A Son of Taiga

German is 12 and in the fifth grade. He and his family are Khanty, a people from West Siberia. These days, there are approximately 20,000 Khanty, and about half of them still lead in a traditional way of life in the forest, German's family included. In the midst of winter, when it is 38 degrees below zero outside, he shows the viewer how they live. His grandmother, his mother, his deaf-and-dumb uncle and his brother all live together in a small wooden house. They fish, tend their herd of elks, chop wood, hunt and bake bread. German himself is only with them once in a while, as he attends a boarding school far from home. It's unlikely that he will return to the traditional way of life later on, as the lucrative oil and natural gas industries are bringing "civilisation" closer and closer. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)