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Final movie of Pema Tseden, as he died four months before it premiered at the 80th Venice International Film Festival, “Snow Leopard”, which won Best Film at Tokyo and the Cyclo D’or in Vesoul, is another testament to the significance of the loss of a truly great filmmaker.

The film is currently screening in the UK, courtesy of Day For Night

A regional television crew is driving through a Tibetan-speaking region of Qinghai province in northwest China to report on a herder who has captured the snow leopard which has killed nine of his sheep. Lead reporter Dradul has been contacted by the herder’s brother, Nyima, a former classmate who is now a monk. However, as soon as they arrive, they find Nyima’s brother, Jinpa, utterly enraged, having imprisoned the leopard in the pen, and waiting for the authorities to arrive in order to receive compensation for the dead animals.

Panos Kotzathanasis talks about Pema Tseden's last film, Snow Leopard, the story and one of the most prevalent issues cattle-raisers all around the world face, the tension deriving from Jinpa and the calmness from Nyima, the impressive SFX and cinematography, the presence of authorities and their impact Tseten Tashi and his performance, while closing with a brief comment about the loss of most probably the most significant Tibetan filmmakers.

Vesoul continued in its usual style of programming this year, adding, however, three very interesting sections for 2024, one focusing on Malayalam cinema, one on Taiwanese cinema and one on Netpac winners, which allowed the programmers to include a number of movies of quality without being restricted by the prerequisites of the films included in the competition section. The inclusion of films from countries from the former Ussr, as in the case of Uzbek “Sunday” and Kazakh “Scream” was once more the cherry on the top, in one of the best years in terms of film selection for the festival, which celebrated its 30th edition this year. Lastly, the screening of “Snow Leopard” the last film of the recently deceased Pema Tseden was the most touching moment of the whole festival, with the presence of the protagonist, Tetsen Tashi, definitely adding to the overall impact.

Without further ado, here is our...

Final movie of Pema Tseden, as he died four months before it premiered at the 80th Venice International Film Festival, “Snow Leopard”, which won Best Film at Tokyo and the Cyclo D'or in Vesoul, is another testament to the significance of the loss of a truly great filmmaker.

Snow Leopard is screening at Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema

A regional television crew is driving through a Tibetan-speaking region of Qinghai province in northwest China to report on a herder who has captured the snow leopard which has killed nine of his sheep. Lead reporter Dradul has been contacted by the herder's brother, Nyima, a former classmate who is now a monk. However, as soon as they arrive, they find Nyima's brother, Jinpa, utterly enraged, having imprisoned the leopard in the pen, and waiting for the authorities to arrive in order to receive compensation for the dead animals. His father,...

Honorary Golden Cyclo (offered by the Agglomeration Community and the city of Vesoul): to Zero Chou director (Taiwan) et à Tu Du-chih, sound engineer (Taiwan).

Cyclo D'Or (offered by the Regional Council of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté), International Jury: President: Mohsen Makhmalbaf, director (Iran), members: Zero Chou, director (Taiwan), Fatemeh Motamed-Arya, actress (Iran), Shogen, actor (Japon).

The Snow Leopard de Pema Tseden (Chine-Tibet) –Through the mysterious relationship between the monk and the snow leopard, the traditional worldview of the Tibetan people is revealed – a realm of spiritual emotion that is challenging to express. The director skillfully captures this enchanting world with great precision, making it a remarkable and profoundly moving achievement.

Film interprets the conflicts of the human world through a spiritual lens, this work is a truly rare gem!

Grand Jury Award:

Film Review: Scream (2023) by Kenzhebek Shaikakov

Scream by Kenzhebek Shaikakov (Kazakhstan). The film has magical realism style that truly commendable,...

The late Pema Tseden’s “Snow Leopard” (China) won the top prize, the Golden Cyclo, at the Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema on Tuesday.

The film, which previously won awards at the Tokyo and Hainan festivals, also won Vesoul’s National Institute of Oriental Languages ​​and Civilizations (Inalco) jury prize and actor Tseten Tashi scored a jury special mention. Pema Tseden (aka Wanmacaidan) died in May last year, age 53.

The grand jury award went to Kenzhebek Shaikakov’s “Scream” (Kazakhstan), which also won the Netpac award and the Mark Haaz award. “Scream” actors Orynbek Shaimaganbetov and Arnur Akram were accorded a jury prize special mention. The film shared the Mark Haaz award with Rajesh Jala’s “The Spark” (India), which also had a special mention at the film critics’ award.

“Solids by The Seashore” by Patiparn Boontarig (Thailand) won the jury prize and also the Inalco favorite award.

Pema Tseden, the Tibetan art house film director known for “Jinpa” and “Balloon,” has died. He was 53.

It is understood that he was in Tibet when he died suddenly of an unspecified illness. Some unconfirmed Chinese-language media said that he had a heart attack.

The news was reported by the China Academy of Art, where he taught as a professor.

“Pema Tseden, a famous Tibetan director, screenwriter and professor at the Film School of the China Academy of Art, died in Tibet in the early hours of May 8 due to an acute illness. Due to the sudden incident, the school will work with Mr Tseden’s family to deal with the follow up matters. The relevant information will be announced in due course,” the Academy said in a statement.

Pema Tseden statement from China Academy of Art

Pema Tseden, who also used the Chinese name Wanmaciadan, was ethnically Tibetan and...

Pema Tseden, whose last three films have all appeared at the Venice Film Festival, has finished lensing his latest effort “Snow Leopard.” The film is a drama about how humans and animals end up getting along, despite their occasional conflicts.

While Tibet is a source of controversy between China and the international community, ethnically Tibetan Pema Tseden (aka Wanma Caidan) chooses to work within the official Chinese film system of script approvals, censorship and release permits. A former civil servant and teacher, he is sometimes described as a pioneer of the Tibetan New Wave and has credits that include “Silent Holy Stones,” “Jinpa,” and “Balloon.”

“Snow Leopard” was given a shooting permit in March this year and was filmed in The Three-River Source National Nature Reserve in Maduo County, part of Tibet, which China calls the Xizang Autonomous Region. The average altitude in the reserve is some 5,000 meters, making it...