Shot under extreme conditions in one of the world’s most remote locations, “The Saltmen of Tibet” is a work of sublime beauty and epic scale. Documenting the ancient traditions and day-to-day rituals of a Tibetan nomadic community, filmmaker Ulrike Koch transports us into a realm untainted by the tides of foreign invasion or encroaching modernity. Observing age-old taboos and steadfast homage to the deities of nature, four men meticulously plan their grueling three-month yak caravan to fetch “the tears of Tara,” the precious salt from the holy lakes of northern Tibet. The Saltmen of Tibet is a breathtaking collage of image and sound-a majestic tribute to the purity of a landscape, people and tradition facing extinction.