MetFilm Sales has announced the acquisition of Colors of White Rock, a documentary feature from Mongolian director Khoroldorj Choijoovanchig. The film makes its international debut at the Tribeca Film Festival next month, where it competes in the official documentary category.
Set in a region of the Gobi Desert now frequently called “Minegolia,” the film documents the daily life of Maikhuu. She is a single mother and one of the few women driving heavy goods vehicles along the dangerous routes connecting Mongolian mines to the Chinese border.
Life on the Coal Roads
Maikhuu previously worked as a hairdresser and a taxi driver. She moved to the mines to secure a financial future for her children, whom she leaves in the care of her sister for long stretches of the year. The film captures her navigating a landscape altered by industrial expansion, severe droughts, and the constant threat of road accidents.
Director Choijoovanchig previously explored this subject in his short film Lady of the Gobi, which received a Grierson Award in 2023. This feature-length expansion provides a closer look at the logistical and personal pressures of the mining boom. It focuses on how Maikhuu manages the competition of a male-dominated industry while maintaining a connection to her family and her land.
Global Market Interest
MetFilm Sales expects the film to attract international buyers interested in environmental and social issues. Zak Brilliant of MetFilm noted that the film portrays a difficult landscape with significant beauty. He described the work as a portrait of an individual and a study of the human costs associated with global resources.
The production involved several international partners, including Petite Maison Production and iCity Films. Funding and support came from various organisations, such as the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Programme and the Doc Society Climate Story Fund.
Colors of White Rock serves as a study of resilience. It highlights a woman’s effort to survive within an economic system that often overlooks the individuals powering it.
