Words: Dylan Starczak // Photos: Ben Golotta
Iron Winter follows two young herders through a 150-day initiation to lead 2000 horses across the icy Tsaikhir Valley. Once a proud tradition, the rite has nearly vanished as the Mongolian climate turns harsh and unpredictable.
Together with Morgan Wright, under their Adelaide-based production company Repeater Productions, Ben embarked on four trips to Mongolia.
The pair balanced long-distance logistics, faced cultural and language barriers, and braved the gruelling –40°C temperatures, so cold that some days they had to stop filming.
Ben’s roots are in sound engineering and music, which he studied in London and Copenhagen before joining his best friend Morgan at Repeater. Here, he expanded into direction and production.
Over nine years in the film industry, his experience has been grounded in short films, music videos and campaigns. Iron Winter became his and Morgan’s chance to take a leap toward a full-length documentary.
The journey of Iron Winter began in 2018, when Adelaide-based journalist and the film’s co-writer Ed Cavanough discovered the story while travelling through Central Asia. He later proposed it to Ben and Morgan at Repeater, and once borders reopened after COVID in 2022, they returned to Mongolia together to shoot a short film.
“I knew that the story deserved a feature film, but we hadn’t made a feature before,” Ben says.
“I recognised early on that I wasn’t ready to direct it. So we reached out to director Kasimir Burgess and he brought on cinematographer Ben Bryan, and producer Chris Kamen, to help rally the film together and use their expertise with our keenness.”
Once his team came on, the project found its rhythm.
“It’s having that influence and that expert knowledge – reducing your ego early on and recognising when you can’t do it by yourself,” Ben said.
“To get the help that you need, and to collaborate with people who know what they’re doing.”
The team used the short film they made from their first trip to pitch a feature film at AIDC (Australian International Directors Conference) in Melbourne. They were ultimately successful in their pitch and combined with the time pressures of getting back to Mongolia, the production quickly escalated.
“The elders told us this might be the last time the initiation process would happen,” Ben says.
“The winters are colder. The summers are drier. It’s getting harder to live the old way.
“The most important thing for us was to make sure the story was told respectfully. We wanted to make sure they collaborated as much as possible.”
The team met Enebish Sengemugaa, a local artist who came on as a producer for the film, became the story consultant and helped create everything together with the community.
“He helped us with how everything happened, and why,” Ben says.
“Even down to the way certain elements could be shot in a respectful manner.”
At its core, Iron Winter is a story of resilience and tenderness and an alternative view of emerging masculinity. Two young men step into adulthood through hardship, courage and community, following the steps of their ancestors.
“It was really exciting to dive into what a positive view on masculinity is, in a different culture,” Ben says.
“These boys are strong, but they’re also gentle. It’s a kind of masculinity we don’t often see.”
Back in Australia, the project grew through collaboration, from pitching at AIDC to securing support from Screen Australia, VicScreen, and SAFC.
“You learn fast that filmmaking is all about preparation,” Ben says.
“You need your story, your partners, your proof. Passion isn’t enough, but it’s where it starts.”
Now, with Iron Winter premiering at the Adelaide Film Festival, Ben reflects on the path that brought him here and the community that helped him build it.
“Adelaide Film Festival gave me the confidence to keep going,” he says.
“They backed me, sent me overseas, opened doors. That kind of support changes everything.”
Repeater is already deep into new projects, including another documentary and their first narrative feature.
Ben’s advice to emerging filmmakers is to learn by doing.
“Start small. Make shorts. Volunteer. Build a crew that feels like family. Collaboration is everything.”
Iron Winter: Thursday 16 Oct, The Piccadilly // Sunday 26 Oct, Odeon Star Semaphore
Adelaide Film Festival: Until Sunday 26 October // The full Adelaide Film Festival program can be viewed online.
