FILM // PhxArt x Lisa Sette Gallery Series: Politics, People, and Society / The Monk and the Gun

September 8 | 1 pm

Presented in Whiteman Hall. Limited capacity.

TICKETS: Free for Members | $8 for the general public

The art of film has long provoked reflection on the ways humans interact with each other and our world. This summer, the PhxArt x Lisa Sette Gallery Summer Films series Politics, People, and Society offers a global view on how politics, cultural + societal beliefs, and other factors inform individual identity, community relations, and sometimes, entire nations and social structures. The series also complements special exhibition Multiple Realities: Experimental Art in the Eastern Bloc, 1960s-1980s, which explores how artists found novel ways to express themselves during a time when art-making was heavily monitored by governmental systems and policies.

Known throughout the world for its extraordinary beauty and its emphasis on Gross National Happiness, the remote Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan was the last nation to connect to the internet and television. Amidst this drastic change, the King announced shortly afterward that he would cede his power to the people, yielding a new democratic government.

The Monk and the Gun captures the story of a young monk who sets forth into the kingdom, instructed by an elderly lama, to retrieve two guns before the full moon. His quest brings him into contact with an American gun collector, Ron, and, as their stories intertwine, leads viewers to consider the true nature of modern democracy and the allure of firearms.

Presented in Dzongkha and English with English subtitles. Estimated runtime 107 min.

This film series is made possible by the Lisa Sette Gallery.