Synopsis
After separating heaven and earth, Tengri, the all-embracing God of heaven in the traditional Turkic, Yeniseian, and Mongolian beliefs, divided himself into man and woman to procreate. He named the woman the goddess Umai and settled her atop Mount Sumeru in the sky, near a milk lake called Sutkol. Here begins the story of Umai – the ancestor and spirit of women – on the vast steppes of the nomadic lands.
After separating heaven and earth, Tengri, the all-embracing God of heaven in the traditional Turkic, Yeniseian, and Mongolian beliefs, divided himself into man and woman to procreate. He named the woman the goddess Umai and settled her atop Mount Sumeru in the sky, near a milk lake called Sutkol. Here begins the story of Umai – the ancestor and spirit of women – on the vast steppes of the nomadic lands.
Full credits
- Section
- International Student Competition
- Director
- Valeriya Kim
- Choreographer
- Madina Bekzhigitova
- Production countries
- Kazakhstan
- Production year
- 2024
- Duration
- 3 minutes
- Producer
- Akmaral Saparova
You might also like:

North Pole International Student Competition
Roberts Vanags, 2024, LV, 22 min
Max, a young ice cream vendor with aspirations of becoming a techno musician, is paralyzed by fear just before stepping on stage at a rave club. Forced on an introspective yet visually expressive journey, Max is confronted by his insecurity and the cold presence of Alex, the guardian of loneliness. But when he unexpectedly meets the charming Helen, she is determined to free him from the clutches of self-doubt.

A Last Dance International Student Competition
Rami AL RABIH, 2024, FR, 6 min
Néphélie reluctantly agrees to meet Leila one last time to finish their ongoing video dance project. While they dance, the weight of their charged history begins to surface.

I Wan'na Be Like You New Dutch
Broersen & Lukacs, 2024, BE, FR, NL, 13 min
Lukács and Broersen examine the Western colonial perception of the jungle as an untouched wilderness or 'terra nullius.' The film reimagines botanical gardens in Brussels, Paris, London, and Amsterdam—places where the wilderness was once appropriated and transported to Europe. The iconic song I Wan'na Be Like You from Disney’s Jungle Book (1967) is reinterpreted by collaborators, most notably the Afro-Surinamese music group Black Harmony, offering a proud reimagining of their community’s history and future in the diaspora.