MIFF 2025 Film Review - Iron Winter

Images courtesy of Common State.

Iron Winter is a gorgeously shot documentary directed by Kashmir Burgess and set in the Tsakir Valley of Mongolia. The film primarily follows the journey of two Mongolian herders named Batbold and Tsagaana. Tsagaana is the more experienced herder who is joined by the young Batbold to learn the ways of ancient Mongolian herding and to keep the tradition alive. Iron Winter highlights the hardships for Mongolian herders who will often spend months travelling through the frozen terrain to find areas for their horse herds to graze, while trying to protect them both from the weather and the wolves. 

Iron Winter is a deeply personal journey. Bathold’s father is keen for his son to learn the ways and continue in the tradition, but Bathold has less of a connection to the tradition and is attracted to the luxuries and easier lifestyle offered in the city. While this decision will upset his father and put the tradition at further risk, viewers can completely sympathise with Batbold as they are also brought along for the difficult journey. Iron Winter does a perfect job of capturing the landscape through excellent cinematography that immerses viewers into the life of a Mongolian herder.   

However, Iron Winter occasionally fails to convey the importance of the herding tradition for the native Mongolians, particularly in terms of the significance of the age-old tradition being under threat means for the Native Mongolians, and what would happen if it disappeared completely. While not going into specifics of how much money herding brings in for the community, the ending does highlight the limited opportunities most Mongolians have for work. The film ends with Batbold struggling to find new work in the city and highlighting his dilemma, contemplating going back to herding out of necessity rather than choice. However, the tradition may become extinct regardless, for reasons outside of the herders control. Recently, the UN declared a humanitarian crisis in the region after Mongolia suffered a catastrophic winter (known as a Dzud) that wiped out livestock and left the soil frozen, unable to be used as pasture land. It’s estimated that over ninety per cent of the country is at risk, making the life of a Mongolian herder even harder (and perhaps impossible in the near future).  

Films such as Iron Winter feel extremely important, giving voice to people and crises from a place that many here in Melbourne might be unfamiliar with, or might never have heard of otherwise. It highlights how communities with centuries old traditions will be increasingly under threat due to the impacts of climate change. But like an incoming Dzud storm, it seems the only thing they can do is bunker down and hope the storm passes.

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Iron Winter is screening as part of the 2025 Melbourne International Film Festival. For tickets and more info, click here.