“Snow Leopard Sisters,” Sonam Choeyki Lama, Tenzin Bhuti Gurung, & Tshiring Lhamu Lama, at Mountainfilm Festival – Photo: Sonam Choekyi Lama
May 22 – 26, 2025 — In the breathtaking box canyon of Telluride, Colorado, Snow Leopard Sisters – Tshiring Lhamu Lama, Sonam Choekyi Lama, and Tenzin Bhuti Gurung – arrived for their film’s feature debut at Mountainfilm Festival, after its world premiere at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas. Telluride would be the first stop on the three-week-long Snow Leopard Sisters film screening tour making its way across the United States. It would also be Tenzin’s first time away from the remote Nepalese Himalayas.
The synopsis of Snow Leopard Sisters, directed by Ben Ayers, Andrew Lynch, and Sonam Choekyi Lama, was beautifully captured by Mountainfilm:
In Nepal’s remote Dolpo region, where fewer than 90 snow leopards remain, conservationist Tshiring Lhamu Lama returns home with a mission: to save the endangered animals. She takes on 17-year old Tenzin Bhuti Gurung as her apprentice – a girl whose family has suffered from snow leopard attacks on their livestock. As they trek through the treacherous yet breathtaking Himalayan landscape, Tshiring helps Tenzin understand the delicate balance between protecting wildlife and supporting herding communities. Through intimate footage and stunning cinematography, Snow Leopard Sisters captures the power of women’s voices in shaping a better future for themselves and the elusive snow leopard.
The film team and Ashleigh Lutz-Nelson (SLC) took to the stage after the screenings to discuss the film’s creation and the importance of continuing the conservation work highlighted in the film – Photo: SLC
Both screenings of Snow Leopard Sisters were shown to “sold out” audiences, reaching over 800 people, and resulted in standing ovations from audience members when the Sisters, Rush Sturges (Executive Producer), and Ashleigh Lutz-Nelson (Executive Director of Snow Leopard Conservancy), took the stage for the post-film question and answer sessions. The film was superbly featured alongside an experimental short documentary called Ani about a Tibetan Buddhist nunnery in the Nepali Himalaya, directed by Olivia Gorham.
Snow Leopard Sisters and Ashleigh Lutz-Nelson (SLC) stand with the Director of “Ani,” Olivia Gorham, outside Palm Theatre at the close of the second screening – Photo: SLC
Mountainfilm also invited Tshiring, Choeyki, Tenzin, and Ashleigh to participate in the Impact Pitch session as panelists alongside three other featured documentaries. The session raised awareness and funds for the continuation of the vital work featured in the transformative film. The Sisters shared the goals of the Snow Leopard Sisters Impact Campaign, in partnership with Snow Leopard Conservancy, highlighting the community-led conservation activities that are transforming coexistence between mountain communities and snow leopards in Dolpo.
Stay tuned for updates on the Snow Leopard Sisters film screening events in SLC’s upcoming news stories.
Photo: Noah Media Group