Bhutan: The Height of Happiness? (12A)

A colourful, sympathetic documentary about Bhutan - the only country in the world to measure the 'Gross National Happiness'
of its people

Director: Brian Becker
UK, 2008, 52 minutes

Sat 6 March 2.15pm The Courtyard Hereford

Sandwiched between China and India deep in the Himalayas, Bhutan has remained one of the few spots in the world untainted by commercialism. Until the late 90's, that is, when satellite communications arrived. In a country that retained its own customs, traditions and costume and measured its output in terms of 'Gross National Happiness' it's the young who have proved particularly vulnerable to the evils of globalisation: consumerism, TV, gaming addiction, fast food. This colourful and sympathetic documentary gives a balanced view of a sheltered nation reeling from fast-forward exposure to the larger world.