ARUN BHATTARAI 

Director, cinematographer and co-producer 

Arun's journey in the world of film began with his significant debut feature-length documentary, ‘The Next Guardian,’ co-directed with Dorottya Zurbó. This intimate family narrative from Bhutan premiered at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) in 2017 and has since been screened at more than 40 international festivals, including prestigious events such as True/False, Ambulante, SFFILM, and MoMA DocFortnight.

Before establishing himself as an independent filmmaker, Arun spent five years as a TV director at the Bhutan Broadcasting Service, where he honed his skills in storytelling and visual narrative. He furthered his education in documentary directing by graduating from the inaugural edition of the DocNomads Joint Master program in 2014, an experience that deepened his commitment to creative filmmaking.

Arun's recent short documentary, ‘Mountain Man,’ which explores the life of Bhutan’s only glaciologist, garnered the Best Pitch Prize at the If/Then Global Short Pitch at IDFA 2019. The film has been showcased at notable festivals, including IDFA, DOC NYC, and the Chicago International Film Festival, further solidifying Arun's reputation within the documentary film community.

His new film ‘Agent of Happiness’ has received support from esteemed organizations such as the Sundance Film Institute, Catapult Film Fund, and DMZ Docs Fund. This project was developed through various prestigious programs, including the Points North Fellowship 2022, the True False Rough Cut Retreat 2023, and Doc.incubator 2023.

In 2015, Arun founded his own production company, Sound Pictures, which is dedicated to creating innovative and socially relevant documentaries. As one of the few independent documentary filmmakers in Bhutan, Arun Bhattarai continues to inspire audiences with his unique storytelling perspective, bringing attention to the rich culture and pressing issues of his homeland while contributing to the global documentary landscape.