The Story of the Weeping Camel (2003) Die Geschichte vom weinenden Kamel (original title)

Directors:

Byambasuren Davaa
Luigi Falorni

Writers:

Luigi Falorni (writer)
Byambasuren Davaa (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

8 January 2004 (Germany)

Genre:

Documentary | Drama | Family

Tagline:

Some fairy tales are true... some legends are real.

Plot:

When a Mongolian nomadic family's newest camel colt is rejected by its mother, a musician is needed for a ritual to change her mind.

Plot Keywords:

Camel | Shepherd | Musician | Desert | Gobi Desert

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 11 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Janchiv Ayurzana	...	Janchiv
Chimed Ohin	...	Chimed
Amgaabazar Gonson	...	Amgaa
Zeveljamz Nyam	...	Zevel
Ikhbayar Amgaabazar	...	Ikchee
Odgerel Ayusch	...	Odgoo
Enkhbulgan Ikhbayar	...	Dude
Uuganbaatar Ikhbayar	...	Ugna
Guntbaatar Ikhbayar	...	Guntee
Munkhbayar Lhagvaa	...	Munkbayar, violin teacher
Ariunjargal Adiya	...	Teacher's Assistant
Dogo Roljav	...	Relative Aimak I
Chuluunzezeg Gur	...	Relative Aimak II
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Botok	...	Baby Camel
Ingen Tenne	...	Mother Camel

Directed by
Byambasuren Davaa
Luigi Falorni

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Byambasuren Davaa		writer
Batbayar Davgadorj		writer
Luigi Falorni		writer

Produced by
Claudia Gladziejewski	....	co-producer
Natalie Lambsdorff	....	co-executive producer: HFF
Tobias Siebert	....	producer
Evi Stangassinger	....	co-executive producer: HFF
Benigna von Keyserlingk	....	co-producer

Original Music by
Marcel Leniz
Marc Riedinger
Choigiw Sangidorj

Cinematography by
Luigi Falorni
Juliane Gregor

Film Editing by
Anja Pohl

Set Decoration by
Mendbayar Pol

Costume Design by
Unorjargal Amgaabazar

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jiska Rickels	....	first assistant director

Sound Department
Hans-Dieter Desinger	....	sound mixer
Ansgar Frerich	....	sound designer
Ansgar Frerich	....	sound
Tatjana Jakob	....	sound designer
Marc Meusinger	....	sound recordist
Carsten Richter	....	foley artist

Camera and Electrical Department
Sebastian Grundt	....	assistant camera

Editorial Department
Bertl Grabmayr	....	telecine grader

Other crew
Daschdamba Damba	....	camp manager
Batbayar Davgadorj	....	location manager
Beatrix Wesle	....	world sales

Production Companies

• Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film München (HFF)
• Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR) (in association with)
• FilmFernsehFonds Bayern (support)
• Mongolkino

Distributors

• Prokino Filmverleih (2003) (Germany) (theatrical)
• THINKFilm (2004) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Sunfilm Entertainment (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
• Filmcoopi Zürich (2004) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• ARP Sélection (2004) (France) (theatrical)
• ARP Sélection (2004) (Taiwan) (theatrical)
• Asociace Ceských Filmových Klubu (ACFK) (2005) (Czech Republic) (theatrical)
• Fandango (2005) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Filmtrade (2004) (Greece) (theatrical)
• Golden Village (2004) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Kamras Film Group (2005) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Klock Worx Company, The (Japan) (theatrical)
• Menensha European Films (2003) (worldwide) (theatrical)
• New Yorker Films (2004) (USA) (theatrical)
• THINKFilm (2003) (Canada) (theatrical)
• UGC Films (2004) (UK) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2004) (UK) (DVD)
• Cinefil Imagica (2007) (Japan) (TV)
• Divisa Home Video (2005) (Spain) (DVD)
• Europa Filmes (2006) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Four Films (2005) (Chile) (all media)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2005) (Canada) (DVD)
• New Line Home Video (2005) (Canada) (DVD)
• New Line Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• With Cinema (2004) (Korea)

Other Companies

• ARRI Rental  camera equipment provided by
• Kodak  film stock

Also Known As:

"Die Geschichte vom weinenden Kamel" - Germany (original title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for some mild thematic content

Runtime:

87 min (25 fps) | 90 min (24 fps) | Hong Kong:93 min (Hong Kong International Film Festival)

Country:

Germany | Mongolia

Language:

Mongolian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Switzerland:8 (canton of the Grisons) | USA:PG | Norway:A | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | Singapore:PG | Finland:S | Australia:PG | UK:U | Brazil:Livre | Argentina:Atp | Finland:K-3 | West Germany:o.Al.

Filming Locations:

Aimak, Inner Mongolia, China

Company:

Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film München (HFF)

Quotes:

[first lines]
Janchiv:Now my children I'll tell you the story of the weeping camel. Many years ago, God gave antlers to the camel as a reward for the goodness of its heart. But one day a rogue deer came and asked the camel to lend him his antlers. He wanted to adorn himself with them for a celebration in the west. The camel trusted the deer and gave him his antlers, but the deer never brought them back. Since then the camels keep gazing at the horizon and still await the deer's return.

Movie Connections:

Features "Nu, pogodi!" (1969)

The Story of the Weeping Camel provides a universal message of how we all need love to survive delicately laced into the tale of a sad little camel

There's a new style of film eking into the film biz called "Narrative Documentary." What? An oxymoron you tutt-tutt silently as you read.Well, yes and no. It describes a documentary that has been embellished with narrative scenes to ultimately create the arc-drama one finds in a feature film with the intelligence of a documentary.

Narrative documentary is truly an appropriate expression for this wonderfully unique and intriguing little gem, The Story of the Weeping Camel.

As you watch the fairly simple tale of a camel that after a grueling birthing of her albino calf, she decides she's not interested in the ideas of motherhood and abandons the newborn to fend for itself.

Sounds positively dull until you start to watch this young mother and the footage the filmmakers gathered and you are pulled in - mesmerized, "How did the film crew get this?" It feels like a documentary, looks like a documentary but then there's the story obviously running along side the remarkable footage that you realize is scripted, storyboarded and a team behind the lens have planned. Amazing.