Quebec Première • Grand Prize competition

Killing Time reveals the unknown story of the Bhutanese refugees. At the end of the 1980’s, the Buddhist King of Bhutan implemented strict cultural laws directly affecting the life and religious freedom of the Hindu population in the South. Demonstrations erupted. The King responded by sending his army to the South, resulting in the exodus of over 100,000 people – a sixth of the Bhutanese population. Seventeen years later, Bhutan is known as a peaceful Buddhist Himalayan Kingdom – the promoter of Gross National Happiness. Meanwhile, the Southern Bhutanese are struggling for survival in overcrowded refugee camps in Eastern Nepal. Growing increasingly restless the young see only one solution for peace – war.

Selections
Visions du Réel - Festival de film documentaire, Nyon, Suisse ; Calgary International Film Festival ; Gothenburg Film Festival, Sweden.

Annika Gustafson
Originally from Sweden, Annika Gustafson pursued a degree in cinema in Canada. She has since worked in most aspects of film and TV in both Sweden and Canada. She has spent five years pursuing the story of the forgotten Bhutanese refugees for her first full-length Killing Time. She is currently in development of a documentary about happiness.