WILD SPITI - The Ghost Of The Snow | Award Winning Snow Leopard Documentary

Winner of Best Film - Nature's Best Photography Asia 2020.
Synopsis: Set foot into the fairytale winterscapes of the wild Indian Himalayas. Featuring intimate glimpses into the wildlife of Spiti Valley, this natural history tale of survival chronicles the last days in the extraordinary life of a Snow Leopard. It unveils the various struggles that it must relentlessly battle every day, including the biggest one by mankind - climate change.
Story behind the film: It all began as a still photography expedition, a much needed break from my ‘job’ as a commercial filmmaker. It took 3 days of traveling by flight and driving through precariously narrow Himalayan roads to reach Kibber from Mumbai.
Feb 27th 2020 was my first day in the field. I had never walked through shin-deep snow before, let alone walking and slipping down icy waterfalls. There were sightings of a mother Snow Leopard with three cubs but she was long gone when I arrived. On Feb 28th, I saw my very first Snow Leopard in the wild; he was in hunting mode. Moments later, he cartwheeled to the bottom with a large Ibex. I switched from stills and filmed as much of the cat’s behaviour as I possibly could, not knowing how and where I would use the footage. 4 days later, the Snow Leopard was forced to abandon the carcass as it froze solid in the stream it plunged into. I witnessed another hunting attempt; this time, he failed. Nightfall came by and my journey had ended.
On my return home, the villagers told me about yet another hunting attempt. Driven by starvation, the old cat miscalculated his footing and fell to his death. Moved by the tragic news, I revisited my footage and was compelled to tell the story survival of this incredible Snow Leopard and the many challenges the species faces, every single day.
This film was never intended to be, it was born from extraordinary experiences and has urged me to dedicate my life to continue telling stories of our natural world with the hope of re-humanizing people and preserving it.
Location: Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary, Lahaul and Spiti district, Himachal Pradesh.
Local Porter: DK.
Writer, Director & Producer: Kenneth Lawrence.
Narrator: Nazneen Madan.
Music Director: Advait Nemlekar.
Colourist: Amit Kumar, Aum Creations.
Cinematographer, Editor & Sound Design: Kenneth Lawrence.
Special thanks to Jayanth Sharma for the expert sightings. Just a moment too late, and we would've missed the spectacular hunting plummet of the Snow Leopard and the massive Himalayan Ibex.
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