Jinpa

Acclaimed Tibetan director Pema Tseden veers away from his usual naturalistic style in this metaphysical road movie produced by Wong Kar-wai.

A truck driver named Jinpa is travelling across the Tibetan plateau, feeling guilty that he has just run over a sheep. He picks up a hitchhiker, also named Jinpa, who is on his way to avenge his father’s murder. The driver drops his passenger off but their journey together continues in strangely converging dreams.

Based on two short stories – The Slayer by Tsering Norbu, and the director’s own I Ran Over a Sheep – the latest feature from Pema Tseden (Tharlo, MIFF 2016; The Search, MIFF 2010) took home the Best Screenplay award in the Horizons program at Venice.

“Jinpa is an extraordinary departure from the realist narratives that have made Pema Tseden’s works celebrated at film festivals around the world. It is a fable, a Tibetan road movie, and a tribute to classic Westerns all at once.” – Cinema Scope