Short film package (DIFF ON THE ROAD)

Synopsis

Mountain Cultures.

Last Day of Summer (India, France/ 2023/ Ladakhi (Changskat)/ 15 mins) Dir. Stenzin Tankong. A recurring mysterious sound from the Himalayan mountains is only heard by two curious young shepherds. Unable to convince the villagers of the eerie nature of this sound, they embark on a journey into the unknown to unravel the mystery.

Mountain Man / Gangri Gi Min (Bhutan/ 2022/ Dzonkha/ 22 mins) Dir. Arun Bhatarai. Bhutan's glaciologist, Phuntsho Tshering, risks treacherous expeditions to measure vanishing glaciers while his daughter, Yangchen, watches, anxious about disrupting the snow lion, guardian of the mountains.

The Poplar Trees (Nepal, Maldives/ 2023/ Tibetan (Mustangi)/ 9 mins) Dir. Manoj Kumar Pant. In pursuit of work, an impoverished couple crosses the Himalayas on foot to a more prosperous village, where they are tasked with gathering leaves and chopping wood of poplar trees. The arrangement takes an unexpected turn when the landowner’s son develops an interest in the migrant woman.

Silent Walls (Bhutan/ 2023/ Dzongkha/20 mins) Dir. Suraj Bhattarai. In a remote Himalayan village in Bhutan, 13-year-old deaf girl Deki takes on household responsibilities in the absence of a mother, but her world shatters when she experiences her first menstruation. As her father's paranoia about her puberty grows, Deki finds solace in nature. Will Deki reclaim her little freedom or will she be further confined?

Shera (Kumaoni/ 2023/20 mins) Dir. Aarun Fulara. As Monu's family readies to leave their Himalayan village, he longs to see the legendary leopard, Shera, which his friend Raju endeavors to make possible before their departure.