The Shepherdess of the Glaciers
India, 1 hour 14 min.
Directors / Writers: Stanzin Dorjai Gya, Christiana Mordelet
Producers: Les Films de la DeCouverte, Himalayan Film House
Key Cast: Tsering Gya
Synopsis:
This documentary offers an intimate portrayal of a shepherdess living in India’s High Himalayas as she tends her herd of cashmere goats throughout the harsh winter months and the ever-present threat of predators.
In the Far Northern Mountains of India, in Ladakh, Tsering leads her flock of 300-400 sheep and Pashmina goats to graze on the 5500 m high Himalayan Plateaus. Surrounded by this dry and desolate landscape, she lives with her cattle under the continuous threat of wolves and snow leopards.
Her brother followed her for three years and filmed her exhausting work: both exceptional and moving pictures in which we discover the maternal tie between her and her sheep and goats. A life diametrically opposed to the Western luxury industry which will use the Kashmir wool she produces.