Aliman Zhankorozova

This visually stunning Kazakh movie tells a tragic tale of absent and misplaced compassion. A young orphan rescues an orphaned wolf cub and lavishes considerable affection on it. His uncle, believing that this "softness" will result in the boy's being unable to endure the rigors of life on the Kazakh steppes, savagely beats the cub in front of the boy. (imdb)

The story is about a group of proud hunters known as Snow Leopards, who in order to survive a brutal winter must ask for help from the inhabitants of the lowlands. The price of the aid is the hand of the daughter of the Snow Leopard, who is promised to a rich merchant. (FILMAFFINITY)