In 2026, the new lunar year will be the Year of the Fire Horse. On this occasion, the Institute of East Asian Studies invites you to a screening of Hamid Sardar's documentary film Horse Tamer (also known as The Bounty Hunter of Mongolia), Arte 2020 (1h25).

This documentary, which won the Grand Prix at La Rochelle International Adventure Film and Book Festival in 2019, tells the story of a heroic horseman in Mongolia who sets out in pursuit of horse thieves.

For centuries, on the border between Mongolia and Russian Siberia, the nomadic Darhat tribes have lived off raising powerful semi-wild horses, which accompany them on their seasonal migrations from the steppes to the mountains. But in recent years, thieves from tribes in Tuva have been stealing their herds to sell the animals to Russian slaughterhouses in exchange for a few rubles. When his white stallion, the irreplaceable guardian of his horses against wolves, disappears, Shukhert, an accomplished horseman and charismatic wrestler, sets out alone in pursuit of the bandits to find him and bring him back in time before winter. A frantic chase in extreme conditions, which even leads this vigilante capable of anything—he makes his own cross-country skis in the forest—to be imprisoned for a few weeks.

Set against the grandiose landscapes of the Mongolian steppes, Shukhert's epic pursuit takes on the feel of an Eastern Western. Respectfully nicknamed “the horse tamer” by his people for his impressive skills in controlling horses, this endearing Mongolian hero takes viewers on an incredible adventure, offering a glimpse into the daily lives of nomads, between shamanism, rivalries, and banditry. Filled with encounters and twists and turns, his journey also reveals the mosaic of a complex region, riven by multiple ethnic and socio-economic tensions. With this sumptuous documentary, which won an award at La Rochelle International Adventure Film and Book Festival in 2019, photographer and director Hamid Sardar (Taiga) uses his knowledge of Mongolian territory and culture to immerse us in a contemporary world still shrouded in mystery, usually accessible only to those in the know.

Program

• 18:00: Doors open
• 18:30: Lunar New Year opening ceremony, welcome speech by Béatrice Jaluzot, Director of the Institute of East Asian Studies
• 18:40: Round table discussion and presentation of the film by Zolboo Sandagjav, PhD, University of Bern, Jeanne Riaudel, PhD student at the University of Paris 1, Prodig laboratory
• 19:20: Break
• 19:30: Film screening (duration: 1 hour 25 minutes), courtesy of Arte France
• 21:10 - 21:30: Discussion and comments with the speakers