
2002
Director Erich Langjahr follows several of the last remaining shepherds in Switzerland, on the cusp of the third millennium. How does one of the oldest human means of subsistence survive into the modern age? At an unhurried pace, he captures the shepherd, his sheep, his dogs and his mules as they trudge across snow-covered fields, climb mountain passes and cross highways. The sheep have to be cared for all year round and the life of a shepherd is physically demanding. Shepherds stay outdoors, or in small huts and caravans – often in places inaccessible by car. During their long periods away from home, their families expand and their children grow up. But they wouldn’t have it any other way; being a shepherd is a very conscious life choice. One of them puts it like this: “I just can’t sit still. As long as my health allows me I’ll always be on the go. No matter where in the world, I’d like to be on the go forever.”

School of Hope

The Garden of Stones

Sheep Dog

A shepherd's affair

The Story of the Weeping Camel

Arkadia

The Seasons

Wolves Return

Sonaggios

Disappearing World: The basques of Santazi

Considering the Ends

Brotherhood

The Shepherds of Berneray

Desert Killer

Man's First Friend

The Shepherdess of the Glaciers

Notes from Sheepland

Ovčiarskou cestou

The Shepherdess

Hirten und Herden in der Pußta