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Genghis Khan is familiar to many of us here in the States as a barbarian, a monster from the 13th century who ruled a kingdom the size of which Alexander the Great could only dream. Russian filmmaker Sergei Bodrov is trying to subvert such misconceptions. Spurred by a centuries old Chinese poem describing Khan’s childhood and marriage, Bodrov’s Mongol walks the road less traveled in depicting Khan as an easily accessible, intimate character driven by tradition and passion. Bodrov’s efforts were rewarded with a nomination for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2008 Academy Awards. Zoom In’s Jim Rohner talked to Sergei Bodrov about the many challenges that faced this historical epic including how he plugged the historical holes, the difficulty of shooting on desolate locations with cast and crews from over forty nationalities and much more. Mongol is playing now in select cities. For more episodes of On the Circuit, click here.