Locho and his wife Yama are nomadic herders who carve their existence from the land as their ancestors have for generations. Along with their infant daughter, nicknamed Jiatomah (“pale chubby girl”), they are facing a time of transition in eastern Tibet’s Zachukha grasslands – the highest, coldest, poorest, largest, and most remote county in Sichuan Province, China.
With its unprecedented access to a place seldom visited by outsiders, Summer Pasture is a rare and intimate glimpse into a traditional nomadic life confronting rapid modernization. The filmmakers capture the life of a family at a crossroads, ultimately revealing the profound sacrifice the parents will make to ensure their daughter’s future.
“Beautiful and important. For me, the best documentary of 2010.” – Albert Maysles, filmmaker, Grey Gardens.