Herdsmen

A small film crew tracks a Kazak family in Xinjiang, China’s western-most province, from spring to winter. Unlike the people of Kazakstan, who grew into a nation of farmers and workers, the Kazaks retained their nomadic life and a close bond with nature. The crew follows a typical nomadic family with 11 children as the family travel wherever there is grass for their animals. They endure incredible hardships, sometimes going several days without food. In spite of this they have moments of joy and beauty, believing that nature will support them and that they will survive. The filmmakers’ four-year-long effort shooting the film is part of a recent rise in Chinese filmmakers’ documenting their country’s ethnic diversity. Although it takes a classic ethnographic, observational approach, the film is stunning in its cinematic, epic style. Richly informative for teaching anthropology, Asian Studies, nomadic cultures and kinship. Filmmaker: Wei Bin