On the Mongolian steppe, 10-year-old Munkhjargal — known as Mogi — feels most alive on horseback. In the acclaimed short film White Grass, South Korean-born, Los Angeles-based filmmaker Justin Kim WooSŏk follows her as she trains for a race ahead of Naadam, Mongolia’s centuries-old festival of horse racing, wrestling and archery.
Through Mogi’s story, the film captures a way of life caught between endurance and change. Her father and coach takes pride in seeing her become the family’s first female racer, yet he also knows that the future awaiting her may not be on the open grasslands. As climate change intensifies the dzuds — extreme winter disasters that threaten livestock and nomadic herding — the traditions that have shaped life on the steppe for generations face growing uncertainty.
Both intimate and expansive, White Grass is a portrait of childhood, tradition and possibility. Mogi’s love for horses becomes a way of asking a larger question: whether the next generation of Mongolians will remain rooted in the rhythms of the steppe, or be drawn toward the opportunities and distance of the city.
Director: Justin Kim WooSŏk
Producer: Ruby Lanet
