Global Voices – ‘If Only I Could Hibernate’

“Mongolian film director Zoljargal Purevdash’s “If Only I Could Hibernate” made history this week at the Cannes Film Festival by becoming the first Mongolian film shown in the Cannes’ official selection. It became one of several dozen chosen out of around 2,000 films submitted to the festival and will now be eligible for several award competitions. The film entered into the “Un Certain Regard” section of the festival, which features original and diverse stories from around the world.

“If Only I Could Hibernate” tells the story of a 15-year-old Mongolian boy Ulzii, who lives in the ger (yurt) district in Mongolia’s capital Ulaanbaatar. Ulzii excels in physics, and his teacher encourages him to enter a national physics competition so he can win a scholarship to attend one of the best schools in the country. The family struggles financially after his father passes away and his alcohol-addicted mother cannot find a job.”