achievements

Bhutan+partners were involved in film and book productions, organized a conference on gross national happiness, initiated and supported cultural events and sports programs. People and organizations in Europe and Bhutan were connected and inspired through the activities.

Recently bhutan+partners produced the film 86 centimetres about the threat of the glacial lakes melting. Tshering Gyeltshen – Bhutan, and Peter Jan van der Burgh – The Netherlands directed the film.

major programs

2002: The Other Final – organization of the alternative football World Cup final between Bhutan and Montserrat in Bhutan, partners: RGOB, Bhutan, Kessels Kramer, the Netherlands

2003: Gross National Happiness Conference – organization of the conference and program content  in the Netherlands, partners: Centre for Bhutan Studies, Bhutan, ISVW School for Philosophy, NCDO and HIVOS, the Netherlands

2004 – 2007: Sports and Education program – coordination of the program in Bhutan, partners: Ministry of Education, department of youth and sports – Bhutan, PSO – the Netherlands

2004: Bow between two worlds – prepare arrangements for photo book about archery in Bhutan and Zeeland, the Netherlands, partners: Bhutan Archery Federation and RGOB, Roel Burgler and COS Zeeland - the Netherlands

2004: Bhutanese archers Tshering Choden and Tashi Penjore prepare for Athens Olympics – arrange funding and hosting in the Netherlands for three-months period, partners: RGOB and Bhutan Archery Federation, Bhutan, Netherlands Archery Federation

2005: Bhutan Archery Federation nomination Prince Claus Fund Award – supported the nomination, partner: Prince Claus Fund, the Netherlands

2006: Kuju Lukhang and Jigme Drukpa on tour through the Netherlands – supported Mundial Productions with arrangements and logistics, partners: RGOB, RAPA, Kuju Lukhang – Bhutan, Mundial Productions, the Netherlands

2006: Bløf to Bhutan – logistical support and arrangements in Bhutan for the Umoja project, partners: RGOB and Jigme Drukpa, Bhutan; Bløf, the Netherlands

2008: Himalaya Trial, a classic car rally, and Road to Bhutan, a discovery tour – production Bhutan section, partners: RGOB , ministries of foreign affairs and Tourism – Bhutan, Classic Events and Arnold Pilon – the Netherlands

2008: Grand piano and classical piano concert, a gift  for the Centenary Celebrations to Bhutan – coordination of the complete program, partners: RGOB and CCCI – Bhutan, Leo van Doeselaar and Wyneke Jordans, individual sponsors – the Netherlands, SFOOP, Transpack Shipping, HMC and Bløf – the Netherlands

2009: Tsomo’s Karma – promoted the book and assisted in translation of Kunzang Choden’s novel Circle of Karma into Dutch, published by De Geus, partners: Kunzang Choden – Bhutan, De Geus and Prince Claus Fund – the Netherlands

2009 – 2011: Sport Coalitions in Action Program – executive agency, partners: YDF, RGOB – ministry of education - Bhutan, ministry of VWS, USBO, Mark Blankwater, Mainline and Doenja Dienstverlening - the Netherlands

filmography

2002: The Other Final – line production of this prize winning film about the alternative football world cup between Bhutan and Montserrat, partners: RGOB – Bhutan, Kessels Kramer – the Netherlands

2004: The Female Archer of Bhutan – line production documentary about Tshering Choden the first female olympic archery player of Bhutan, partners: Tshering Choden and RGOB – Bhutan, Arte tv,  Holger Riedel – Germany

2006: Rocking the Himalayan Kingdom – Bløf in Bhutan – production of documentary by Dorji Wangchuk, partners: Dorji Wanchuk, RGOB – Bhutan, Llink, Province of Zeeland and NCDO – the Netherlands

2007: 3opReis, Floortje Dessing in Bhutan – line production for Llink television, the Netherlands, partners: RGOB, Thukten Yeshi – Bhutan, Llink – the Netherlands

2010 – 2012:  86 centimetres… – production of 39′ documentary on the threats of climate change for the people of Bhutan, partners: TGMI, RGOB – Bhutan, Peterjan van der Burgh – the Netherlands

2011: Nazhoen Chharo – re-edite and prepare celluloid version of feature film on urban youth gangs in the capital of Bhutan by director Dorji Wangchuk, partners: Dorji Wangchuk – Bhutan, Peterjan van der Burgh – the Netherlands

highlights

The Other Final 2002

Bhutan sports development got a boost when it hosted The Other Final between the two lowest FIFA ranked football clubs in the world: Montserrat and Bhutan in 2002. The match, organized and financed by KesselsKramer, Amsterdam, became a prime time news item worldwide. The event in Bhutan, organized by bhutan+partners, resulted in an increase of sports clubs and stimulated many youngsters to engage in sport activities. Bhutan felt an increase of tourists from Europe, Japan, Korea and Thailand after screening of the award winning  film, the Other Final.

The Other Final

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Bløf in Bhutan, 2006

The Dutch band Bløf performed the first ever rock concert in Bhutan for an audience of 15.000 screaming music lovers at the clock tower square in Thimphu. The historical and breathtaking concert was a blend of Bhutanese traditional music, performed by Jigma Drukpa and Dutch rockmusic. Dorji Wangchuk followed the band and Jigme Drukpa in Bhutan. His film, Bløf in Bhutan  was screened three times in the Netherlands by LLink and was watched by  500.000 Dutch people, late 2008. Blof issued a pictorial book on their remarkable journey to Bhutan. The song title of the first Blof feature film was derived form the song composed in Bhutan: “een manier om thuis te komen” ( a way of coming home).

Bhutan+partners organized all the events in Bhutan for Bløf and is the executive producer of the documentary.

Bløf in Bhutan – Umoja

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Grand Piano for Bhutan, 2008

A grand piano was shipped from the Netherlands to Bhutan as a gift and to support classical concerts and music training. The grand piano arrived together with a classical car rally and a sponsor tour of cars travelling the difficult and sometimes dangerous route through Europe, Iran, Pakistan, India, Nepal to Bhutan. The piano was played in Bhutan at a first time ever classical piano recital in the capital of Thimphu by the Dutch musicians Wyneke Jordans and Leo van Doeselaar. A talented young man, Samten Chhophel, studied piano tuning and techniques and followed piano lessons in the Netherlands in 2009-2010. He returned to Thimphu, June 2010, as the first professional piano tuner/technician and piano teacher of Bhutan origin.

Grand piano for Bhutan

Classical car rally, 2008

The Himalya trial brought 35 classical cars to Bhutan over land. The group had travelled over 15.000 kilometres within 45 days.

Road to Bhutan, a group of 15 old land rovers and some classical cars also traveld over land from the Netherlands to Bhutan. Two musicians joined road to bhutan and a film was made of their journey.

Both groups entered Bhutan via Gelephu and joined the centenary celebrations in thimphu in November 2008

Classical car Rally – the Netherlands to Bhutan
Road to Bhutan