Synopsis
After separating heaven and earth, Tengri, the all-embracing God of heaven in the traditional Turkic, Yeniseian, and Mongolian beliefs, divided himself into man and woman to procreate. He named the woman the goddess Umai and settled her atop Mount Sumeru in the sky, near a milk lake called Sutkol. Here begins the story of Umai – the ancestor and spirit of women – on the vast steppes of the nomadic lands.
After separating heaven and earth, Tengri, the all-embracing God of heaven in the traditional Turkic, Yeniseian, and Mongolian beliefs, divided himself into man and woman to procreate. He named the woman the goddess Umai and settled her atop Mount Sumeru in the sky, near a milk lake called Sutkol. Here begins the story of Umai – the ancestor and spirit of women – on the vast steppes of the nomadic lands.
Full credits
- Section
- International Student Competition
- Director
- Valeriya Kim
- Choreographer
- Madina Bekzhigitova
- Production countries
- Kazakhstan
- Production year
- 2024
- Duration
- 3 minutes
- Producer
- Akmaral Saparova
You might also like:
 
I Wan'na Be Like You New Dutch
Broersen & Lukacs, 2024, BE, FR, NL, 13 min
Lukács and Broersen examine the Western colonial perception of the jungle as an untouched wilderness or 'terra nullius.' The film reimagines botanical gardens in Brussels, Paris, London, and Amsterdam—places where the wilderness was once appropriated and transported to Europe. The iconic song I Wan'na Be Like You from Disney’s Jungle Book (1967) is reinterpreted by collaborators, most notably the Afro-Surinamese music group Black Harmony, offering a proud reimagining of their community’s history and future in the diaspora.
 
Sleepless Until I Die International Student Competition
Chorong Yang & Jiaqi Yu, 2024, US, 9 min
Three people tormented by relentless anxiety and prolonged sleeplessness, slowly lose their human forms. As their condition worsens, they evolve into monsters, doomed to an eternity without rest.
 
The Steppers visit South Africa Online Specials and Short Docs
Hugh Durnford-Dionne, 2024, ZA, 10 min
The Montreal Steppers visit South Africa for a cultural and artistic exchange to learn from elders and youth, brilliant artists and knowledge keepers. Connecting to the roots of Gumboots, Pantsula and Stepping changed their lives and the work that they do. It fuelled a deeper commitment to sharing the history and honouring the art forms that paved the way for resistance, power and legacy. With this knowledge, they enter into spaces with a heightened appreciation and understanding that this dance form is indeed their “ancestral inheritance.”
 
  