Nestled 3,500 meters high in the ancient Himalayan kingdom, India’s Zanskar valley has stayed isolated for centuries. But at the end of a perilous and icy road, a beautiful village opens its doors. It is home to a community of nuns whose joy and extraordinary generosity contrast with the hardness of their land. 15 years after her first journey there, director Caroline Riegel returns to visit these women, and shares their daily life over the course of one winter. She captures a moving testimony of a unique place where times seems to stand still.
Director: Caroline Riégel
Writer: Caroline Riégel, Vincent Pérazio
Producer: Valérie Abita
Runtime: 52 minutes
Country of Origin: France
Country of Filming: India
Language: English, French
Subtitles: No
Caroline Riégel
As an hydraulic engineer, Caroline Riégel has worked on various construction sites around the world. She engaged in humanitarian work. First with the Red Cross in South Sudan, then in Zanskar, in the Himalayas, with the association THIGSPA which she created herself in 2012. As a traveler at heart, she is a member of the Society of Explorers and has crossed Asia alone on water, donkey-back, horse-back or even camel-back.
With all her travelling experiences behind her, Caroline Riégel decided to relate the story of her wanderings through writing, photography and documentary filmmaking. In 2008, she wrote “Soifs d’Orient” (“Thirst for the East”) and “Méandres d’Asie” (“Twists and turns of Asia”), and in 2011, “Éclats de Cristal” ( “Crystal Shards”). In 2015, she directed “Semeuse de Joie” (“Sower of Joy”) in which she tells the story of her friendship with Buddhist nuns in Zanskar and their discovery of India. This award-winning first film met with great success.