Running time 86 minutes | ||
Starring Hereltogoo Chuluunbaatar, Batmunk Hulongoo, Dashnyam Maralgua Music by Kenneth LamplSteve Grove Release date 22 March 2014 (2014-03-22) | ||
Amka and The Three Golden Rules is a 2014 Mongolian-American family drama written and directed by Babar Ahmed. The movie received rave reviews in major international press and is currently being screened on American Airlines International Flights and on Emirates Airlines where it is one of four movies categorized as 'Great movies worth watching from around the world'.
Contents
Plot
A ten year old Mongolian boy discovers a gold coin. Consumed by greed, his life spirals out of control. The boy escapes to the countryside where his eccentric uncle teaches him three lessons in life. The story starts with a ten year old caring Mongolian boy called Amka. His biggest dream is to play soccer with the neighborhood kids but they only make fun of his poor clothes. One day Amka discovers a gold coin. With this new found wealth he buys fancy clothes and now the other kids let him play soccer with them. He is soon introduced to video games and he starts to get addicted. Amka's taste for money starts to take over his personality. He loses respect for his family and starts borrowing money from the other kids. Very soon he is over his head in debt. The neighborhood kids have had enough and chase Amka to get their money back. Amka escapes to the countryside where he meets his eccentric uncle. The uncle teaches Amka three golden rules in life.
Reception
The movie received rave reviews in major international press, being described as 'Stunning', 'Inspirational', 'A herculian effort', 'Thoroughly naturalistic performances, stunning location shoot... the kind of poetic family adventure rarely seen in the US' and 'Chilling'. WCBE's leading movie critic wrote 'Ahmed has crafted an affecting Mongolian tale as instructive about the enduring values of an ancient culture as it is a universal story of a boy’s coming of age'. Mongolia's biggest English language newspaper UB Post highlighted the allegory in the story to Mongolia's current predicament of facing modernization and its discovery of natural resources. The newspaper wrote that the movie is 'Brilliantly crafted' and went on to say that 'combined with a strong lead, stunning shots of the spectacular landscapes of Mongolia and excellent music... the story is in many ways a symbol of how Mongolia must decide its own fate'.
Release
Amka and the Three Golden Rules is currently playing on international flights on American Airlines. and on Emirates Airlines where it is one of four movies described as 'Great movies worth watching from around the world'.
The movie played at film festivals across the globe picking up several 'Best Feature Film' awards. At the Arizona International Film Festival, the movie received a special award for "Bridging Cultures'.