To Kill A Mongolian Horse - YI PI BAI MA DE RE MENG

Pitch

On the wintry steppes at the frontier between Mongolia and China, Saina, a Mongolian horseman turned cultural performer, tends to his ranch during the day and performs horse riding stunts for audiences at night. Unlike the majestic horseman he portrays in the show, Saina discovers that his life as a herdsman is about to disintegrate.

"The film is inspired by true events that happened to my friend Saina, a Mongolian herdsman living in Inner Mongolia. Last year, I witnessed firsthand that the combined effect of a year-long drought and global warming had brought financial difficulties to many herdsmen in the area. During my visits to the horse show where Saina had found a job, I was struck by the hyper-masculine atmosphere, where traditional Mongolian masculinity was highlighted in these shows. This film gives voice to modern Inner Mongolia, capturing the unique experience of Mongols living on the borders of China, caught between their Chinese and Mongolian identities, trying to get to grips with the shift from nomadic traditions to industrial realities." Jiang Xiaoxuan