Visually spectacular and emotionally enriching, The Story of the Weeping Camel is an utterly beguiling docudrama set in the harsh terrain of southern Mongolia. Made as a graduation project by two German film students, this remarkable achievement takes its inspiration from documentary pioneer Robert Flaherty (Nanook of the North) in seamlessly blending fiction and reality.

A family of nomadic shepherds in the Gobi Desert is assisting in the births of their camel herd. The final delivery produces a surprise'a rare white calf, which is rejected by its mother. Concerned for the welfare of the hapless creature, the family sends its two youngest members on a journey to a distant village with instructions to bring back a musician whose playing, according to an ancient legend, will reunite the mother and calf.

With delicately observed filmmaking recording the daily activities of these enchanting people and the problems that befall them, the filmmakers have crafted an absorbing and rewarding tale of compassion and survival.

Luigi Falorni is a guest of the Festival.

D/S Luigi Falorni, Byambasuren Davaa P Natalie Lambsdorff WS Hochschule für fernsehen and Film L Mongolian w/English subtitles TD 35mm/Col/2003/93mins

Luigi Falorni was born in Florence, Italy in 1971. Films include: Fools and Heroes (1997, co-dir).

Byambasuren Davaa was born in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia in 1971. Films include: One World Two Economies (1993), Wunsch (2001, short).