Zoljargal Purevdash (born 1990) is a
Mongolian
Mongolian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Mongolia, a country in Asia
* Mongolian people, or Mongols
* Bogd Khanate of Mongolia, the government of Mongolia, 1911–1919 and 1921–1924
* Mongolian language
* Mongolian alphabet
* ...
filmmaker.
Early life
Born in
Ulaanbaatar
Ulaanbaatar is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities in Mongolia, most populous city of Mongolia. It has a population of 1.6 million, and it is the coldest capital city in the world by average yearly temperature. The municipa ...
, Purevdash excelled at maths and physics in her youth and earned a scholarship to a prestigious high school, where she joined the drama club.
She won another scholarship to study filmmaking at the
J. F. Oberlin University
''Ōbirin daigaku'' -- note that "Ōbirin" is written in the kanji for "beautiful cherry orchard". is a private university in Machida, Tokyo, Japan. The university was founded by Yasuzo Shimizu. Its name is derived from that of pastor and phi ...
in
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
.
[
]
Career
Her first short film ''Over the City, Under the Sky'' (2010) won the Cinema Club Award from the West Tokyo City Film Festival. After graduating from film school in Japan, she returned to Mongolia and worked on films as a first assistant director. Later she directed two experimental short films called ''Burgundy'' (2013) and ''Outliers'' (2017), both of which screened at the Altan Khalis Independent Film Festival.
Her feature film directorial debut, ''If Only I Could Hibernate
''If Only I Could Hibernate'' () is 2023 drama film written and directed by Zoljargal Purevdash in her directorial debut.
It was the first Mongolian film to play in the Official Selection of the Cannes Film Festival, where it competed in the ''U ...
'', made its world premiere at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival
The 76th annual Cannes Film Festival took place from 16 to 27 May 2023. Swedish filmmaker Ruben Östlund served as jury president. With the French film ''Anatomy of a Fall'' winning the Palme d'Or, the festival's top prize, Justine Triet became ...
on 21 May 2023, in the Un Certain Regard
(; 'A Certain Glance') is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's official selection. It is run at the Debussy, parallel to the competition for the . This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob.
The section presents 20 films with unusua ...
section.[ She became the first Mongolian director in Cannes’ official selection.]Busan International Film Festival
The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF; ), formerly the Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF), held annually in Haeundae District, Busan, South Korea, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. The first festival, held fro ...
in 'A Window on Asian Cinema' section where it was screened in October 2023.
In March 2024, the film won both the Grand Prize and the Cineuropa Prize at the 39th Mons Love International Film Festival in Mons, Belgium
Mons (; German and , ; Walloon language, Walloon and ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities of Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Hainaut Province, province of Hainaut, Belgium.
Mons was made into a fortifi ...
.Sight and Sound
''Sight and Sound'' (formerly written ''Sight & Sound'') is a monthly film magazine published by the British Film Institute (BFI). Since 1952, it has conducted the well-known decennial ''Sight and Sound'' Poll of the Greatest Films of All Time. ...
'' review said her first film showed "great ambition and promise".
Accolades
Filmography
References
External links
*
1990 births
Living people
Mongolian screenwriters
Mongolian film directors
Mongolian women film directors
People from Ulaanbaatar
Women documentary filmmakers
J. F. Oberlin University alumni
{{Mongolia-stub