Byambasuren Davaa, Luigi Falorni - Die Geschichte vom weinenden Kamel (2003)

The Story of the Weeping Camel is a work that combines hard-hitting truth with uplifting drama. The film's sweeping vistas and magical photography capture the very essence of the part of the world, while its emotionally charged story of separation and reconciliation remind us that the heart, whether human or animal, knows no borders. A family of Gobi Desert nomads assists in the births of its camel herd. They face a crisis when one white calf is rejected by its mother after a particularly difficult birth. When all hope seems lost, the family sends its two young boys on a journey to a far-off village to fetch a musician capable of performing a magical ceremony. New Line Video




Springtime in the Gobi Desert, South Mongolia. A family of nomadic shepherds assists the births of their camel herd. One of the camels has an excruciatingly difficult delivery but, with help from the family, out comes a rare white colt. Despite the efforts of the shepherds, the mother rejects the newborn, refusing it her milk and her motherly love. When any hope for the little one seems to have vanished, the nomads send their two young boys on a journey through the desert, to a a backwater town in search of a musician who is their only hope for saving the colt's life. (http://imdb.com/title/tt0373861/plotsummary)




This breathtaking blend of documentary and fiction filmmaking provides an unobtrusive glimpse into the relationships, rituals, and livelihood of a four-generation family of nomadic shepherds in the Gobi desert of South Mongolia. It is birthing season for the family’s herd of camels and after several healthy foals are born, the last birth is difficult. With quiet perseverance, the family helps to deliver a rare white colt, which the mother camel quickly rejects and refuses to nurse. With growing concern for the colt’s survival, the family decides to employ a nomadic singing ritual to coax the mother into nurturing her young. They send the two eldest sons on a journey to the nearest village to fetch a musician for the "hoos ritual." The story unfolds gently, sensitive to the rhythms of desert life while honoring its real-life actors. This modest yet magnificent film is the graduation project of film students Byambasuren Davaa and Luigi Falorni, extending beyond the tale of a camel and colt to explore the fragility and beauty of an ancient way of life. (--Lynn Gibson - Editorial Reviews - Amazon.com)




Set in the Gobi Desert, this film about a family of nomadic herders has a satisfying documentary appeal. The story, about a camel that, after a difficult delivery, refuses to nurse her young colt, and the ageless methods the Mongolian shepherds use to right the situation, is blessedly simple. There's little use of dialogue; instead the filmmakers (two Munich film-school students named Byambasuren Davaa and Luigi Falorni) linger on the everyday tending of livestock and the herders' astonishingly calm domestic life. The movie, an authentic and warm experience, details a peacefulness that's purely comforting. In Mongolian. (-Bruce Diones - The New Yorker)