Synopsis
Saina tries to make ends meet as a herdsman in the wintry steppes of Inner Mongolia. By day, he takes care of his family’s horses while juggling a grumpy father and a dysfunctional relationship with his ex-wife. At night, he performs in breathtaking horseback shows. Unlike the majestic cavalryman he portrays in the show, Saina must come to terms with how dramatically the world he grew up in has changed.
Filmmaker
Xiaoxuan Jiang
She received her BFA in Film & TV from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Her narrative short Graveyard of Horses was selected for PÖFF Shorts, SXSW, and BFI. It won the NETPAC Award at the Busan International Short Film Festival, the Grand Prix Award at the Hiroshima International Film Festival, and Best Student International Short at the 46th Denver Film Festival. Her first feature, To Kill a Mongolian Horse, was supported by Sundance Ignite and received the script development fund from BIFF’s Asian Cinema Fund (ACF), the VIPO award, the Sørfond award at the Asian Project Market (APM), and the Whitelight Post-production Award at HAF.
Filmography: To Kill a Mongolian Horse (2024, D'A 2025), Graveyard of Horses (short film, 2022)
Awards and festivals
Special Mention for Best Directing and Screenwriting of the Authors under 40 Award