World premiere

Grand Prix Winner 2024: Silent City Driver

Local title
Grand prix võitja 2024: Vaikuse linna autojuht
Original title
Чимээгүй хотын жолооч
Director
Sengedorj Janchivdorj
Country
Mongolia
Year
2024
Festival
28th Black Nights Film Festival
Programme
Official Selection - Competition
Genre
drama, thriller
Subject
prison, religion, death, loneliness, corruption, mafia

An enigmatic hearse driver navigates the solitude and injustice that haunt his tormented life.

In a city rife with corruption and scandals, surrounded by indifference, the solitary and enigmatic Myagmar lives in isolation after enduring 14 brutal years in prison. Scarred both physically and emotionally, his only companions are the stray dogs he has rescued over time.

His life takes an unexpected turn when he finds work as a hearse driver and encounters two people who will reshape his existence: a young Buddhist monk and Saruul, the beautiful daughter of a blind coffin maker, with whom he forms a deep bond. When Saruul succumbs to a crippling depression – driven by exploitation, blackmail, and threats involving explicit photos – Myagmar embarks on a quest for revenge, determined to bring justice to a fractured world.

With its haunting narrative and mesmerising visuals, the film leverages Mongolia’s striking urban landscapes and skyscapes to tell a raw, powerful story of lives on the edge, weaving existential reflections on life and death with an utterly unique cinematic style.

Giovanna Fulvi

Director
Sengedorj Janchivdorj
Screenwriter
Nomuunzul Turmunkh, Sengedorj Janchivdorj
Cast
Tuvshinbayar Amartuvshin, Narantsetseg Ganbaatar, Bat-Erdene Munkhbat
Producer
Ganbaatar Narantsetseg, Naranbat Bayasgalan, Bold Ganbat
Cinematographer
Enkhbayar Enkhtur
Music
Serge Gainsbourg
Sound
Aurae Studios
Runtime
Language
Mongolian
Subtitles
Estonian, English
Director
Sengedorj Janchivdorj

Sengedorj Janchivdorj (1976) is a Mongolian filmmaker who studied directing at the “Bers” College of Media and Cinematic Arts. From 2000 to 2003, he was the director of the Film Institute at the National Youth Theatre. After his debut a feature film in 1998, he directed a twenty-episode television series and several feature films. He is also a theatre director. Since 2018, he has been a board member of the Mongolian Film Industry Association. In 2023, his film “Sales Girl” won the Audience Award at the Tartu Love Film Festival Tartuff.

Life: Amidral (2018), I, the Sunshine (2019), Khudaldagch ohin (Müügitüdruk, 2021), Chimeegui khotiin jolooch (Silent City Driver, 2024)

Grand Prix for The Best Film, grant of 20 000 euros from the city of Tallinn, Award for Best Director, grant of 5000€ from Alexela

Screenings

1st Lux Hall Apollo Kino Coca-Cola Plaza
Screening140101 / Vaikuse linna autojuht
SubtitlesEnglish, Estonian
Q&A guestsNomuunzul Turmunkh (Screenwriter), Enkhbayar Enkhtur (Cinematographer), Tuvshinbayar Amartuvshin (Cast)
Q&A duration
Screening duration
2. Hall Apollo Kino Tasku, TARTU
Screening174302 / Grand prix võitja 2024: Vaikuse linna autojuht
SubtitlesEnglish, Estonian
Screening duration
8th Hall Apollo Kino Coca-Cola Plaza
Screening170802 / Grand prix võitja 2024: Vaikuse linna autojuht
SubtitlesEnglish, Estonian
Screening duration
Hall Electric Cinema, TARTU
Screening174103 / Grand prix võitja 2024: Vaikuse linna autojuht
SubtitlesEnglish, Estonian
Screening duration
1st Lux Hall Apollo Kino Coca-Cola Plaza
Screening170102 / Grand prix võitja 2024: Vaikuse linna autojuht
SubtitlesEnglish, Estonian
Screening duration
Trailer
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