Bhutan’s quiet forests and sacred traditions took center stage in Kathmandu last week, as a minimalist yet powerful film from the Kingdom claimed top honors at the prestigious ICIMOD Mountain Film Festival. Butterfly Bhutan, an intimate portrait of retired forester Sonam Phuntsho’s unconventional mission, was awarded the Best ICIMOD Mountain Film Award for its striking exploration of environmental stewardship woven into religious practice.
Directed by emerging filmmaker Sonam Yangzom, Butterfly Bhutan unfolds over three years of patient observation and low-budget ingenuity—much of the footage was captured on smartphones and hand-loaned cameras. At its heart is Phuntsho’s deliberate removal of brightly colored synthetic prayer flags from saplings across Bhutan’s protected woodlands. What might appear sacrilegious at first glance reveals upon closer inspection a profound act of devotion: the synthetic materials, long flown with good intentions, are strangling young trees and undermining the very spirit they were meant to uplift.
Yangzom recalls her initial shock at witnessing Phuntsho at work. “I thought he was going against our religion,” she admits, “but learning his reasons changed my mind entirely. By hoisting these flags improperly, we’re harming the trees—and that is exactly the opposite of what our faith teaches.” Through the film’s quiet lens, viewers are invited to reconsider the meaning of ritual, and the responsibility that comes with faith.
The documentary’s title invokes the ecological “butterfly effect,” a concept that a small gesture can ripple out into sweeping change. “My protagonist is like that butterfly,” Yangzom explains. “By freeing these trees from synthetic bindings, he protects forests for generations to come.” That allegory resonated not only with local audiences—where Butterfly Bhutan previously took Best Short Documentary at last year’s Beskop Tshechu—but also with an international jury seeking stories of resilience and hope.
This year’s ICIMOD festival, themed “Fractured Voices, Reclaiming Narratives,” showcased over 65 films from 30 countries, spotlighting innovative perspectives on mountain ecosystems and communities. Against stiff competition, Yangzom’s film earned praise for its blend of personal storytelling and environmental advocacy, demonstrating how grassroots action can spark global conversation.
Looking ahead, Sonam Yangzom is already immersed in her next project: a feature-length documentary on the lives of yak herders in the remote village of Laya. With Butterfly Bhutan, she has not only chronicled one man’s humble crusade but also helped position Bhutanese voices at the forefront of the international environmental dialogue—proof that sometimes, the gentlest flap of a butterfly’s wing can change the world.
