This is the theatrical premiere of A Song for the Snow Lion. In the high Himalayas of Bhutan, yak herders have long told their children that wherever there are glaciers, there live snow lions, mythical guardians of the mountains whose fur is as white as snow and whose mane is as blue as the morning sky. It is a story that has taught generations to revere the ice and the peaks, and to understand that all life is bound together.
When Yo-Yo Ma travels to Bhutan with his cello, filmmaker Pawo Choyning Dorji weaves Ma’s journey around this ancient folktale with stunning cinematography. Together, they venture to the Lunana valley, one of the most remote human settlements on earth, where a young highlander girl still longs to hear the roar of the snow lion, even as the glaciers that are its home recede before her eyes. A Song for the Snow Lion is the untying of the knot of interdependence, a reminder that the survival of an ancient story and the survival of our planet may be one and the same.
The song of the title is the beautiful ode to the yak and its herders at the heart of:
Lunana—A Yak in the Classroom, the first ever film from Bhutan nominated for the Best International Feature Academy Award. A Bhutanese school teacher from the city is sent to a very rural village to complete his obligatory public service before he can leave for a life in Australia. This is an instant classic, a delightful neorealist adventure, a marvelous blend of serious and whimsical, with the special sauce of Bhutan’s astounding landscapes. Beautifully shot, with wonderful music, and a great cast of nonprofessionals (including the yak). Official Selection of the International Buddhist Film Festival
Q&A with Director Pawo Choyning Dorji moderated by Buddhist Film Foundation executive director Gaetano Kazuo Maida
A Song for the Snow Lion
Bhutan / 2026 / English, and Dzongkha with English subtitles / 21min / Documentary
Lunana—A Yak in the Classroom
Bhutan / 2019 / Dzongkha with English subtitles / 110 min / Drama
Director Pawo Choyning Dorji (Bhutan)