Filmmaker gets rare footage of Mongol falconerse
INDIANAPOLIS -- There's not much Indianapolis outdoor filmmaker Eddie Brochin won't do to get his footage.
In March 2011, Brochin endured a 48-hour sojourn to Chinggis Khaan International Airport in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia; took another hour-plus trip on a prop plane that landed on a bumpy dirt airstrip in the Bayan Olgii province near the Mongolian borders with Kazakhstan and Russia.
After that, a 3 1/2-hour car ride and a 3 1/2-hour horse ride were needed to reach the tiny village of the eagle masters Brochin wanted to film.
"Just another day at the office," the 42-year-old said with a laugh.
Except this day required an escort from a military policeman and a bulky bodyguard.
"It's not the safest place in the world," Brochin told the Indianapolis Business Journal (http://bit.ly/19eFmDE ), the smile fading from his face.
An accomplished outdoorsman, hunter and falconer, Brochin had dreamed for years of filming hunters whose descendants invented the techniques of hunting with falcons and eagles. His resulting documentary, "The Falconer, Sport of Kings," was 3 1/2 years in the making.
Brochin wasn't about to let a few obstacles — big or small — stand in his way of meeting, following and filming Hamshibai Elik and Baimandai Sakal and their families, descendants of Genghis Khan, the legendary leader of the Mongol Empire almost 800 years ago.
"The way these people hunt with eagles is totally awe-inspiring," Brochin said. "It was even more awesome to hunt alongside these people who gracefully use these ancient techniques."
Little did Brochin know his travel-day difficulties were just the beginning of the hardships he'd endure to complete his movie.
For more than a month, Brochin lived with his Mongolian hosts, along with two translators (one Mongolian and one Kazak), three cameramen, the military policeman — mandated by Mongolian authorities — and the bodyguard.
Most of his hosts had never seen a car, live without electricity, and encounter few — if any — foreigners, let alone Americans.
But they were far from barbaric.
"Their customs and way of living are certainly different from ours, but they were extremely hospitable," Brochin said, treating the visitors "like family."
The weather Brochin encountered was far less hospitable. In that mountainous desert region, temperatures exceed 85 degrees during the day and plunge below 25 at night.
The sun sears exposed skin in less than an hour. With no electricity and only small, temporary structures for shelter, staying warm after sunset is tough. Since there are so few trees, animal manure fuels fire in the round, portable housing structures known as yurts.
So it's no surprise that Brochin is one of the few Americans to journey to this region.
He is only the second foreigner ever to hunt with the Mongolian falconers — a term used for people who hunt with not only falcons, but also eagles and other birds of prey — and film their techniques.
Even Brochin — a falconer for 12 years, a fifth-degree black belt, U.S. Coast Guard-approved maritime captain, and veteran of hundreds of hunting expeditions — had his mettle tested.
"Some days you wondered what the heck you were doing," he said. "But the experience of hunting with these majestic birds and the Mongolian people made it all worthwhile."
The toughest day came midway through the trip. Five tornadic dust storms hit the crew's camp in a single day.
In March 2011, Brochin endured a 48-hour sojourn to Chinggis Khaan International Airport in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia; took another hour-plus trip on a prop plane that landed on a bumpy dirt airstrip in the Bayan Olgii province near the Mongolian borders with Kazakhstan and Russia.
After that, a 3 1/2-hour car ride and a 3 1/2-hour horse ride were needed to reach the tiny village of the eagle masters Brochin wanted to film.
"Just another day at the office," the 42-year-old said with a laugh.
Except this day required an escort from a military policeman and a bulky bodyguard.
"It's not the safest place in the world," Brochin told the Indianapolis Business Journal (http://bit.ly/19eFmDE ), the smile fading from his face.
An accomplished outdoorsman, hunter and falconer, Brochin had dreamed for years of filming hunters whose descendants invented the techniques of hunting with falcons and eagles. His resulting documentary, "The Falconer, Sport of Kings," was 3 1/2 years in the making.
Brochin wasn't about to let a few obstacles — big or small — stand in his way of meeting, following and filming Hamshibai Elik and Baimandai Sakal and their families, descendants of Genghis Khan, the legendary leader of the Mongol Empire almost 800 years ago.
"The way these people hunt with eagles is totally awe-inspiring," Brochin said. "It was even more awesome to hunt alongside these people who gracefully use these ancient techniques."
Little did Brochin know his travel-day difficulties were just the beginning of the hardships he'd endure to complete his movie.
For more than a month, Brochin lived with his Mongolian hosts, along with two translators (one Mongolian and one Kazak), three cameramen, the military policeman — mandated by Mongolian authorities — and the bodyguard.
Most of his hosts had never seen a car, live without electricity, and encounter few — if any — foreigners, let alone Americans.
But they were far from barbaric.
"Their customs and way of living are certainly different from ours, but they were extremely hospitable," Brochin said, treating the visitors "like family."
The weather Brochin encountered was far less hospitable. In that mountainous desert region, temperatures exceed 85 degrees during the day and plunge below 25 at night.
The sun sears exposed skin in less than an hour. With no electricity and only small, temporary structures for shelter, staying warm after sunset is tough. Since there are so few trees, animal manure fuels fire in the round, portable housing structures known as yurts.
So it's no surprise that Brochin is one of the few Americans to journey to this region.
He is only the second foreigner ever to hunt with the Mongolian falconers — a term used for people who hunt with not only falcons, but also eagles and other birds of prey — and film their techniques.
Even Brochin — a falconer for 12 years, a fifth-degree black belt, U.S. Coast Guard-approved maritime captain, and veteran of hundreds of hunting expeditions — had his mettle tested.
"Some days you wondered what the heck you were doing," he said. "But the experience of hunting with these majestic birds and the Mongolian people made it all worthwhile."
The toughest day came midway through the trip. Five tornadic dust storms hit the crew's camp in a single day.
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