Award of Excellence

world. The film closes with Jenya confessing that, in the years since Mongolia's independence from Russia pass, he finds himself becoming more and more Mongolian. By the end of the film, the bitter cold winter has become a metaphor for Mongolia's modern condition. Like the icebound city, Jenya's life goes on, even though seemingly frozen in an immobile present with no real prospects for the future. As livestock freeze to death in the provinces and food becomes scarce in city markets, Mongolian pop stars stage a TV benefit concert for people hard hit by the weather. But in the face of massive socioeconomic problems, girl groups like "The Lipsticks" crooning for their frozen countrymeneven if well intentioned-seem only to caricature how pitifully unequipped the country is to solve its problems. The glitz and glamour of the benefit concert suggest that capitalism has opened windows onto global consumer desire, even while leaving Mongolia out in the cold. This is a film that will provide plenty of material for discussion in the classroom. North American students will