Tulpan

Winner of the Prix Un Certain Regard at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, acclaimed Kazakh documentarian Sergey Dvortsevoy’s first narrative feature is a gorgeous marrying of tender comedy, ethnographic drama and wildlife extravaganza. Following his Russian naval service, young dreamer Asa returns to his sister’s nomadic brood on the desolate Hunger Steppe to begin a career as a shepherd. But before he can tend a flock of his own, Asa must win the hand of the only eligible bachelorette for miles: his mysterious neighbour, Tulpan. Accompanied by his sidekick Boni, Asa will stop at nothing to prove he is a worthy husband and herder. TULPAN’s gentle humour and stunning photography transport audiences to the harshly beautiful, barren landscape of the windy Kazakh plains and the rapidly vanishing way of life the locals lead.

Print source: New Wave Pictures