Agent of Happiness

Local title
Õnne agent
Director
Arun Bhattarai, Dorottya Zurbó
Country
Bhutan, Hungary
Year
2024
Festival
28th Black Nights Film Festival
Programme
Best of Docs
Genre
adventure
Subject
individual vs society, humour, feel-good

A Bhutanese “happiness agent” embarks on a journey to measure happiness – his own included.

In the late 1970s, Bhutan’s 4th King declared, “Gross National Happiness is more important than Gross Domestic Product.” Decades later, this philosophy still guides Bhutan’s policies. This documentary quietly follows two “happiness agents” as they traverse the Bhutanese Himalayas, gathering data for the government’s unique Gross National Happiness Index. Like census workers, they visit remote villages, collecting responses to measure personal well-being. Amber, one of the agents, grapples with his own search for fulfilment.

The film gently encourages viewers to reflect on their own understanding of happiness. As happiness scores ranging from 0 to 10 are calculated, the impossibility of quantifying happiness becomes clear in this contemplative, thought-provoking film.

Director
Arun Bhattarai, Dorottya Zurbó
Screenwriter
Arun Bhattarai, Dorottya Zurbó
Producer
Noémi Veronika Szakonyi, Máté Artur Vincze, Arun Bhattarai
Cinematographer
Arun Bhattarai
Composer
Ádám Balázs
Sound
Rudolf Várhegyi, Tamás Bohács
World sales
Cinephil
Runtime
Language
Dzongkha, Nepali
Subtitles
English
Director
Arun Bhattarai
Director
Dorottya Zurbó

Screenings

8th Hall Apollo Kino Coca-Cola Plaza
Screening010801 / Õnne agent
SubtitlesEnglish
Screening duration
Hall 1 Kino Artis
Screening032103 / Õnne agent
SubtitlesEnglish
Screening duration
Hall 2 Kino Artis
Screening162203 / Õnne agent
SubtitlesEnglish
Screening duration
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