A Woman of Pure Heart bagged the best film 2018 during the fifth documentary and short film awards held in Thimphu on May 2.

The film won Nu 50,000.

The 32-minute film hovers around the themes of rural-urban migration, unemployment, and local government elections.

It tells a story of a university graduate who leaves her village despite her mother’s repeated requests and travels to a town in search of a job.

Her endeavour ends in a disaster.

She is raped, harassed, and there seems little hope of getting a job. The film ends on a positive note. She returns to her village, contests in the local government election and becomes a gup.

A recent graduate in real life, Sonam Wangmo Tshering, who graduated from Punjab, India, plays the lead role, and Kuenga Kinley Tshering is the director.

This was the first award for the producer of the film, Sonam Tenzin in such category. While he has been acting for the last nine years, he said he had not made a short film. He said he made the film within two weeks and spent about Nu 500,000.

“The short films are focused on specific messages about issues in the society and may not become successful commercially,” he said.

Sonam Tenzin’s film is expected to be screened at the 12th Asia- Pacific Screen Awards in New Delhi, India later this year.

“I wish to make more of such films on issues of culture, youth and women,” he said.

ROW- Hidden Heart, a short film by Karma Lhatrul Dorji came second and won Nu 30,000 in cash prize.

More than 15 films and documentaries participated in the contest.

The annual film festival was organised by the Film Association of Bhutan with funds from the home and information and communications ministries.

Tshering Palden

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