The Velvet Queen

The ‘Velvet Queen’ of the title is the elusive snow leopard, whose locale—high in the Tibetan Himalayas—and natural reclusiveness make it one of the hardest animals to spot in the wild. Marie Amiguet and Vincent Munier’s thoughtful, beautifully realized documentary tracks wildlife photographer Munier and fellow adventurer Sylvain Tesson as they, in turn, track the elusive leopard through snowbound mountain tops.

‘More art-house than Animal Planet, complete with a sparsely atmospheric score by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, the film… should find a dedicated audience. [There’s a] wry, self-effacing awareness that lends an endearingly quixotic air to the quest, and that separates the film from more plainly spectacle-driven nature documentaries of its ilk.’—Guy Lodge, Variety