Arun Bhattarai’s first feature-length documentary The Next Guardian premiered at IDFA at the First Appearance Competition in 2017. Since then it has been screened at more than 40 international festivals (True/False, San Francisco IFF, MOMA DocFortnight, Camerimage, Docs Against Gravity, DOK.fest.München, Ambulante etc.), had theatrical releases and broadcasted around the world. His recent short documentary Mountain Man, premiered at IDFA 2022 in the short documentary competition. The film during its project stage won the Best Pitch Prize at If/Then Global Short Pitch and received funding from the International Documentary Association (IDA). Before becoming an independent filmmaker, he worked as a TV director at the Bhutan Broadcasting Service (BBS) for more than 5 years. His television documentary, Kelden won ‘The Asia Pitch’. He graduated from the 1st edition of DocNomads Joint Master in documentary directing in 2014 for which he was awarded full Erasmus Mundus scholarship in Lisbon, Budapest and Brussels. His second feature-length documentary Agent of Happiness is currently in post-production. The project was pitched and developed at Marché du Film Cannes Film Festival and TFI Network market. The project has also received funding from the Sundance Film Institute and the catapult film fund among others. Arun is a Berlinale Talent 2021.