Tom Holland, Oscar-Nominated Director Pawo Choyning Dorji Earn Awards At Inaugural World Culture Film Festival

Actor Tom Holland and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Pawo Choyning Dorji were among the awards recipients as the World Culture Film Festival wrapped its inaugural edition in Los Angeles.

Holland’s short film Last Call, directed by his brother Harry, screened on Saturday at the festival, a four-day event that describes its mission as showcasing “entertainment that uplifts.” He was honored with Outstanding Achievement in the Performing Arts (sadly, for those hoping for a sighting of Holland and perhaps girlfriend Zendaya, the actor was unable to accept the award in person). See below for the full list of awards.

Accepting on Holland’s behalf was Palak Patel, EVP of Sony Pictures Entertainment, who told the awards show audience he has known the 28-year-old star for quite some time.

“When Tom was 14 years old, he came and auditioned for us when I was a producer and he made a movie for us called In the Heart of the Sea, which is the true story that inspired Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. Tom’s performance in that film is incredible,” Patel said. “What I will say about having worked with Tom four times now — three Spider-Man films and In The Heart of the Sea — he wants to evolve as an actor. He wants to work with new filmmakers, he wants to work with diverse filmmakers, and he wants to make stories that are independent, thought-provoking — not just Hollywood movies. And he’s a huge advocate of inspired and international young filmmakers.”

Patel added, “If you get an opportunity to meet him, definitely send him your script. Don’t tell him I said that.”

Patel himself received the festival’s Outstanding Contribution to Cinema Award. In addition to his work on the Spider-Man films and In the Heart of the Sea, he executive produced Maleficent, Million Dollar Arm, Snow White & the Huntsman, and The Huntsman: Winter’s War, among other films.

WCFF’s Best Feature Film Award went to The Monk and the Gun, directed by Pawo Choyning Dorji. The dramedy, set in Dorji’s native Bhutan, tells the story of a lama who asks a young monk to get some weapons for him as their country faces a critical moment — transitioning from a monarchy to a democracy. What the lama has in mind for the arms remains uncertain until the film’s denouement.

Dorji also received WCFF’s Luminary Award, recognizing his cinematic work. His 2019 film Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom, became the first Bhutanese film to earn an Academy Award nomination. The Monk and the Gun was shortlisted for the Oscars in that same category.

Accepting the award, Dorji said his gratitude goes “beyond the sky.” He added about his career, “I didn’t go to film school. I fell in love with storytelling, and I used to work as a stills photographer. Very late, in 2019, I decided to make my first film [Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom] and I wanted it to be set in the world’s remotest school… Everyone told me, ‘Look Pawo, it’s film, you’re supposed to cheat. Let’s shoot it back here and pretend it’s the world’s remotest school.’ [But] I wanted it to be authentic. We hiked up to the world’s remotest school, we stayed up there for two months making this film. We had no electricity; the entire film was made on solar batteries.”

He was encouraged to submit the film as Bhutan’s official selection for the Oscars’ Best International Film category. The only problem – Bhutan had no committee to choose films for such a distinction. Eventually, a committee was formed, and it did select Lunana to represent Bhutan. Dorjj said he was stunned to learn the film had been shortlisted and then surprised again when it went on to earn an Oscar nomination, a development he attributed to the power of word of mouth.

Dorji also offered some words of encouragement to aspiring directors.

“I think many filmmakers, especially the younger ones, as they start, you’re always asking yourself, ‘Is it worth it? Will anyone watch what I create?’” he said. “If you look at the journey of my two films, how I started – this award, as well, shows that, yes, if you put your heart into it, you’re passionate about it, if you create illusions to show the true reality, then yes, the world is your audience, and they will see your work.”

The festival’s Feature Documentary Award went to Eskawata Kayawai, directed by Lara Jacoski and Patrick Belem. “In the heart of the Amazon Rainforest,” a synopsis of the film notes, “the Huni Kuin people are undergoing a profound renaissance of their identity. After enduring decades of slavery, massacres, and cultural suppression, their resurgence began in 2000. Two decades later, they’re thriving at a cultural peak, rediscovering and embracing their true heritage.”

Executive producer Alex Moreno accepted the award on behalf of the directors.

“What an honor!” Moreno said. “I’d like to thank the Great Spirit. I’d like to thank my wife, like to thank directors, Lara Jacoski and Patrick Belem, who could not be here, but [are] the true heart and soul of the film. I would like to thank them for their inspiration. I would also like to thank the true people that we document, the Huni Kuin tribe. I’d like to thank their guardianship of the beautiful forest.”

The inaugural World Culture Film Festival, under the leadership of Jatin Chaurasia, CEO of Sumeru Inc. and Sumeru Studios, filmmaker Anabelle D. Munro, and filmmaker and visual artist Sej Saraiya, presented more than 60 films from around the world. The event was hosted by the Art of Living Foundation, an international NGO formed by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, and inspired by his teachings that emphasize peace, positivity, co-existence, and mutual respect among people and cultures.

The second iteration of the festival is expected to take place in late April 2025. WCFF’s purpose is to provide a platform for “entertainment that uplifts, bringing stories from every part of the world that elevate human consciousness through the art of cinema.”

This is the full list of awards winners:

o          BEST SCRIPT – Headwind, by Jeff Gendlemen

o          BEST STUDENT FILM – I am more dangerous dead, by Majiye Uchibeke

o          BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY – When the floods come, by Nyal Mueenuddin

o          BEST SHORT FILM – Crown, by Dash Kolos

o          AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD – Our Voice, Our Heart, by Laurens Goud & Justin Grant

o          FEATURE DOCUMENTARY AWARD – Eskawata Kayawai, By Lara Jacoski & Patrick Belem

o          BEST FEATURE FILM – The Monk and The Gun, by Pawo Choyning Dorji

o          DIRECTORS CHOICE AWARD – Makayla’s Voice, by Julio Palacio

o          LEADERSHIP LEGACY AWARD – Apple Tungfong

o          SPIRITUAL HERITAGE AWARD – Vernon Foster

o          IMPACT INNOVATOR AWARD-Indrani Pal Chaudhari

o          NORTH AMERICAL HERITAGE AWARD – Quannah chasinghorse

o          OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN THE PERFORMING ARTS – Tom Holland

o          OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO CINEMA AWARD Palak Patel

o          LUMINARY AWARD – The Monk and the Gun, Pawo Choyning Dorji