Celestial Camel (Nebesnyy verblyud)
Ajyal Competition - Ajyal Youth Film Festival 2015
Yury Feting / Feature Narrative / Russian Federation / 2014 / 90 min / Colour / DCP2K / In Mongolian, Russian / Arabic, English subtitles / MENA Premiere
Rated: Parental guidance is advised. Some material may be inappropriate for young children.
Synopsis
It’s hard for Bayir, a young sheepherder, to believe in wonders living in the desolate Kalmyk Steppe, a remote, drought-stricken region of Russia. Deeply in debt, Bayir’s father is forced to sell Altynka, a beloved pure-white camel calf, to a cruel film producer. This proves a particularly difficult decision – Altynka is a good omen, having been born under a cloud the shape of a camel. When Altynka’s distressed mother runs off to find her offspring, Bayir goes in pursuit of her to bring her back home and ensure the family's livelihood.
Riding a motorcycle, the 12-year-old boy crosses rough terrain, encountering a welcoming family, a wise Buddhist monk – and even a smuggler. His run-in with this last unsavoury character lands Bayir in prison, where he befriends Quarter, a spunky street kid and petty thief. After a daring escape, the duo continues on the quest to find Bayir’s cherished camels, discovering along the way that wonders do happen in the most unlikely of places.
Shot on location in the southwestern region of Russia, and using local Kalmyk people as actors, ‘Celestial Camel’ is a heart-warming journey through a rarely seen part of the world.
About the Director
Born in the USSR in 1956, Yury Feting is a director, screenwriter and university lecturer. After working in theatre, he studied film in St. Petersburg and worked at Lenfilm Studio and Channel One. He has won numerous awards, and ‘Celestial Camel’ was nominated for the Crystal Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2015.
Credits
- Director
- Yury Feting
- Screenwriter
- Elzyata Mandzhieva, Yury Feting
- Producer
- Irina Plisko, Mikhail Plisko
- Editor
- Yury Feting, Leda Semenova
- Music
- Maxim Koshevarov
- Cinematographer
- Anton Zhabin
- Production Company
- Production Centre “Vse Horosho”
- Cast
- Mikhail Gasanov, Petr Novikov, Irina Hurgunova, Danzan Badrashkiev, Batr Mandzhiev, Baira Mandzhieva, Tseden Konayev, Victor Sukhorukov