YCAPS’s Mongolia Connect program held their first event of 2021 on January 16th with more than 40 participants joining from around the world. YCAPS partnered with director Robert Lieberman, to offer members a pre-screening of his documentary, Echoes of the Empire. The Echoes of the Empire webinar was an interview and dialogue with Dr. Lieberman moderated by Nicholas Millward, the YCAPS President.
After introducing YCAPS and the Mongolia Connect mission, Nick provided a short overview of how this unique pre-screening and interview opportunity came to fruition. Following the introduction, Dr. Lieberman shared some of his unique life experiences and motivations for authoring and directing multiple books and movies. He expounded on his fascination with the Mongolian culture and history, specifically discussing the hospitality and uniqueness of the nomads. Following his captivating comments, the YCAPS community had an opportunity to ask him questions for about 30 minutes. Questions from the audience ranged from topics about potential Japan, US, Mongolia relations and opportunities for further cooperation, to the personal decisions about what topics to include in the movie, to the logistics of capturing aerial footage in Mongolia. It provided the greater YCAPS community with a unique and exciting view into a country rarely addressed in mainstream media.