Sir Edmund Hillary, one of the first climbers to reach the summit of Mount Everest along with Nepalese mountaineer Tenzing Norgay, once said; “The Sherpas play a very important role in most mountaineering expeditions, and in fact many of them lead along the ridges and up to the summit.” There have various movies made on the subject of mountain climbing in Nepal but unfortunately none of them have been able to show the true value of Sherpas who make it possible for the climbers to reach the destination and come back alive.
In 2013 news channels around the world reported an ugly brawl at 21,000 feet as European climbers fled a mob of angry Sherpas. It was a whole lot of different story in 1953 when Edmund Hilary and Tenzing Norgay had reached the summit in a spirit of co-operation and brave optimism. But now climbers and Sherpas were trading insults and even blows. What had happened to the happy, smiling Sherpas and their dedication in getting foreigners to the top of the mountain they hold so sacred?
Determined to explore what was going on, Australian director Jennifer Peedom and high-altitude filmmaker Renan Ozturk set out to make a film of the 2014 Everest climbing season, from the Sherpas’ point of view. Instead, they captured a tragedy that would change Everest forever. At 6.45AM on April 18th, 2014, a fourteen-million ton block of ice crashed down onto the climbing route through the Khumbu Icefall, killing 16 Sherpas. It was the worst tragedy in the history of Everest. The disaster provoked a drastic reappraisal about the role of the Sherpas in the Everest industry.
The documentary film starring Phurba Tashi Sherpa, Ed Douglas, Russell Brice, Karma Doma Sherpa; which has been a part of various international festivals such as in Toronto, Telluride, New Zealand and Sydney has a rating of 100% on film review website Rotten Tomatoes, 8.2/10 stars on IMDB and The Hollywood News has given it 4.7/5 stars. The screening of the film in Nepal has not been confirmed yet. Watch the trailer of the film below and let us know how excited you are to watch it.
See Also – Mira Rai: Watch The Trailer of The Documentary About The Most Successful Nepalese Trail Runner
