We are proud to introduce TO KILL A MONGOLIAN HORSE by Xiaoxuan Jiang, an intimate portrait about masculinity in crisis. The film will celebrate its world premiere at the Venice Days section during the Venice Film Festival. Read the announcement and watch the trailer on Variety exclusive.

TO KILL A MONGOLIAN HORSE
by Xiaoxuan Jiang
Malaysia/Hong Kong/Korea/Japan/Saudi Arabia/Thailand/USA, 2024, 97 min.

WORLD PREMIERE
1 September / 17:00 / Sala Perla

Press & Industry Screening
29 August / 19:45 / Sala Corinto

Rerun Screening
7 September / 11:30 / Sala Perla

Synopsis
Saina tries to make ends meet as a herdsman in the wintery steppes of Inner Mongolia. While performing at night in breathtaking horseback shows, he by day takes care of his family’s horses, while juggling a grumpy father and his dysfunctional relationship with his ex-wife and kid. Unlike the majestic cavalryman he portrays in the show, Saina must discover how the world he grew up in has dramatically changed. An intimate portrait about masculinity in crisis from a female perspective.

Director's Note

Last year, I witnessed how the collective effect of a drought year and global warming aggravated the lives of many herders in the region. In order to find something more stable than herding, earlier that year, he found a job working at a local horse show doing horseback tricks.

During my visits to the horse show, I was struck by its hyper-masculine atmosphere, where traditional Mongolian masculinity was prominently featured in the performances. These male performers became the subjects of a fetishized gaze, celebrating not just their masculinity but also their ethnic identity. In the film, I cast Saina to play himself, portraying a character navigating between the horse show's world and his real-life struggles. As a series of events unfolds, Saina starts to find the stark contrast between his performed roles and his actual circumstances unbearably irreconcilable...

This film offers a voice from modern Inner Mongolia, capturing the unique experience of ethnic Mongolian herders living on the Northern edge of China — with their Chinese and Mongolian identities, caught in the gradual shift from nomadic traditions to industrial realities.