Religion seems to be a big theme this year. You described the overly tight constraints of the Christian religion in the film you mentioned. What other facets can be found in the programme?
What's truly remarkable is that there are five films in the Kplus competition dealing with Buddhism - some more on the surface, others more deeply. Besides the young monks in Myanmar, there's also the Thai documentary A-wang (So Be It), about two boys who decide to enter a monastery. One in order to find a way out of poverty, and the other because he's truly interested in the religion and wants to become the student of a great monk. Gtsngbo (River) has its foundations in Tibetan Buddhism. A five-year-old girl meets her grandfather, who is a Lama and lives in a cave. In Celestial Camel, which I already mentioned, Buddhist beliefs are part of daily life, and in Jia Zai Shui Cao Feng Mao De Di Fang (River Road), Buddhist practice is the traditional way of life for the Uyghure people threatened by extinction. In all five films, although the less rosy aspects of the religion are touched on, the general portrayal is positive. Not in a western, esoteric way, but very well-grounded and often with great wisdom that a young audience can absorb.
In the Indian road movie Dhanak (Rainbow), in turn, Hinduism plays a role with music, gurus and karma, but also in the form of charlatans that Pari, who wants to help her blind brother, must beware of. There's a billboard advertisement that features Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan promising "new eyes", so they set out to find him.
As always, the discovery of sexuality plays a big role in a number of 14plus films. Is there any development in particular that you've noticed with that subject over the years?