To Kill a Mongolian Horse
In this lovely and patient docudrama set on the Mongolian steppes, a champion horseback rider and herdsman struggles to maintain his family's ranch and traditional way of life in the modern era.
Tickets
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Sunday, May 18, 2025
- Limited Availability
- On Standby
- Matinee
Tuesday, May 20, 2025
- Limited Availability
- On Standby
- Matinee
Monday, May 26 - Sunday, June 1, 2025
- Limited Availability
- On Standby
- Matinee
Herders and horse riders are losing their way of life in Mongolia and bemoan the overuse of their beloved steeds in daring acrobatic shows for Chinese tourists. Director Xiaoxuan Jiang, a native of Inner Mongolia who studied film in New York, has created a set of emotional characters in a bleak but beautiful Mongolian setting.
Director Jiang’s lovely quiet film features beautiful scenery and effective acting that speaks to the ongoing destruction of native cultures. Themes in her previous award-winning short film (Graveyard of Horses, 2022) have included femininity, nature, animals, and mysticism.
Main character Saina—played by an actual champion rider (and non-professional actor) of the same name—struggles to keep the family’s livestock and land, which are jeopardized by his father’s mounting debts, and to maintain his relationship with his estranged wife and small child. To Kill a Mongolian Horse offers a rare look at Inner Mongolia from an insider’s perspective.
—Mayumi Tsutakawa
- Director: Xiaoxuan Jiang
- Principal Cast: Saina, Undus, Qilemuge, Tonggalag, Qinartu
- Country: Malaysia, Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, USA
- Year: 2024
- Running Time: 97 min.
- Producer: Zhulin Mo, Tan Chui Mui
- Screenplay: Xiaoxuan Jiang
- Cinematographers: Tao Kio Qiu
- Editors: Zhong Zheng
- Music: Unur
- Website: Official Film Website
- Awards: Venice Days 2024 (Authors Under 40 Award, Special Jury Mention: Best Directing, Screenwriting), Red Sea International Film Festival 2024 (Yusr Award)
- Filmography: Debut Feature Film
- Language: Mongolian, Mandarin
- Has Subtitles: Yes
- Format: DCP
- International Sales: Pluto Film