Sherpas (3 x 51')

For the first time, a Himalayan expedition is shown not from the perspective of the Western mountaineers, but from the ever-smiling sherpas who make their adrenaline adventure possible in the first place. When Western mountain climbers return from Mt. Everest, they talk of the hardships and challenges, of their triumph and achievement, over the mountain and themselves, of the goddess Miyo Langsangma, who smiled on their ascent and allowed them to reach the summit. They tell of the smiling sherpas who helped them on their way, never complaining or showing any strain. Sometimes they have even become friends with the friendly folk from Solo Khumbu, the Himalayan region in northeast Nepal, on the Tibetan border. But who are the sherpas really? What do they think and feel setting out on an expedition? What goes on behind those friendly smiles? Questions we answer in three suspenseful episodes, documenting a Himalayan expedition for the first time from the sherpas' perspective and letting the protagonists film themselves as they see each other. And suddenly the dangerous sport of high-altitude mountain climbing appears in a whole new light...

For the first time, a Himalayan expedition is shown not from the perspective of the Western mountaineers, but from the ever-smiling sherpas who make their adrenaline adventure possible in the first place... 


Best Film at Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival 2009

Also available as 1 x 90 min