Tursun Chokubayeva

Feature made for Kyrgyz television by Melis Ubukeyev (White Mountains).

The Russian Descendant of the Snow Leopard is based on a famous Kirghizian folktale. Apparently the Kirghizian folks had plenty of time to tell this story: to print a full synopsis would result in a novelette. Essentially, the story involves a proud group of highland hunters called the Snow Leopards, who in order to survive a brutal winter must request help from the Lowland people. The price for this assistance is the hand of the Snow Leopard's daughter, who is promised in marriage to a wealthy Lowland trader. During the Springtime wedding celebration, the trader becomes fascinated by a stranger who wins all the athletic contests. This "male" contestant turns out to be a woman, who has arrived to seek freedom for her imprisoned husband. The subsequent romance between the trader and the beautiful stranger results in disaster and bloodshed for both the Snow Leopards and the Lowlanders.

A tiny Kyrgyz aul in the mountains is slated for demolition, and its people must move to a collective farm. Young shepherd Kanat sets out for the city to study, but after being deceived, he chooses to stay, realizing he must first learn the art of living among people. The village elders, guided by timeless moral values, shape the destinies of the characters, rooted in a deep sense of belonging and communal spirit.