SLO FILM FEST 2021 INTERVIEWS: Director Robert H. Lieberman talks about his documentary ECHOES OF THE EMPIRE: BEYOND GENGHIS KHAN

Film director/novelist Robert H. Lieberman’s ECHOES OF THE EMPIRE: BEYOND GENGHIS KAHN takes us into Mongolia, a vast country little known by many, to create a stunning cinematic view of the country’s past and present including how and why it was built by the legendary conqueror. The film leads us through the remarkable evolution of Genghis Khan’s Mongol Empire—a realm that once encompassed all of Asia, the Middle East and Europe leading up to the doorsteps of Vienna, and shows us what is behind the current version of the country, land, and its people.

ECHOES OF THE EMPIRE: BEYOND GENGHIS KAHN is one of those films that can play the role of cautionary tale in being too quick to set our expectations for a film prior to actually watching it. Because you would absolutely be within your rights to think you were getting a standard issue National Geographic essay film aimed for a classroom near you. But the truth is that the broccoli can be set aside while watching the film both due to the richness of the subject beyond the history lessons as well as delivering some surprises to the mix like the fact that women are prioritized in the culture and country for education so much that it has led to difficulties for them to find suitable mates who can keep up intellectually. Fascinating and cool.

In the interview, Robert talks about something I found absolutely fascinating in the film, and that is the priority on education among the female population and the unexpected result of that. He also discusses what it took to achieve the gorgeous photography of Mongolia in the film – in particular, the use of drones. He also talks about his technique to get his interview subject to “forget the camera” and therefore, open up that much more and reveal themselves in the interviews.