Joan of Arc of Mongolia

A tour company (four women, three men: among them Delphine Seyrig, Irm Hermann and Peter Kern) set off first on the Trans-Siberian Railway, then on the Trans-Mongolian Railway towards Inner Mongolia. Just across the border with Mongolia, the women among the travelers are abducted by a mysterious princess and her riders and then travel across the endless steppes with a nomadic caravan. In grasslands, they participate in various rites, a shamanistic séance, dances and wrestling matches. Traveling itself, looking at the foreign and cultural misunderstandings are discussed in a very humorous way. Ulrike Ottinger's film JOHANNA D'ARC OF MONGOLIA combines theatrical with ethnographic, journey with reflection: “For me, the Trans-Siberian Route and also the Silk Road are like a guestbook of cultures, in which a wide variety of influences leave their impression. The film's theme is the mutual infection of nomadic ideas.” (Ulrike Ottinger) (al)