''Amka and The Three Golden Rules'' is a 2014 Mongolian-American family comedy/drama written and directed by Babar Ahmed. The film was highlighted in the

World Development Report The World Development Report (WDR) is an annual report published since 1978 by the World Bank. Each WDR provides in-depth analysis of a specific aspect of economic development. Past reports have considered such topics as agriculture, youth, equity ...

2017 as an example of how policy making is a "result of a bargaining process among actors, who frequently have diverse and even opposing preferences and interests."

Plot

Amka is a ten year old Mongolian boy. His biggest dream is to play soccer with the neighborhood kids but they only make fun of his poor clothes. One day Amka discovers a gold coin. With this new found wealth he buys fancy clothes and now the other kids let him play soccer with them. He is soon introduced to video games and he starts to get addicted. Amka's taste for money starts to take over his personality. He loses respect for his family and starts borrowing money from the other kids. Very soon he is over his head in debt. The neighborhood kids have had enough and chase Amka to get their money back. Amka escapes to the countryside where he meets his eccentric uncle. The uncle teaches Amka three golden rules in life.

Release

''Amka and the Three Golden Rules'' is currently playing on international flights on American Airlines. On Emirates Airlines "Amka and The Three Golden Rules" is one of four movies described as 'Great movies worth watching from around the world'. The film was screened at the

Cleveland International Film Festival The Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF) is an annual film festival based in Cleveland, Ohio. CIFF is the largest film festival in Ohio and among the longest-running in the United States. The festival is held at Playhouse Square, the lar ...

New York Indian Film Festival The New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) is an annual film festival that takes place in New York City, and screens films relating to India, the Indian Diaspora, and the work of Indian filmmakers. The festival began in November 2001 and was foun ...

, Boston International Kid Festival, Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, and

SCHLINGEL International Film Festival Chemnitz (; from 1953 to 1990: Karl-Marx-Stadt (); ; ) is the third-largest city in the German state of Saxony after Leipzig and Dresden, and the fourth-largest city in the area of former East Germany after (East) Berlin, Leipzig, and Dresden. ...

. It was the first Mongolian film to be screened at the

WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival The WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival, founded in 1968, is an annual film festival held annually in April in Houston, Texas. Notable festival alumni include John Lee Hancock, who wrote and directed the Oscar-winning film '' The Blind S ...

. At the

Arizona International Film Festival The Arizona International Film Festival is the oldest and longest running independent film festival in Arizona. Taking place yearly, film programs include a mix of shorts, children's films, feature-length films, documentaries and animation films. ...

, the movie received a special award for "Bridging Cultures".

Reception

Laura DeMarco of ''The Plain Deale''r gave the film an "A" rating, calling the film "poignant" and praising Genzorig Telmen's performance. John DeSando of

WCBE WCBE (90.5 FM band, FM) is a public broadcasting, public radio station in Columbus, Ohio that began broadcasting in 1956. The WCBE call sign represents the station's licensee, the Columbus Board of Education (Columbus City Schools). The stati ...

praised the film's realism and called the film an "affecting Mongolian tale...about the enduring values". Diane Clark of ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...

'' called it "curiously uncomfortable to watch" and its "sentimentality is like wind rushing in." The ''

UB Post The ''UB Post'' is an English-language tri-weekly newspaper published in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia. Founded in 1996, the newspaper has both print (in English) and online editions (in English, Italian and Spanish). The UB in the pa ...

'' highlighted the allegory in the story to Mongolia's current predicament of facing modernization and its discovery of natural resources. The newspaper wrote that the movie is 'Brilliantly crafted' and went on to say that 'combined with a strong lead, stunning shots of the spectacular landscapes of Mongolia and excellent music... the story is in many ways a symbol of how Mongolia must decide its own fate'.

References

{{Reflist, 2 2014 drama films 2014 films Mongolian-language films Mongolian drama films Films scored by Kenneth Lampl