In Nepal’s remote Dolpo region, two Indigenous women form an unlikely friendship to save one of the planet’s most mysterious and vulnerable wild cats: the snow leopard.

Tshiring Lahmu Lama is a snow leopard conservationist living in a remote region of Nepal, fighting to save the endangered cats from retaliatory killings by local villagers.Snow Leopard Sistersfollows Tshiring’s story as she mentors 17-year-old Tenzin Bhuti Gurung, a young woman caught between an arranged marriage and her passion for education and wildlife conservation.

Tshiring herself is a single mother who impressively treks through the mountains with her baby in tow, collecting scientific data while seeking advice from spiritual leaders and village elders on how to engage with herders who despise the large predators for killing their goats.

Directed by Sonam Choekyi Lama, Ben Ayers, and Andrew Lynch,Snow Leopard Sisters is both a nature documentary capturing the harsh beauty of the Himalayas and an inspiring story of Indigenous women’s voices in wildlife conservation, working to secure the future of the snow leopards. Snow Leopard Sisters screens at PIF following its premiere at SXSW. -PLANET IN FOCUS