Tibetan film opens to domestic acclaim

One and Four, the directorial debut of Jigme Trinley, son of the late pioneering auteur of Tibetan cinema Pema Tseden, was released to widespread acclaim on Friday.

Adapted from Tibetan writer Chiangyong Tsering's novella of the same name, it follows a ranger working in a forest on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau who becomes accidentally entangled in a deadly conflict between forest police and poachers one stormy night.

The movie earned a nomination at the 34th Tokyo International Film Festival in 2021, making Trinley — then a fresh Beijing Film Academy graduate — the youngest director to be shortlisted for the festival's main competition.

Critics have commented that the movie successfully combines several major genres, including crime and suspense, achieving a breakthrough in Tibetan film.