The Story of the Weeping Camel

Springtime in the Gobi Desert, South Mongolia. A family of nomadic shepherds assists with the births of their camel herd. One of the camels has an excruciatingly difficult delivery, but with the help of the family, out comes a rare white calf. But the mother rejects the newborn, coldly refusing it her milk and her motherly love. The nomads sent their two young boys on a journey through the desert, in search of a musician. Finally a traditional violinist is summoned to the camp and a breathtaking ritual is performed. The Story of the Weeping Camel is one of the biggest surprises of this year. The film started as a graduation project from the Hochschule für Fernsehen & Film in Munich and grew to be a documentary film that will soon be seen in cinemas in many countries. This international project -alongside the Mongolian and Italian directors, the Dutch Jiska Rickels (Untertage) was also involved -is both authentic and moving. The leading roles for the mother and baby camel certainly deserve the Oscar for the best animal roles, as has already been written. The shots of a desert storm in the majestic landscape make it clear just how difficult circumstances were for working. However amazing the ritual may be, for Mongolian nomads it is (still) a normal course of events. At the same time, the film subtly shows the advance of modernisation: a Mongolian tent just can’t do without a television these days.