Bhutan’s Ministry of Information and Communications has launched the country’s first National Film Archive, alongside a digital restoration lab to preserve historical footage, documentaries, and traditional dramas.
The initiative, located in Thimphu, is supported by grants from UNESCO and cultural agencies in South Korea. The lab will digitize thousands of reels, some dating back to the 1960s, and provide access to students, researchers, and the public.
Indian film archivists, particularly from Satyajit Ray Film Institute and NFAI Pune, have expressed interest in cross-border collaborations to restore Himalayan region cinema heritage that straddles Bhutan, Sikkim, and Northeast India.