It wasn't planned as a film. It was a visit to a friend.

Kathrin Riesch, 40, spends every summer from June to October as a shepherdess on alpine pastures in Switzerland – leaving behind her life as a yoga teacher and Ayurveda consultant in Bad Tölz for something slower, quieter, more essential. She agreed – but on her terms: full control over whatever we'd do with it. So I came, just for us, with a camera and no agenda.

After seeing the first rough cut, she called: "Should we organize a premiere?"

What followed was a 20-minute documentary that has since traveled to festivals across four continents – winning 9 Best Cinematography Awards and 3 Best Short Documentary Awards, with nominations including Cannes Film Awards, Cambridge Short Film Festival, and the European Short Awards.

The film doesn't try to say anything grand. It just watches. A woman with her animals. The stillness of the mountains. The beauty of simplicity.
"Sometimes the most profound stories come from... more