An internationally-acclaimed documentary film will have its local premier at Indiana University South Bend. The film, “The Story of the Weeping Camel” will be shown at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 24, in Room 1001, Wiekamp Hall.

Following the screening of the movie, a representative from the Munich Film School, Wolfgang Latteyer, will take part in a question and answer session on the film and filmmaking. Latteyer is an independent producer and a graduate of the Munich school. He is working on the worldwide distribution of the film.

The event is sponsored by the Department of Foreign Languages, the English Department and the Film Studies Committee in honor of the inaugural “World Cultures and Languages Day” on campus. The evening is free and open to the public. A reception will follow.

The movie, which was entered in nearly 20 competitions and film festivals, received a nomination for an Academy Award in the Documentary Feature category. The story is set in Mongolia and was made by two film students, one Mongolian and the other Italian, both of the Munich school.

The local presentation will have English subtitles.

The film opens in the Gobi Desert, Southern Mongolia. A family of nomadic shepherds assists in the birthing of a number of camels in their herd. One of the camels has a difficult birth but with the help of the family, a rare white calf is delivered. However, the mother camel rejects the newborn.

With little hope for the calf, the nomads send two young boys on a journey through the desert to find a musician. A violinist comes to the camp and a breathtaking ritual is performed. The sound of the horse-head violin and the singing of one of the nomadic woman seek to stir the mother camel’s heart.

For further information contact Lesley Walker, associate professor of French, at (574) 520-4199.