Oscar Nominee Dorji Wins For Best Feature At Inaugural World Culture Film Festival
India-West Staff Reporter
LOS ANGELES, CA – The inaugural World Culture Film Festival, which began on July 25, concluded with an uplifting awards ceremony on July 28. Pawo Choyning Dorji’s “The Monk and The Gun” won Best Feature Film. Dorji was previously nominated for an Oscar in 2019 for “Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom” in the Best International Feature Film category.
Over 60 countries, including Australia, Belgium, Mexico, Tibet, Japan, Germany, and Brazil, participated in the festival. More than 60 films competed in the official selections, screened at the newly reopened former Downtown Independent Theater and online.
The awards ceremony took place at the Art of Living Center, founded by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, who inspired the festival’s core theme of “entertainment that uplifts.”
Among the night’s in-competition award-winners were Dash Kolos’ “Crown” (Best Short Film), Julio Palacio’s “Makayla’s Voice: A Letter to the World” (Directors’ Choice Award), and Justin Grant and Laurens Goud’s “Our Voice, Our Heart” (Audience Choice Award). Nyal Mueenuddin’s “When the Floods Come” was also recognized, along with other winners.
Honorary awards were given to professionals from diverse cultural backgrounds for their innovative contributions to their industries. Honorees included Dorji, Sony Pictures’ senior executive Palak Patel, Native American filmmaker Vernon Foster, and Native American actress and climate warrior Quannah Chasinghorse. Other notable attendees at the ceremony included Esai Morales, Mark Pennell, Tel Ganeshan, and Leslye Moore.
In his acceptance speech, Dorji reflected on his journey into filmmaking: “I didn’t go to film school. I fell in love with storytelling and used to work as a stills photographer. Very late, in 2019, I decided to make my first film [Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom] and I wanted it to be set in the world’s remotest school. Everyone told me, ‘Look Pawo, it’s a film, you’re supposed to cheat. Let’s shoot it back here and pretend it’s the world’s remotest school.’ I wanted it to be authentic. We hiked up to the world’s remotest school, we stayed up there for two months making this film. We had no electricity; the entire film was made on solar batteries.”
The awards ceremony featured musical performances by talented artists, including vocalist Frederick Tabiyus Nah, pianist Narek Torosyan, and violin and cello artists Olga Matevosyan and Hovhannes Alanakyan.
In its first year, the World Culture Film Festival attracted partners such as USC School of Cinematic Arts, which screened 11 student films, Filmmakers Alliance, EOFlix, Sumeru Studios, and Ethos Film Awards.
The festival was led by executive directors Anabelle D. Munro and Sej Saraiya, and executive producer Jatin Chaurasia.
Photo: Pawo Choyning Dorji
