Golden Cup
GOLDEN CUP: THE LEGACY is a feature film by Bhutan’s Golden Pictures. The film had a special showcase in Thailand at 2 sold-out Bangkok screenings on 14 and 15 December 2007 attended by the film's main cast and crew members. Directed by Tshering Wangyel and written by Tshering Penjore, a former personal bodyguard of His Majesty King Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck back when he was the Crown Prince of Bhutan, the film is an adaptation of an ancient folklore told through the generations. The story depicting the lives of rural villagers that is unique and well-known of Bhutan, reflecting the country’s long heritage and culture, amidst remote and natural setting was told through a light and touching narrative in a musical theme with song and dance sequences inspired by those of the Bollywood musicals. Made largely with a team of non-professional cast and crew, the film had a theatrical release in Bhutan in 2006. Digital, 130 minutes, Colour, In Dzongkha with English subtitles Director: Tshering Wangyel Contact: Golden Pictures
Synopsis: Lhamo is betrayed by her lover Tshering. Pregnant and heartbroken, she is consoled by her mother who revealed to her the curse their family has been living through. Her great-grandmother Choden was given the golden cup, a talisman of good fortune that when neglected will release an unimaginable curse, by her lover as a token of his immense love for her before he dies. Their daughter Dolkar accidentally released this curse that is passed on to all the women in their family generations later. Now this family curse has come to Lhamo and gave her an evil power that she uses to seek revenge to her former lover and his new family. She finally has her revenge, but it just leaves her empty and wasted. She has devoted all her life to evil, and now she is left cold and lonely and desires to be on the other side. She must take a decision that will bring out the heroine mettle in her. Despite the heavy and dark tone of the subject, the story is told through a light narrative with characters breaking into songs and dances, inspired by the Bollywood musicals.
Background Story: Filmed in and around Shingkhar, a small Bhutanese village concealed within the folds of the high Himalayas, the movie depicts in graphic details all aspects of rural Bhutan – the culture, landscape and architecture – combined with a mythical theme taken from folklore. Shingkhar lies at an altitude of around 3000 meters above sea level in central Bhutan and was only recently made accessible by a rough motor road. As one of the last villages in the country that has not seen much modernization and still lack amenities such as electricity, it’s the perfect setting for showing what Bhutan is like in the past, and in some ways still is. Based on a short story from “The Talisman of Good Fortune and Other Short Stories” written by Rinzin Rinzin, a collection of folk tales and myths, the movie also benefits from Shingkhar as a location, with its clustered houses, wooden shingled roofs and scenery. The cast are all non-professional actors, some are first-timers still in school with others being villagers or part- time actors. The extras are all villagers and crew members. The crews are also non-professionals who started out and learned their crafts on-spot through the film’s production, and have since become professional film crews in Bhutan.
About Film Industry in Bhutan: Despite its small size and a number of limitations, namely its low population (around 700,000) and secluded geography that renders the country distinct separation from the outside world, physically and culturally, Bhutan nevertheless enjoys a steadily flourishing film industry especially over the past few years. This recent development can be said to start with the entry of globalization through the internet as well as the movement towards digital filmmaking. With its sustainable economy approach that introduces the concept of Gross National Happiness (GNH – instead of Gross National Product, GNP), Bhutan is unique in its tightly controlled development and the focus on natural and cultural preservation which also reflects in the way it treats its films. Currently there are still only 6 operating, stand-alone, theatres in the whole country. Still, Bhutan astonishingly manages to have a thriving film industry that began almost 20 years ago, currently producing about 20 films a year, mostly digital due to limitations in the budget and size of the local market. And with the local productions far outnumbering the screens available, virtually all the movie theatres, which are fully booked out almost a year ahead, show only Bhutanese films, leaving no room for foreign, i.e. Hollywood, films in the market. However, the proximity to India, one of the world’s major film industries, also results in contemporary Bhutanese films being clearly influenced by the Bollywood style, especially for the musical, song & dance elements. Internationally well-known Bhutanese films include THE CUP, directed by Khyentse Norbu, a Rinpoche who later went on to make TRAVELLERS AND MAGICIANS which enjoyed enthusiastic reception from audiences and critics abroad. Another recent example is MILAREPA by Neten Chokling, which enjoyed popular, sold-out festival screenings in Bangkok in early 2006, showing an emerging but strong interest in the Bhutanese culture in Thailand.
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