HANGAI HERDERS (153)

11:15, Thursday 28th June, Thaw

In the Hangai mountains of Mongolia, a mixture of sheep, goat, yak and horse herds graze in wide river valleys beneath forested slopes. Here, both people and domesticated animals live a tightly inter-woven existence, their lives inextricably linked from birth until death. This observational film features a young, hard-working herder, Saikhanaa, and his daily interaction and communication with individual herd animals. He trains and races horses in Naadam festivals, which exemplify the importance of the horse as a symbol of pride and prestige in Mongolia.