The Shepherdess of the Glaciers
Stanzin Dorjai Gya, Christiane Mordelet
2015 - 74 min - HD - Couleur - France

"When that leopard came snooping into my tent, I opted for out. There wasn't enough room for both of us!"
Autumn, the high plateaus of Gya-Miru Valley. A wisp of smoke rises in the midst of this stony wilderness. A rustic tent and a herd of goats in a low stone pen blend into the landscape. The sound of a radio, tuned to All India Radio, can be heard within the tent. Tsering, is sharing her humble everyday life with Stanzin, her film-maker brother. Tsering lives alone eleven months of the year, several days’ hike from the nearest human beings. Sometimes she pays the cost of living with wild animals – wolves and Leopards – and severe cold spells. Yet as the only, and last surviving, herdswoman in her family, Tsering chose the herd over marriage.
The culture of her native Ladakh, steeped in Buddhist wisdom, has taught her to accept her fate and to cope with day-to-day difficulties. The blue of the sky and a song on the radio provide Tsering with cheer. She has learned to live with hardship, without comforts. Although sometimes worried, she remains strong and confident about life. On year long the film follows Tsering, along her hikes through pastures.

Available in 43 min.