Very few of them still live in the heartlands of Tibet—snow leopards, that is, which are one of the most endangered feline species in the world. Their global population may be less than 6000–8000, and it is exceptionally difficult to see one of them in the wild. In this documentary, photographer Vincent Munier and author Sylvain Tesson go on a quest to capture a glimpse of this elusive and shy animal. They not only discover the eternal beauty of the Himalayan wild but find themselves on a journey into the depths of their own souls.

The film, co-directed by Marie Amiguet, premiered in 2021 at the Cannes Film Festival. It provides images of the unimaginably pristine beauty of wildlife on the roof of the world, reminding the viewer of the possibility of a mythical “golden age” when Man, animals, and the Divine still spoke the same language.

Text passages from Tesson’s 2019 book La Panthère des neiges—a book based on the experiences of the photographer’s and author’s journey—comprise part of the meditative narration that guides the viewer into a spiritual “retreat” of silence and wonder.

A must-see.

If possible, see the film in a theater on a big screen. For home viewing, the film streams on Vudu and iTunes. 

Film home page

Some facts on snow leopards provided by the WWF.

The Snow Leopard Network