EXCLUSIVE: Activist Artists Management has signed award-winning Mongolian filmmaker Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir. She’ll be represented at the full-service music and talent management firm by Bernie Cahill and Jon Kanak.

Purev-Ochir has generated buzz around town after winning Best Short Film Prizes from both the Venice and Toronto Film Festivals in 2022, for her sophomore effort, Snow in September. She’s been celebrated for exploring the contradictions of modern-day Mongolia, having previously seen her debut short, Mountain Cat, win the Sonje Award for Best Asian Short Film at the 25th Busan Film Festival, also screening in the short films competition at Cannes 2020.

Purev-Ochir is currently in post-production on her debut feature, ZE, set in the Yurt districts of her hometown of Ulaanbaatar. The coming-of-age film, starring Tergel Bold-Erdene and Nomin-Erdene Ariunbyamba, examines shamanism and sexual awakening between two teens as they attempt to navigate life’s many issues. The project was presented at the Locarno Film Festival’s Open Doors co-production forum in 2020, where it was awarded the Moulin d’Andé CECI Award along with 40,000 Swiss francs’ worth of production support, with the jury proclaiming that Purev-Ochir is “a true incoming and fresh author, presenting us a contemporary vision and not stereotypes of her country.”

“Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir is an extraordinary storyteller, whose films have earned well-deserved praise, around the world,” said Activist’s Founding Partner, Cahill. “We are thrilled to represent such a gifted filmmaker.”

Purev-Ochir earned a BA in film direction before interning at Mongolian National Broadcaster, where she trained under renowned filmmaker Jigjidsuren Gombojav. She subsequently earned an MA in screenwriting from KinoEyes European Filmmaking Masters and has taught at the Mongolian School of Film, Radio, and Television, as well as the country’s Institute of Cinematography.

Other notable clients at Activist Artists Management include actors Ken Watanabe (Tokyo Vice) and David Alan Grier (They Cloned Tyrone), screenwriter Terry Rossio (Godzilla vs. Kong), White Collar creator-showrunner Jeff Eastin, Oscar-winning media company Lion Forge Animation (Hair Love) and the Southern Poverty Law Center.