“Teachers touch the future.” That’s the belief of the denizens of Lunana, a remote, rural village in Bhutan. They still hold education and teachers in high regard and respect.

Ugyen (Sherab Dorji, in his feature debut) is a capital city slicker slacker teacher in the last year of a three year indenture to the state who harbours dreams of moving to Australia to become a singer. When his superiors learn of his plan to cut-short his studies, as punishment he is assigned to the most remote school in the world – located in the tiny village town of Lunana. His protests to the authorities and his own grandmother that he has an altitude problem that prevents such a posting meets with the same reply: You don’t have an altitude problem, you have an attitude problem.

So begins LUNANA: A YAK IN THE CLASSROOM, the film that was among this year’s nominations for Best International Film Oscar, a nomination that was richly deserved.

After an eight day trek from Ugyen’s home in the capital, where here he struggles with terrain, tiredness and tradition, he arrives to discover a building with no electricity, no textbooks, no blackboard and no paper. He wants to quit and go home, but any return journey is not feasible for at least a week, and begrudgingly he begins classes for the eager students.

The populace’s appreciation is so unbridled, their hospitality so honest and genuine, the meadows and mountains so beautiful, it is not so long before Ugyen is beguiled and begins a transformation within himself, learning lasting life lessons from those he was sent to teach.

Shot on location in one of the most remote villages in the world, LUNANA: A YAK IN THE CLASSROOM is quite simply a charming and enchanting story, eschewing any cheesiness.

Chock full of winning performances, a screenplay that pays tribute to tradition, applauds progress, but is attuned to striking a balance between the two, set against stunning scenery, Pawo Choyning Dorji’ gorgeous film is leaps and bounds among the best films of the year.

View trailer here