Asian Pop-Up Cinema: If Only I Could Hibernate Баавгай болохсон - Mongolia

Mongolia | Drama | 2023 | 99 minutes

In Mongolian w/ English Subtitles

Director/Screenwriter: Zoljargal Purevdash

Starring: Nominjiguur Tsend, Tuguldur Batsaikhan, Battsooj Uurtsaikh, Batmandakh Batchuluun

Film Source: Urban Factory

SYNOPSIS:

Teenager Ulzii is a physics genius and is determined to win a science competition to earn a scholarship. When his mother finds a job in the countryside, she leaves him and his younger siblings to face a harsh winter by themselves.

The first Mongolian film to screen at the Cannes Film Festival, Zoljargal Purevdash’s feature directorial debut is an intriguing study of a young man who must overcome almost impossible obstacles to achieve excellence. It may be an honest look at a harsh reality faced by Mongolian youths, but it’s also a hopeful film in its depiction of resilience. 

Zoljargal Purevdash, Director

Zoljargal Purevdash is a Mongolian filmmaker who studied filmmaking at the University of Obirin, in Japan. Her short films were screened at Tampere Film Festival, Short Shorts Film Festival Asia, Open Doors Locarno Film Festival, etc. In 2021, her short filmSTAIRSwon the first prize at the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival and entered the 94th Oscars Award. She is an analumnus of Talents Tokyo, Asian Film Academy, Locarno Open Doors, Torino Film Lab, and Berlinale Talents. Her first feature film IF ONLY I COULD HIBERNATE was officially selected for the UnCertain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival.

Host or Publisher Asian Pop-Up Cinema