{Singapore Premiere}
SAT 22 SEP | 6:30pm*
BHUTAN 2016
132 mins
PG
Dzongkha with English subtitles
Directed by Dechen Roder
*There will be a post-screening discussion with the film director
Synopsis
Detective Kinley is sent to a remote region of Bhutan to investigate the disappearance of a Buddhist nun. He goes undercover and enters a risky alliance with his only suspect, a mysterious and alluring young woman named Choden, known to the villagers as a demoness. As Choden draws Kinley into her world, his supervisor takes him off the case, sending Kinley spiralling into delirium and nightmares. Honeygiver Among the Dogs is the debut feature by Bhutanese director Dechen Roder, one of the Himalayan nation’s few female directors. Her film merges spirituality and tradition with the classic hallmarks of the film noir genre.
Director’s Bio
Dechen Roder is one of the first female directors from the Kingdom of Bhutan. She has been making small shorts and documentaries since 2005. Her most recent short film “Lo Sum Choe Sum” (or “3 Year 3 Month Retreat”) competed in the Berlinale Shorts 2015, and later screened in multiple festivals around the world, including Palm Springs Short Fest, Melbourne, Fribourg, and Seoul International Women’s Film Festival. She is also the co-founder and organiser of the only film festival in Bhutan- Beskop Tshechu Film Festival.
Director’s Statement
Growing up as a young girl in Bhutan, my mother told me stories of dakinis. But I was lucky. For the most part, in modern Bhutan, dakini stories don’t float around so much anymore, as the male lens ironically becomes stronger when it comes to stories of our past.
When I actually met a woman who had the dakini essence, it was the first time that I realised the dakini stories are more than just paintings on temple walls or in old texts. They are real life stories of female strength, bravery, compassion and wisdom. Remembering and recognising the dakini becomes more and more important. For us as Bhutanese, as women, and as humans.
*There will be a post-screening discussion with the film director
This film is supported by
