Award Winning Mongolian Film, "Khadak"

(originally published in UB Post, March 2008)

The internationally acclaimed and multi-award winning film, “Khadak” will make its debut here in Ulaanbaatar on Thursday, March 20th. The feature film by Peter Brosens and Jessica Woodworth is a poetic journey which tells the story of Bagi, a young nomad destined to become a shaman.

The film has won 17 awards at film festivals all over the world, including: the “Lion of the Future” award at the 63rd Venice Film Festival; Best Actor and Actress Award at the First Asian Film Festival in Singapore; the Cultural Award of Flanders in Belgium and an Honorable Mention for the Swarovski Cultural Innovation Awards at the Toronto International Film Festival. Batzul Khayankhyarvaa and Tsetsegee Byamba, who play the lead characters, won Best Actor and Best Actress awards at the First Asian Films Festival in Singapore on December 4th.

Set in the frozen steppes of Mongolia, Khadak tells the epic story of Bagi, a young nomad confronted with his destiny to become a shaman. A plague strikes, killing many animals in the countryside. Nomads are therefore forced to relocate to desolate mining towns. Bagi saves the life of a beautiful coal thief, Zolzaya, and together they reveal that the plague was a lie, fabricated to eradicate nomadic life. A sublime revolution follows.

Filmmaker, Peter Brosens first came to Mongolia in the early 1990’s, a time when Mongolia was a newly emerging democracy. It gave him the opportunity to see it transform into an entirely different society. His initial impressions of this transformation were first portrayed in “City of the Steppes” (1993), followed by “State of Dogs” (1998) and “Poets of Mongolia” (1999). His films attempt to capture the idiosyncrasies of the culture. “Khadak” is his first feature film, co-directed with his partner, Jessica Woodworth.

One of the key themes in the movie is how Mongolia has changed - the once nomadic culture has become increasingly urbanized. The film explores the tensions between modernity and traditional life. And with the debate over mining policies these days in Mongolia, “Khadak” is a timely reflection of the anxieties and turbulence produced by such controversial mining policies.

Currently, Brosen and Woodworth are preparing their next film, “Fragments of Grace”. They also have plans to do some filming in Peru, later this year. Jessica Woodworth plans to attend the premier here in Ulaanbaatar.

Link to YouTube video:

Using Museums in Education

Using Museums as a Tool for Teaching
(originally published in UB Post, December 2007)

In the U.S., museums have become resources for teaching. Museums are places where we collect and display pieces of our world, our history and our views of the world and life in it. Museums help us to remember who we are, who are ancestors were and the nature of our world. Visiting a museum exhibit about dinosaurs, or seeing real ancient objects is far more exciting than just to reading about it in a book or seeing a picture. And although museums may seem a bit boring at times, there are ways to make a visit more interesting. Here are some creative tips to use museums in your teaching or just to make a museum fieldtrip more interesting if you prepare in advance.


You may want to pose some of these questions to your students before or during a fieldtrip:
• What is a museum?
• How did all these things get in the museum?
• Who studies things in a museum?
• What is an artifact? (tool, rock, fossil, dinosaur, etc.)
• How was the object used?
• How was the object made? (example: How are fossils made? How is pottery made?)
• How is one object different from the other? (example: How are a duck’s feet different from an eagle’s feet?)
• And more thought provoking questions like: Why did the dinosaurs disappear?

Make it an adventure!
Turn your museum visit into a treasure hunt. Create a handout with a series of questions. Here are a few examples:

1. Find a dinosaur with big sharp teeth. Write the name of the dinosaur. Why do you think it has big sharp teeth? What did it eat? Draw a picture of the dinosaur.
2. Find a duck. Look at its feet and draw a picture of them. Now find an eagle. Look at its feet and draw a picture of them. Compare the feet of the two birds. Why are they so different? Think about where they live and what they eat.
3. Find a painting of the God Namsrai. What symbols do you see? What animals are in the picture? What do you think these symbols mean?
4. Find a Deerstone. What pictures or symbols do you see? How do you think this was made and who made it? Draw a picture. What do you think the pictures mean? Write a story about the pictures.

Create a list of new vocabulary. If you are teaching English this is another good way to practice new vocabulary by using real objects. Walk through the museum and use the exhibits to teach the names of things.

After your museum visit, have students follow up by writing or presenting a report of what they saw and learned. Have them answer some of the questions as listed above. They can draw pictures of what they saw. They can also make copies or models of the objects by using paper. Or have them work in teams and make their own museum exhibit from small boxes and objects they make or find.

Finally, many American museums have education departments that have developed teaching resources. You can find more ideas and information (such as about dinosaurs) on some of their websites.
Here are a few:
American Museum of Natural History: www.amnh.org
Smithsonian: www.smithsonian.org
Field Museum: www.fieldmuseum.org
Metropolitan Museum of Art: www.met.org

Arts Council of Mongolia

Arts Council of Mongolia at Five, and It’s Just the Beginning…
(originally published in the UB Post January 2008)

The Red Ger Art Gallery, Arts Education Programming, Arts Advocacy and training, Cultural Heritage and preservation, are just a few of the projects initiated by the Arts Council of Mongolia (ACM), which celebrated its fifth year anniversary in December 2007.

According to Ts. Ariunaa, Executive Director of the Arts Council, 2008 will see the ACM continue to build on its foundation of programs and partnerships while developing new ones. It will continue such programs as the small grants program for artists, the Monastery Mapping project, and the “I Can Do It” program. Future plans include a Korean-Mongolian arts residency program, an after school arts education program at the Red Ger Gallery, preservation of the Chojiin Lama Temple with funds from Xanadu Mines, the development of a new TV show, “Arts Puzzle” that discusses issues relating to the Arts and Society, and the development of a master plan for Mongolian arts and culture with government ministries.

Recognizing the importance of art, culture and heritage in the development of a free, open and economically vital society, the ACM’s mission is to promote the development of Mongolian arts and culture. It was founded in 2002 with initial funding from the Soros Foundation and has gained the support of business, civic and arts leaders and citizens. It has established partnerships across the globe with similar cultural institutions in the U.S., Central Asia, Southeast Asia, Japan and Korea.

An Advocacy program is being established to promote policies and legal structures and partnerships with various local and international agencies to support the arts and cultural development. Forums have been held addressing important issues of cultural policy, financing, and tourism. Another goal is to raise awareness of the arts through media.

The Arts Council has been instrumental in increasing arts awareness and the importance of the arts throughout the Mongolian community through their arts education programs. These programs have also promoted creativity, critical thinking, the development of life skills, particularly for vulnerable and disadvantaged youth. Some of the programs have included: the Rainbow Horses project, the “I Can Do It” program, and the “My History, My Culture” TV series.

The Cultural Heritage program was established to preserve Mongolia’s rich cultural heritage. The program aids in preservation, education and promotion of Mongolia’s culture. It has provided support and education to many of Mongolia’s museums and has initiated a “Monastery Mapping” project.

A gala celebration and awards ceremony was held in early December at the Khan Bank Theater. Five awards were given to members of the arts and culture sectors who have been leaders in the promotion and preservation of the arts and cultural heritage.
Those who received awards included: Mr. Altangerel Zundui for restoration of of Danzanravjaa’s famed Khamryn Monastery; The State Morin Khuur Ensemble; Ms. Sergelen Bold of the State Opera and Ballet Theater; Ms. Byambasuren Davaa for her film, “The Weeping Camel”, and People’s Artist, Mr. Jantsannorov Natsag.