If Only I Could Hibernate

In this wonderful and heartwarming feature debut, the teenage boy Ulzii must juggle his own dreams and the responsibility for his two younger siblings. The film was part of the prestigious Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival.

We meet 15-year-old Ulizi, who lives with his alcoholic mother and two younger siblings in a traditional tent in Ulan Bator. They have moved from the countryside to the city so that the children can attend school, but their mother struggles to provide for them, and they barely have enough coal to keep the tent warm. The responsibility falls on Ulizi, who has a superb talent for physics and is encouraged by his teacher to enter a talent competition to win a scholarship for further studies. However, it becomes increasingly difficult to manage with a mother who is disappearing more and more. It becomes a struggle for survival.

Director Purevdash has written a powerful and touching story and has a team behind him that has produced a well-crafted and compelling film with outstanding qualities. Amateur actor Battsooj Uursaikh shines in the role of Ulizi, and the film demonstrates that there is something very exciting happening in the Mongolian film industry.

Lasse Skagen

Director

Zoljargal Purevdash is a Mongolian film director. She studied film in Japan before returning to Mongolia and working on several films. She has directed several short films, including Burgundy (2013), Outliers (2017), Stairs (2020), and Yellow Bus (2022). Her debut feature-length film is If Only I Could Hibernate, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year.

This film is part of