“SNOW Leopard,” a Chinese film directed by late director Pema Tseden, won the Tokyo Grand Prix at the 36th Tokyo International Film Festival last week.

Described as a family drama, “Snow Leopard” explores the close association between humans and animals through a story in which a snow leopard kills nine of a sheepherder’s flock. It delves into the differing perspectives of various individuals regarding whether to release the snow leopard after it gets trapped in the sheep pen.

It took about three years to make the film, which was shot at the scenic Donggi Cona Lake in Madoi County in Northwest China’s Qinghai Province. The name of the lake means “lake surrounded by a thousand mountains” in the Tibetan. The area is also a habitat for snow leopards and many other endangered species.

Born in 1969, Pema passed away in May due to an illness. Considered as one of the most prominent figures in contemporary Chinese cinema, the director has received critical acclaim for his Tibet-set films, which often explore themes of folk life, culture and modernity in Tibet and express his thoughts on life, humanity and beliefs.

A film professor of the China Academy of Art, Pema shot several notable arthouse movies on Tibetan life such as “The Silent Holy Stones” (2005), “The Search” (2009), “Old Dog” (2011), “Jinpa” (2018), “Tharlo” (2015) and “Balloon” (2019). He was also an award-winning writer, whose short stories have been translated into English, French, German, Japanese and Czech. (Global Times)