Mohd Imran
Shan: Spirit of the High Mountains
In extreme northern India, high in the Himalayan mountains in the province of Ladakh, Indigeous Peoples have lived for centuries in harmony with the mysterious Snow Leopard. While BBC and NatGeo productions have given the world fleeting glimpses of this beautiful but elusive animal, Mohammed Imran and his team of Indigenous filmmakers live among these mountains and have tracked and followed Snow Leopards – Shan, in the local language -- for years. He had long dreamed of making a film by Ladakhis, for Ladakhis, about Ladakhi natural resources, in the Ladakhi language. Over six years, he follows a charismatic female the locals call “Gyamo,” as she raises several litters of cubs. This film not only shows perhaps the most comprehensive life study of Snow Leopard behavior and survival ever recorded, but also captures the story of Imran and his team – Phuntsop, Morup, Estee, Numgyal, and Norboo – as they make dozens of exhausting treks through snow-covered mountains to achieve their dream. Like the Snow Leopard herself, they successfully capture their target only 10% of the time. At times, Imran is ready to give up, saying “I think I have wasted six years of my life.” Finally, Imran has enough footage and completes his film, and his journey culminates in presenting the film to villages and schools through the Ladakhi region. As Imran concludes, “the Snow Leopard moves among us, and moves through us.”

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