Bhutan has a population of less than one million people but nevertheless contains a thriving film industry. Though the Bhutanese film industry has largely looked east for inspiration, modeling itself on Bollywood, director Karma Deki has decided to adopt a more Western style with her new love story “Kushuthara: Pattern of Love,” the first Bhutanese film to star a western actor, and one that will receive a North American release.
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Set in parts of the Himalayas usually inaccessible to foreigners, the film stars Emrhys Cooper (“Vanity”) as Charlie, a western photojournalist who engages in a love affair with Bhutanese girl Chomiko (Kezang Wangmo). As the two get to know each other, they realize that their lives are entangled and they’ve been destined to meet. The film also co-stars Jamyang Jamtsho Wangchuck, who starred alongside Brad Pitt as the young Dalai Lama in “Seven Years in Tibet.” Watch an exclusive trailer and a behind-the-scenes featurette below.
The film has won a number of international awards last year, including Best Foreign Narrative Film at the Laughlin International Film Festival, an Honorable Mention for Cooper at the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival and the Lyrics, Composer and Sound Design award from the National Bhutan Film Festival.
“Kushuthara: Pattern of Love” will be released in select theaters and VOD platforms this spring.
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