Cinema: “a rare pearl”, The Snow Leopard distinguished at the Vesoul Festival

“The mysterious relationship between the monk and the snow leopard reveals the traditional worldview of the Tibetan people - a realm of spiritual emotions that are difficult to express,” the festival jurors said in a statement about the The Snow Leopard by Pema Tseden.

According to them, "the director skillfully captures this enchanting world with great precision, making it a remarkable and deeply moving achievement." He “interprets the conflicts of the human world through a spiritual prism.”

Pema Tseden filmed his first feature film, The Silent Holy Stones, in Tibet in 2005. As an author, he has written in both Chinese and Tibetan. Born in 1969, he died prematurely in May 2023. He had already won two Cyclo d'Or at the festival, in 2016 for Tharlo, the Tibetan shepherd and in 2019 for Jinpa.

The jury, which called The Snow Leopard a “rare gem”, was chaired by Iranian director Mohsen Makhmalbaf. Taiwanese director Zero Chou was also part of it, and was crowned with the Honorary Gold Cyclo alongside Tu Du-chih, Taiwanese sound engineer.

The Grand Jury Prize was awarded to Scream, by Kazakh director Kenzhebek Shaikakov, which contains “a style of magical realism that is truly captivating,” according to the jury. “The director’s approach to condemning nuclear testing easily resonates with audiences.”

For this 30th edition, the festival selection was proposed around the theme of “commitment”, as well as a look at Taiwanese cinema. On February 10 - Chinese New Year's Day - a round table was organized to celebrate 30 years of the NETPAC - Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema festival and prize.

In total, 90 films, from 29 countries from the Near to the Far East, notably Kazakhstan, Thailand and Nepal, were selected. Seventeen feature films were in competition. The next edition of the festival will be held from February 11 to 18, 2025.