April Festival Mongolia Seoul-2008 will exhibit major Mongolian contemporary artists. The show will run from April 17 through 24. 

During this first-ever art exhibit, Mongolian artists in attendance will include artisans Tsagaandari Enkhjar, Gombo-ichin Lkhagvasures, Tsultem Munkhjin, Tsultem Enkhjin, Tsultem Narkmandakh and Shagdarjavin Chimedorj. 

The Mongolian artists will not only display their work, they will also meet with prominent south Korean artists. 

Be first to comment this article

The Mongolian Post Company inaugurated today the first in a series of three stamp sets honoring Mongolia’s Grand Champion Sumo wrestler Asashyoro. 

The stamps in the first set being issued show Asashyoro dressed in the uniform of a baseball player, the second is with complete Yokozuna's dress and the third is in traditional Mongolian dress on horseback.  

"Thank you, especially all Mongolians who have supported me. I am so happy that I won the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in keeping with the people's belief," Asashyoro said during the ceremony. 

Be first to comment this article

"Secret History of the Mongols," is an ancient text recording a 500 year history of Mongolia and its various ethnic groups. The text draws much attention because it also provides a history of the period of Genghis khan. 

The dictionary has been compiled by Professor B. Sumyabaatar from Mongolia’s Institute of Literature and Language. 

Working on the dictionary for five years, Sumyabaatar collected 8,144 words from "Secret History of the Mongols" and provides their modern translations. 

Be first to comment this article

Yesterday saw the premiere of the internationally renowned movie Khadak Of the Belgian/American director couple Brosens/Woodworth. The movie tells the tale of a boy, whos family is forced to leave their herding ground. The film won a range of awards including the Lion of the Future in Venice.

Set in the frozen steppes of Mongolia, Khadak tells the epic story of Bagi, a young nomad confronted with his destiny to become a shaman. A plague strikes the animals and the nomads are forcibly relocated to desolate mining towns. Bagi saves the life of a beautiful coal thief, Zolzaya, and together they reveal the plague was a lie fabricated to eradicate nomadism. A sublime revolution ensues.

Mrs. Woodworth, present at the premiere, congratulated the cast and the whole team with its achievement refelected in the many awards. It was exiting for all the see the film at last "come home" to the country it was conceived. After honouring the main actors Mrs Woodworth introduced the movie to the audience. "This is a movie that might raise more questions than answers." And the rather impressionistic movie was quite a change from the regular korean romantics and hollywood action normally screening in the Tengis Kino Theather. But the movie was well received in the Mongolian Arts scene. Mongolian journalist Nomin Lkhagvasuren comments: "The very preciseness of the way the film script captures Mongolian cultural expressions, beliefs and myths, the crude and beautiful reality of living, fused with essential and universal humanity...make this film a potentially unique piece of art. I envision a silence falling down upon an audience after watching the film. Silence where beauty, harmony, courage and thought translate the film into our inner universes, allowing us to open up a space and time for an inner conversation."

The premiere was supported by Naiz.mn


AWARDS


ASIAN FIRST FILMS FESTIVAL IN SINGAPORE

BEST ACTOR: BATZUL KHAYANKHYARVAA
BEST ACTRESS: TSETSEGEE BYAMBA

2006 VENICE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
LION OF THE FUTURE
BEST FIRST FEATURE

2006 TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
SWAROVSKI CULTURAL INNOVATION AWARD HONOURABLE MENTION

2006 BRATISLAVA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
INTERNATIONAL JURY’S SPECIAL MENTION
ECUMENICAL JURY’S SPECIAL MENTION

2006 FLANDERS CULTURE AWARDS
BEST FILM

2007 SUNDANCE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
WORLD CINEMA JURY AWARD NOMINATION

2007 GOIÀS INT’L ENVIRONMENTAL FILM FESTIVAL
BEST FEATURE FILM
CRITICS’ AWARD

2007 CYPRUS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
GOLDEN APHRODITE FOR BEST FILM
BEST DIRECTOR
BEST MUSIC
BEST ART DIRECTION
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
BEST COSTUMES

2007 SPIRIT OF FIRE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (RUSSIA)
SPECIAL JURY AWARD (SILVER TAIGA)

2007 OSLO FILMS FROM THE SOUTH FILM FESTIVAL
FIPRESCI AWARD

2007 ASIAN FESTIVAL OF FIRST FILMS  (SINGAPORE)
BEST ACTOR NOMINATION

Be first to comment this article

Mongolia’s National Archives and the Gandan Tegchenling Monastery are being assisted by UNESCO in digitizing their collections to guarantee their being preserved as well as distributed to wider audiences. 

The center of Mongolian Buddhists, the Gandan Tegchenling, contains a unique collection of scriptures by Mongolian and Tibetan scholars such as Je Zong Kha Pa and his two disciples, Khaidup Je and Gyaltsapa Je, the Dalai Lamas, the Panchen Lamas and Mongolian philosophers Agvanbaldan, Agvantuvden, Damtsagdorj and Zava Damdin, as well as others. The scriptures cover a wide range of disciplines such as philosophy, medicine, astrology, traditions of sutra and tantra, linguistics, history, and poetry.  

As many of these scriptures are the last known copies, the monks sought to save their priceless collection. As the young generation of lamas speaks good English and uses the internet, they agreed to creating an of e-library of digitized documents. UNESCO began holding training workshops on the preservation of documents in Ulaan-Baator in May 2006.  

Be first to comment this article

Distributor cinema Epoch released the internationally acclaimed movie starring Natsagdorj Battsetseg, Purevdorj Tserendagva, and Dorjgotov Gantsetseg. 

Shot in Mongolia by directed by Ochir Mashbat, the movie takes viewers into the rural mountainous regions of Mongolia for a saga of love, violence, secrets and friendships. 

The movie received cinematic awards in the United States, Europe and Asia.

Be first to comment this article

Though the church’s numbers are low, with 415 Catholics in Mongolia, the church took special note at the steady increase in church-related activities. 

Catholic churches in Mongolia now include Sts Peter and Paul, St Mary's, Good Shepherd and Mary Help of Christians. This last church was established in 2007 in Darhan, Mongolia's second-largest city with 80,000 inhabitants, 200 kilometers north of Ulaanbaatur. 

Additionally, church officials note that 64 missioners from 18 countries are serving in Mongolia. 

Catholic church staff now run ministries to some 500 children in the parishes and mission stations where children attend Mass and Sunday-school classes. 

Mongolian children coming from families which cannot afford regular schools attend the St Paul schools in Ulaanbaatar and Zuun Mod.  

Comments (2)