Khyentse Norbu's follow-up to his audience favorite The Cup is the first feature film ever shot in the tiny kingdom of Bhutan. One of Himalayan Buddhism's most revered lamas, Khyentse (aka Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche) weaves parallel fable-like tales about two men who seek to escape their mundane lives in Travellers and Magicians. Young government official Dondup dreams of escaping to America while stuck in a ravishingly beautiful but isolated village. When the first chance arrives, he immediately heads for town and an awaiting visa, but things don't go quite as planned. Missing the bus, he hitchhikes with an elderly apple seller, a sage young monk, and an old man traveling with his beautiful daughter Sonam. Along the way, the perceptive yet mischievous monk tells Dondup a story of another young man who sought a land far away - a tale of lust, jealousy and murder that holds up a mirror to the restless Dondup and his blossoming attraction to the innocent Sonam. Travelers and Magicians is a magical mixture of rustic road movie and mystical fable- a potpourri of desire and its consequences, set in a breathtaking landscape.
