SHERPA

Chomalungma, or Everest, is experienced anew in this awe-inspiring documentary presenting the extraordinary pressures and politics of climbing the mountain from the Sherpa point of view.

In April 2014, 16 Sherpas died in an avalanche while escorting a group of mountaineers up Everest. It was merely the latest in a series of escalating incidents – from financial disputes to brawls at 7000m and out-and-out assaults – that have cast a light on the sometimes uneasy alliance between the wealthy foreigners who choose to climb Everest and the Sherpas who are the only way they'll ever get there.

In Sherpa, acclaimed Australian documentarian Jennifer Peedom tracks an expedition up the mountain from the point of view of the Sherpas themselves. With high-altitude cameraman Renan Ozturk, Peedom follows Phurba, a veteran seeking to break the Everest summit record, and his fellow sherpas. Featuring breathtaking big-screen footage – including shots never before seen by westerners – theirs is an emotional, eye-opening story.

Jennifer Peedom is a festival guest.

Please note that the session in Kino Cinema 3 on Friday 7 August will have open captions on the screen for the duration of the film.