The Shepherdess of the Glaciers

The screening begins at 6:00 pm, followed by a Q&A session with director Stanzin Dorjai Gya.

Annually hosted by the Arizona Historical Society, the Flag Wool and Fiber Festival aims to build connections between wool and fiber producers, artisans, and the public by illustrating and creating engagement around the rich history of wool and textile production. To further their joint mission to preserve and promote the traditions of fiber artisans, the Flag Wool and Fiber Festival and the Arizona Historical Society are partnering to bring The Shepherdess of the Glaciers to Flagstaff.

The Shepherdess of the Glaciers transports us to the far northern mountains of Ladakh, India, where Tser­ing, one of the last shepherdesses in this dry and desolate landscape leads her flock of 300 sheep and goats to graze on the Himalayan Plateaus. It is through her brother’s skillful documentation over four seasons that we witness Tsering’s world of loneliness and the unbreakable bond between she and her animals, who all must fight against temperatures plummeting to -40F and the persistent threat of snow leopards. Winner of more than 20 internationally acclaimed film festivals, The Sheperdess of the Glaciersengages viewers with the magnificence of the Himalyan landscape and the vitality of the human spirit.

Award-winning film director, Stanzin Dorjai Gya will host a Q&A after the film’s screening. Stanzin’s career trajectory from his nomadic roots to being one of two Indians asked to present at the Climate Change Talks in Paris 2015, with his film, Jungwa: A Broken Balance, is every bit as extraordinary as the audacious life of his sister.

Sponsored by Wild Fibers Magazine and Keep the Fleece, (a 501c3 which seeks to promote all aspects of the natural fiber industry within indigenous populations), this will be Stanzin’s second trip to the US.