Mongolia is producing a new generation of talented filmmakers because to increased financing. Five concepts were presented to possible foreign partners at Cannes, where they were informed of the benefits of filming in Asia. Reports from Mike Rosser.
The momentum behind Mongolia’s film industry’s ascent started at Cannes in 2023.
When it debuted in Un Certain Regard last year, Zoljargal Purevdash’s If Only I Could Hibernate became the first Mongolian film to be included in the official Cannes selection. It then went on to win a Tokyo FilmEx jury prise and achieve success at the domestic and international box office.
Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir’s City of Wind, the first film from the Asian nation to screen in Toronto and Venice, came after it.
The implementation of a film law in January 2022 to encourage production in Mongolia resulted in the creation of the Mongolian Film Fund and the Mongolian National Film Council (MNFC)—both elements that came after.
With a minimum expenditure of $500,000. Foreign film productions are now eligible to earn up to 45% of their filming costs for projects produced on Mongolian territory. Both local and cooperative international film projects are eligible for funding.
Most recently, the Japanese TV serial Vivant, which was shot in Mongolia last year and is streaming on Netflix worldwide, received a cash rebate from MNFC totalling almost $800,000.
“I’m very proud of that,” says Frédéric Corvez, the president and creator of Urban Factory in Paris, which produced If Only I Could Hibernate in collaboration with Amygdala Films in Mongolia. “Mongolia wasn’t on the film map before our film.”
We made approximately €600,000 [$652,000] in France, which is a significant amount for this kind of movie—not to mention that it exceeds the budget. It registered around 100,000 admissions in Mongolia. In contrast to earlier, people are now interested in the Mongolian film business.
As a result, a new generation of filmmakers seeking to tell their stories to a larger audience have emerged. At a pitching and matchmaking session held by Screen International in Cannes, five proposals were showcased.
Future Releases
The Underdogs: A Saga Of Basketball, a sports drama directed by Nayantsogt and produced by Unurjargal Arslanbaatar, was one of the projects. It tells the story of a player-turned-coach who starts a basketball team from the ground up and fights a corrupt regime in an effort to lead them to triumph.
Producer Nyamdulam Tsedevsuren and writer/director Ankhbayar Nyamdavaa proposed the comedy drama Jagaa And Driver. In its early stages of development, the idea centres on a single mother.
and CEO, who ushers in a new chapter in her life by hiring a new driver.
The Tempest Is Crying Out Like A Gypsy’s Violin would be Purevdorj Adiyasuren’s feature film directing debut. Produced by Ariunzaya Ganaa, it centres on a man remembering his teenage first love, during which he had images of a man with a horse’s head due to his passion.
Ikhbayar Urchuud, a former Berlinale Talents participant, presented his feature debut film, Of Dogs And Doves, to possible collaborators. It centres on a childless couple who sent their child up for adoption and then visits a tourist camp in the Gobi Desert a few years later. There, the wife gives her husband the command to abduct the Asian child they believe belongs to a European spouse.
Urchuud co-founded the Mongolian Film Institute and has produced experimental shorts in the past. In addition, he directs and programmes the Golden Ger International Film Festival in Mongolia.
The animation The Seeds of Love by Bolorchimeg Ochirbat completed the pitches. It centres on two immature seeds who are trying to make their way in the wider world. Although the filmmaker’s original goal was to complete the project as a short film, the idea will also serve as the basis for a feature film and TV show.
Corvez of Urban Factory continued, saying he planned to work with Purevdash again on her upcoming second feature film, which will take place in Mongolia. He went on, “Mongolia ought to produce more movies and help regional producers and directors.” “Maintain this momentum.”
