshed in roads, electricity, and cable television. Through the eyes of an eight-year-old monk impatient with prayer and eager to acquire a TV set, we witness the seeds of this seismic shift sprouting during a three-day journey from the outskirts of Laya to the thriving capital of Thimphu. It is here the young boy discovers cars, toilets, colorful club lights, and countless other elements of modern life for the first time.
- The hero is a retired army officer in the period of transition in Romania from the Communist rule to democracy. As many aged people during these times he loses a lot in position and material situation and is too aged to adapt and start building something from zero. His last resort is the family, but his home and family is also slowly decomposing under the pressure of the times. His elder son dies in a stupid home accident (the film starts with his funeral), than his only other child, a daughter moves to America in the search of a better material life. His life seems to fall under the control of his in-law, a mercantile and much better adapted man, who slowly seems to deprive him not only of his children, but also of his pride and human dignity. The end is unexpected, but if you look back and reflect on what you've seen on screen, it becomes logical.
- As the Internet finally arrives in tiny Bhutan, documentarian Thomas Balmès is there to witness its transformative impact on a young Buddhist monk whose initial trepidation gives way to profound engagement with the technology.
- How does India, where there are retirement homes for sacred cows, handle the mad cow crisis?
- A sequel to The Gospel According to the Papuans (1999). One year later, while the Papuans are still waiting for the return of Jesus, life had changed in the village of Mundugya.
- A new feature length montage, made especially for TV, of the two previous documentaries The Gospel According to the Papuans (1999) and Waiting for Jesus (2000).
- Covers the story of U.N. Kenyan peacekeepers in Bosnia.