The Story

"By the Will of Genghis Khan" movie traces the biography of Temujin: it starts with the birth of a boy, and as the story unfolds, we witness him eventually become the Emperor...

The Filming

The story of Genghis Khan in the movie is told by a Christian missionary called John, played by a German actor Gernot Grimm. Actual European missionaries and travelers of Genghis Khan's times, such as Marco Polo, William of Rubruck, and Giovanni de Piano Carpini, were prototypes of this generalized character.

Russia

Sakha Republic (Yakutia)

The first sequences were shot in April 2005 in Verkhoyansk Mountains, near the sacred rocks of Kisilyakh (roughly translated as 'Stone People'), which astonishingly resemble giant stone human figures. According to a legend these are Genghis Khan's warriors, who have reached the far north obeying the order of their ruler.

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Republic of Buryatia

The scene of initiation of future founder of the great empire was filmed on the Yerd Hill: having climbed the sacred height, young Temujin becomes Chingis. There is another holy place near this mountain: Valley of Stone Spirits. As told in legends, the valley is guarding peace and quiet of the Kurykans, ancestors of modern Yakuts.

The filming day concurred with ethnic festival of Erdinsky Games, which was held for the second time after a hundred years long pause. In olden days the games witnessed the traditional Yohor dance: 700 people, hand in hand, formed a living circle around Yerd Hill. It was considered to be a bad sign if there were not enough people (less than 700) to close the circle around the hill. But during the filming there were as many as whole three circles reeling around the sacred hill, cast and crew added to the games' participants and visitors...

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Tyva Republic

The shooting in Tyva (July-August, 2005) was a true durability test for everybody: at daytime thermometers would hit scorching + 40° C, while at nights it was definitely a bad idea to escape the yurt without at least a couple of sweaters on: The locals drove in about 700 horses for filming; one of the tetrapod equine stars appeared to be a prospective mother, and delivered a most remarkable foal right at the shooting site, which everybody considered to be a good sign! When we realized we needed people for extras, the sons of steppe were there in a twinkling of an eye. Everybody considered an honour to participate in a movie about Genghis Khan.

 

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Republic of Khakassia

On September 8th the crew finished their work in the Republic of Khakassia. The production team personally experienced the very special aura and energy literally emitted by ancient stones and sacred land of Khakassia. Artistic director Gennady Sotnikov referred to our project as to 'nomadic'. And not only because the filming locations were geographically scattered all around Siberia and Mongolia; but mainly due to the fact that copying the nomads, ever chasing succulent grazing lands, we would dart off from one place towards another in constant search of new impressions and experiences that our project would feed upon, same as cattle would feed upon grass. And the more striking our impressions are, the 'fatter' and richer gets our project, exploring the great past that people of Central Asia once had.

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Altai Republic

On September 10th the international team of By the Will of Genghis Khan project arrived to Ongudaysky district of the Republic of Altai. At Kyur-Kechu locality we were left speechless, amazed by sheer beauty of its emerald mountains and crystal clear waters of the great Katun River.

 

Mongolia

Mongolian expedition, finished in September 2007, marked the end of the movie's shooting period. Filming of battle scenes and stunt sequences was backed by an international team, performing high class stunts on horseback. Mongolian regular troops acted in part of Genghis Khan's horsemen; every soldier was dressed and armed strictly according to the historical descriptions.

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By the Will of Genghis Khan stands out for unique scenic views. Filming locations embraced several sites in Russia (including Far East and Siberia) and Mongolia. The most overwhelming of them being Verkhoyansk Mountains in Yakutia - the coldest inhabited spot on the Earth with registered minimum of stunning -72°C; Lake Baikal - the largest lake in the world, containing 23 per cent of the world's freshwater reserves; Valley of the Kings in Khakassia - home of the legendary Salbyksky kurgan barrow; Altai - a center of the great nomadic culture; mystical Gobi Desert. It's the first time that unmatched sceneries of Siberia and Mongolia are shown in the prime of their unique identity.

The movie is interlaid with dramatic stunts. Battle scenes involved hundreds of Mongolian horsemen, performing complicated stunts. Riders of Genghis Khan were embodied by thousands of Mongolian regular army soldiers, dressed in exact replicas of armour of the period. An international team responsible for staging and filming of stunts consisted of Solbon Lygdenov (Russia), Chen Qiang (China), and Chuluunbat Batbayar (Mongolia).

Authentic cast was another distinctive feature of this project. The cast mainly included descendants of ancient steppe inhabitants, who proclaimed Temujin a Genghis Khan - the people who now live in Mongolia, Tyva, Yakutia, Buryatia, Kalmykia, Altai, Khakassia, Bashkortostan, and Tatarstan. As many as thirteen actors engaged in the movie have played the part of Genghis Khan in a variety of theatrical, TV, and film productions; for instance, Mongolian actor Orgil Makhaan who played Jamuka, a few years earlier had done the part of Genghis Khan in a BBC action documentary.