Archive · 8 Sep 2026
Bhutan Film Connects Melting Glaciers With Ancient Snow Lion Stories
A new short film from Bhutan is about glaciers that are melting because the world is getting warmer.
Melting glaciers can form lakes that may suddenly burst and cause dangerous floods.
Bhutanese filmmaker Pawo Choyning Dorji made the film with musician Yo-Yo Ma.
Ma plays the cello while singer Kelden Lhamo sings a Bhutanese song.
The song tells of a yak herder and his beloved yak.
The film also shares a story about a magical snow lion that lives in the icy mountains.
Bhutanese children are taught to respect glaciers because they are seen as the snow lion’s home.
The final scene was filmed very high in the mountains, where Ma needed a doctor and oxygen.
The filmmakers hope stories and music will encourage people around the world to care about climate change.
Pawo Choyning Dorji’s documentary A Song for the Snow Lion explores Bhutan’s melting glaciers and cultural traditions.
The film was made with cellist Yo-Yo Ma, who performs alongside Bhutanese singer and actress Kelden Lhamo.
Dorji says glacial lake outbursts have previously killed hundreds in remote parts of Bhutan.
A final performance was filmed at about 18,000 feet, where Ma required medical monitoring and oxygen.
The filmmakers present Bhutanese stories, songs and respect for nature as part of a wider response to global warming.
- Who
- Bhutanese filmmaker Pawo Choyning Dorji, cellist Yo-Yo Ma and Bhutanese folk singer and actress Kelden Lhamo.
- What
- They created A Song for the Snow Lion, a short documentary about melting Himalayan glaciers, Bhutanese culture and global warming.
- When
- The film premiered at the Telluride Film Festival; the article does not specify the year. The referenced Nepal disaster occurred on August 26.
- Where
- The story focuses on Bhutan and the Himalayas, with the film’s final scene shot at about 18,000 feet in the mountains.
- Why
- Dorji and Ma want to draw attention to climate change and show how stories, songs and cultural values can encourage collective action.
- Film
- A Song for the Snow Lion
- Director
- Pawo Choyning Dorji
- Musical collaborators
- Yo-Yo Ma and Kelden Lhamo
- Filming altitude
- About 18,000 feet
- Bhutan’s forest coverage
- 72 percent, according to Dorji
- Constitutional forest minimum
- 60 percent
- Referenced Nepal death toll
- More than 1,300 after an August 26 glacial disaster