Introduction:
Gold of the Plateau is a short documentary that follows a caterpillar fungus harvester as she slowly traverses mountain ranges in search of the world’s most expensive parasite. Filmed, directed, and edited by Miriam, it is a co-production with her husband. Completed within 24 hours, the documentary was shot at an altitude exceeding 4,000 meters.
The film documents the story of women harvesting caterpillar fungus on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Through restrained yet poignant cinematography, it chronicles the arduous journey of Tibetan women who crawl across frozen earth year after year above 4,000 meters, searching for the "plateau gold" – caterpillar fungus. Sustaining their families and communities through ancestral wisdom and unique physiological adaptations to high altitudes (such as enhanced oxygen transport capacity), these women maintain vital lifelines in extreme environments.