Mongolia: Eternal Blue Heaven

Film for an exhibit on Mongolia in San Francisco.

The Story of the Weeping Camel

When a Mongolian nomadic family's newest camel colt is rejected by its mother, a musician is needed for a ritual to change her mind.

The Two Horses of Genghis Khan

An old, broken morin khurr (horse head fiddle) compels renowned Mongolian singer Urna Chahar Tugchi to take a road journey to Ulan Bator and the steppes of Mongolia.

Falconry

Batbileg lives in a ger district of Ulaanbaatar with his wife and two children, making a living by training falcons for hunting and showing them to tourists. Every year, at the beginning of summer, he captures and trains the hawks, and at the start of winter, he releases them back into the wild. One of his recurring endeavors begins with training a hawk named “Andgai.”(Oath). However, laws and regulations on bird training are lacking, and the densely populated urban environment, crowded with people and buildings, is far from suitable. Batbileg aims to revive Mongolia’s ancient falconry culture, raise public awareness of the value of falcons, and pass on conservation ideals to the younger generation. Yet, in the face of the many challenges before him, he is forced to confront a dilemma: should he comply with the law, or remain faithful to his ancestral tradition?

In the Frozen Tomb of Mongolia

O Gengis

A family of Kalmyk nomads walks in the footsteps of their famous ancestor, Genghis Khan, on a dramatic journey of initiation along the ancient silk road.

COCKCON 2020

A brief moment at a hacker conference planted a seed that would eventually spawn an ad-hoc motorcycle gang in the Orkhon Valley of Mongolia. Join Vincent Canfield and the COCKCON crew as they ride motorcycles for the first time through one of the least densely populated countries in the world.

Eastern Memories

At the turn of the 19th and 20th century Finnish philologist G. J. Ramstedt travelled around Mongolia and Central-Asia. In this documentary Ramstedt’s memoirs are heard in the modern day setting, where tradition is replaced with hunger for money, and deserts give way to cities.

First Ascent / Last Ascent

Best friends Hazel Findlay and Maddy Cope journey to the rocky outer reaches of Mongolia, on a quixotic search for new trad routes.

The Bounty Hunter of Mongolia

In the Darhat valley in northern Mongolia, the horses of nomadic tribes are stolen by bandits who then sell them to Russian slaughterhouses. Shukhert, a brave horseman, relentlessly pursues them through the Mongolian taiga, bordering Siberia.

Walking With Dinosaurs Special: The Giant Claw

Journey back to the dunes of prehistoric Mongolia to find the owner of the largest claws of all time - Therizinosaurus. Presenter Nigel Marven's adventure covers vast nesting sites, skirts curious velociraptors and avoids the terrifying tarbosaurus so we can come face-to-face with The Giant Claw.

The Eagle Huntress

Follow Aisholpan, a 13-year-old girl, as she trains to become the first female in twelve generations of her Kazakh family to become an eagle hunter, and rise to the pinnacle of a tradition that has been typically been handed down from father to son for centuries.

Taiga

The Darkhad and Soyon Uriyanghai peoples live in a vast valley in Northern Mongolia, much as their ancestors have for centuries. "Taiga" is the record of a long period spent by the German filmmaker Ulrike Ottinger among these people.

The Arctic Camels

When the two children Torarin and Svalin wants to ride horses, their parents buy two camels instead, but realise it's more difficult than they thought and travel to Mongolia to meet the experts.

Nomad Meets the City

Currently Mongolia’s capital has 1.5 million inhabitants - half the population of the country. 50-year Tumurbaatar is only one of many coming to the city to fulfil their dreams of a better life.

The Falconer Sport of Kings

Join the quest of International martial arts champion Eddie Brochin to become a master of falconry; Leading him to Mongolia where he learns to fly eagles from the descendants of Gengis Khan.

Shangri-La

Shangri-La (2023) journeys through Mongolia from an intercultural perspective, reflecting on tradition, modernity, and the tension between indigenous and Western belief systems. As filmmakers from industrialized nations — Germany and South Korea — we critically examine our own positions as outsiders, questioning the ways in which histories, environments, and ways of knowing are perceived and represented.

Shamans of the Reindeer Herders, Northern Mongolian Taiga

A captivating story of a quest to find shamans among a small band of nomadic, reindeer herders, known as the Dukha, who live in one of the most remote and hard to reach areas of Mongolia. The Dukha are among the last nomadic, animal-dependent, self-subsistence cultures remaining in the world. There are now less than 200 Dukha remaining. They live in small groups and migrate over an area of 6 million acres in the Sayan Mountain Range. Life for the Dukha tribe is simple and hard. Their way of life has been passed down through an untold number of human generations. They currently face many challenges as they struggle to maintain their ancestral lifestyle in an ever-changing world. Ancient shaman ceremonies are featured.

Young Masters: Wild Wind

For the fourth episode of the original series “Young Masters”, NOWNESS CHINA travelled north to the barren and cold expanse of the Hulunbuir Grasslands in October 2022. There, the team met Angchinhuu, a budding horse trainer in her sophomore year of junior high. Described as a “girl like the wind”, Angchinhuu possesses qualities that are typical of teenage girls everywhere: she is restless, daydreams, and is hopeful. She is also exceptionally determined to carry on her family’s profession of training horses amidst the unforgiving grasslands, a remote terrain marked by severe weather conditions.

Melody for the Camel

A documentary of the life of camel herders and the culture of adopting an orphan camel by "seducing" a mother-camel through a morin khuur (a horse fiddle) melody.

Wormwood

In this genre-bending tale, Errol Morris explores the mysterious death of a U.S. scientist entangled in a secret Cold War program known as MK-Ultra.

A Plastic Ocean

A documentary focused on plastic pollution in the world's oceans.

American Pie: Revealed

Documentary about the making of American Pie (1999), American Pie 2 (2001) and American Wedding (2003).

Spider-Man: All Roads Lead to No Way Home

JB Smoove and Martin Starr host a celebration of 20 years of "Spider-Man" movies, from the Sam Raimi trilogy to Marc Webb's movies and the trio from Jon Watts.

And the Oscar Goes To...

The story of the gold-plated statuette that became the film industry's most coveted prize, AND THE OSCAR GOES TO... traces the history of the Academy itself, which began in 1927 when Louis B. Mayer, then head of MGM, led other prominent members of the industry in forming this professional honorary organization. Two years later the Academy began bestowing awards, which were nicknamed "Oscar," and quickly came to represent the pinnacle of cinematic achievement.

I Am Heath Ledger

The life and career of an actor, artist, and icon. His own journey through his own camera.

The Show Must Go On: The Queen + Adam Lambert Story

A documentary chronicling Queen and Lambert's incredible journey since they first shared the stage together on "American Idol" in 2009.

The Summers of It - Chapter Two: It Ends

This documentary focuses on the actors and their journey over two summers to create the remake to the original IT, by Stephen King. The documentary originally released as bonus material, bundled with IT: Chapter Two.

High School

Documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman takes us inside Northeast High School as a fly on the wall to observe the teachers and how they interact with the students.

Being James Bond

Daniel Craig candidly reflects on his 15 year adventure as James Bond. Including never-before-seen archival footage from Casino Royale to the upcoming 25th film No Time To Die, Craig shares his personal memories in conversation with 007 producers, Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.

Heart of a Dog

Lyrical and powerfully personal essay film that reflects on the deaths of her husband Lou Reed, her mother, her beloved dog, and such diverse subjects as family memories, surveillance, and Buddhist teachings.

National Gallery

A portrait of the day-to-day operations of the National Gallery of London, that reveals the role of the employees and the experiences of the Gallery's visitors. The film portrays the role of the curators and conservators; the education, scientific, and conservation departments; and the audience of all kinds of people who come to experience it.

6 Days to Air: The Making of South Park

Viewers will get a look at Parker and Stone's thought process as they approach a new episode and the 24/7 grind they subject themselves to each time the show is in production. The documentary also includes in-depth interviews with Parker and Stone about their working partnership and reflections on highlights from their careers.

Western Stars

The incomparable Bruce Springsteen performs his critically acclaimed latest album and muses on life, rock, and the American dream, in this intimate and personal concert film co-directed by Thom Zimny and Springsteen himself.

Burma VJ: Reporting from a Closed Country

Going beyond the occasional news clip from Burma, the acclaimed filmmaker, Anders Østergaard, brings us close to the video journalists who deliver the footage. Though risking torture and life in jail, courageous young citizens of Burma live the essence of journalism as they insist on keeping up the flow of news from their closed country.

Elstree 1976

A documentary about ten very different lives connected by having appeared onscreen wearing masks or helmets in Star Wars.

The Last Waltz

Martin Scorsese's documentary intertwines footage from The Band's incredible farewell tour with probing backstage interviews and featured performances by Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, and other rock legends.

Best Worst Movie

A look at the making of the film Troll 2 (1990) and its journey from being crowned the "worst film of all time" to a cherished cult classic.

Cameraperson

As a visually radical memoir, CAMERAPERSON draws on the remarkable footage that filmmaker Kirsten Johnson has shot and reframes it in ways that illuminate moments and situations that have personally affected her. What emerges is an elegant meditation on the relationship between truth and the camera frame, as Johnson transforms scenes that have been presented on Festival screens as one kind of truth into another kind of story—one about personal journey, craft, and direct human connection.

The Eagle Huntress

Follow Aisholpan, a 13-year-old girl, as she trains to become the first female in twelve generations of her Kazakh family to become an eagle hunter, and rise to the pinnacle of a tradition that has been typically been handed down from father to son for centuries.