Notes from above the clouds

Feeling unfulfilled by suit-and-tie jobs, Adham Dobai made a dramatic career pivot, trading his office and its rigid structures for the centuries-old practice of ‘transhumance’ – a life of movement alongside animals, and between pastures. Today, Dobai finds his work – herding sheep high into the French Pyrenees with the help of his trusty dogs, Caly and Pax – far more enriching. As he discusses in the short documentary Notes from Above the Clouds, it’s not an existence for everyone, requiring weeks without human company and rife with the unpredictable frustrations that working in the elements and alongside animals can bring. But Dobai, who views the ‘whole mountain as [his] playground’, thrives in the rugged solitude, finding a deep connection with the terrain, the animals and this ancient tradition. In stunning cinematic shots, the London-born, Barcelona-based director Jake Joynson makes Dobai’s love of life in this beautiful yet trying place easy to understand, capturing the sublime beauty of the landscapes that Dobai never tires of.