| Agent of Happiness | |
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| Running time | 94 minutes |
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| Languages | Dzongkha, Nepali, English |
Agent of Happiness is a 2024 documentary film directed by Arun Bhattarai and Dorottya Zurbó, and produced by Noémi Veronika Szakonyi, Máté Artur Vincze, and Arun Bhattarai. It follows Bhutanese government officials, Amber Kumar Gurung and Guna Raj Kuikel, as they travel through the country to measure people's happiness levels, which are then used to calculate the Gross National Happiness score.
It had its world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival where it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize in the World Cinema Documentary category.
Premise
The film follows Amber Kumar Gurung and Guna Raj Kuikel, two Bhutanese bureaucrats, in their travels through the small Himalayan kingdom as census workers, measuring people's happiness levels. They work for the Center for Gross National Happiness, a government institution which is tasked with collecting data on the citizens' happiness. This data is then used to inform the constitutionally-mandated goal of increasing national happiness.
Along the way we meet Bhutan's everyday people, such as a transgender bar singer, a wealthy farmer and his three wives, a teenage girl who worries about her mother's alcoholism, or a recent widower who finds solace in religion. Through them we get a glimpse into the Bhutanese society and their views on happiness in face of adversity. We also explore Amber's dreams and ambitions, primarily among them the dream of finding love.
Production
The film was produced by the Hungarian Match Frame Productions and co-produced by the Bhutanese Sound Pictures. It received funding from the Hungarian National Film Institute.
Release
It had its world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival on January 19, 2024. It was selected for the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2024, where it competed in the South Asia Competition and received a special mention from the NETPAC jury.
References
- "Agent of Happiness". Sundance Film Festival. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
- Agent of Happiness (2024) - Awards - IMDb. Retrieved 2024-05-19 – via www.imdb.com.
- ^ Staff, F. N. E. "PRODUCTION: Arun Bhattarai and Dorottya Zurbó in Postproduction with New Documentary Shot in Bhutan - FilmNewEurope.com". www.filmneweurope.com. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
- Lambert, Jonathan (2024-02-04). "'Agent of Happiness' — a documentary on how Bhutan measures national happiness : Goats and Soda : NPR". NPR. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
- D'Alessandro, Anthony; Patten, Dominic (2023-12-06). "Sundance Unveils Packed 2024 Lineup That Includes A.I., Pedro Pascal, Kristen Stewart, Satan, Devo & Steven Yeun". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
- Scroll Staff (2024-10-09). "MAMI Mumbai Film Festival will open with Payal Kapadia's 'All We Imagine as Light'". Scroll.in. Retrieved 2024-10-11.
- "Rhythm of a Flower by Amit Dutta won the Golden Gateway Award and Nocturnes by Anirban Dutta, Anupama Srinivasan won Silver award at the closing ceremony of MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2024". Firstpost. 2024-10-24. Retrieved 2024-10-24.