Kasimir Burgess

Genghis Khan apparently said it's easy to conquer the world from the back of a horse, and the founder of the Mongol Empire did just that.

Horses and horsemanship continue to be central to Mongolian culture and identity.

For Mongolians, horses have a deep spiritual significance, and it is a mark of a person's character how well they treat their horses.

Winter in Mongolia is brutal.

Temperatures can plummet to minus 50 degrees.

And for centuries, there's been a tradition of small groups of herders bringing horses to fresh pastures.

And it's a rite of passage for Mongolian nomads, one which demands phenomenal survival skills and incredible grit.

A new Australian documentary called Iron Winter follows two young horse herders in their four-month journey with thousands of horses across the beautiful but unforgiving Mongolian steppes.

It's directed by Casimir Burgess.

Hi, Casimir.

How did you hear about this Mongolian tradition of the winter horse migration in the first place?

What was it that hooked you, Casimir?

So tell me about these two young men whose story your film focuses.

What were they like the first time you met them?

What impression did you get?

Where physically did you first meet them, Casimir?

Is waiting for 10 hours something that happens often when you're dealing with Mongolian culture?

What did these young men's families think about your idea of filming them on this epic migration?

Were they concerned at all about how some Australians might fare on the Mongolian steppe in wintertime?

Will your noses fall off?