The stunningly photographed DEPENDING ON HEAVEN films examine the role of man in the ecosystem of Inner Mongolia.

THE DESERT

DEPENDING ON HEAVEN: THE DESERT focuses on a different group living on the edge of the spreading Mongolian desert. The peasant farmers featured in this film are applying modern agricultural techniques to combat the continuing erosion in an attempt to reclaim their land.

Like their nomadic counterparts in the THE GRASSLANDS, these farmers inhabit the land once ruled Genghis Khan. But, as one farmer notes, "In the past people depended on what heaven provided. We don't rely on heaven anymore." This generation sees itself as a vital link in a cultural continuum - they pray to the gods of their ancestors, but realize the need to apply technology to increase productivity and to keep the land arable.

This, they hope, will be the legacy they pass on to their children.

"Shifting sands lashed by the wind, an imposing landscape stripped of its vegetation. All of this captured by a remarkably sensitive and skillful camera. A film to remember." - Claude Vallon, 24 Heures

"The wind's omnipresent wail is tempered by the native music that lightens the burdens of the people's chores and the challenges of an inhospitable clime. Evocative cinematography enriches the subjects' terse but telling comments..." - Ellen Mandel, Booklist

"As entertainment, the film is a delight; as a teaching aid the mood it evokes will make the subject alive for any classroom." - Margaret Willson, Royal Anthropological Institute

"Vividly depicts agrarian life in China's Inner Mongolian region... Academic students and members of the general adult public who are interested in geography, anthropology, or Asian studies would find this program highly educational." - Greg Armento, Video Rating Guide for Libraries