Winner, Best Youth Feature Film, 2015
River is a story mostly told from the perspective of Yangchan, a young Tibetan girl from a sheep herding family who is trying to make sense of her changing world. Her father is alienated by villagers for not visiting his ailing father, who he has a troubled relationship with. Yangchan’s grandfather is a renowned Buddhist monk who lives a hermit lifestyle in a cave where he went to meditate. Yangchan’s father makes the family move prematurely to the summer pastures before the cold weather has passed. Meanwhile Yangchan is being weaned from her mother who is expecting another child. Seeking love and affection, she applies herself to tenderly taking care of an orphaned lamb.
The Asia Pacific Screen Academy expresses its respect for and acknowledgement of the South East Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. We pay our respects to the Traditional Owners of country, including the custodial communities on whose land works are created and celebrated by the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. We acknowledge the continuing connection to land, waters and communities. We also pay our respects to Elders, past and present. We recognise the integral role Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and First Nations peoples continue to play in storytelling and celebration spaces.
