In this Chaitime, we talk to award-winning filmmaker Stanzin Dorjai Gya (https://www.stanzindorjaigya.com) about his life, his journey and his film - Shepherdess of the Glaciers. Shot at an altitude of 16,400 ft, Shepherdess of the Glaciers is an award-winning film by Stanzin Dorjai Gya and Christiane Mordelet. In this movie, Stanzin tells the story of her sister who is a shepherdess in the rock-strewn mountain in the Himalayan region of Ladakh. And through her story, Stanzin captures an intimate portrait of a disappearing way of life – one marked by challenges and isolation, but also beauty and spiritual grace.

Stanzin Dorjai has dedicated his career to sharing stories that open the viewers’ eyes and minds to the unique challenges of life in the High Himalayas. His work is as compelling as the landscape of Ladakh itself, and his message is as profound as the surrounding Himalayas. He is joined in the studio by Linda Cortright and Mary Dautricourt.

Stanzin is an internationally-acclaimed filmmaker who has directed and produced notable feature films and documentaries on regional, national and international issues. “Jungwa: The Broken Balance,” a documentary based on the 2010 flash floods that devastated Leh, was selected for screening at the United Nations’ COP21 Paris Conference in 2015. “The Shepherdess of the Glaciers,” an homage to his sister’s life, has won 20 awards, including the Grand Prize at the Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival in 2016. Stanzin is alumnus of SECMOL(https://secmol.org) and founder of the Himalayan Film House. HFH seeks to promote and capture stories unique to this region as people face increasing socio-economic conflict and environmental degradation.

Linda Cortright is founder and publisher of Wild Fibers Magazine (https://www.wildfibersmagazine.com), a U.S. quarterly and Pangong Craft Center in Phobrang village, Ladakh. Pangong Craft Center provides a warm, well-lit space for nearly 60 semi-nomadic women to spin and weave cashmere from the goats they lovingly raise.

Mary Dautricourt is the coordinator for Stanzin’s trip to the San Francisco Bay area and his appearances.