By Eliza Kubarska
With Marcin Tomaszewski, Dmitry Golovchenko, Sergey Nilov, Nada Sherpa, Jomde Sherpa, Dawa Sherpa
The Sherpa family break a taboo and take part in the Himalayan expedition to Kumbhakarna, the holiest of mountains, to earn money for their son’s school and cut him from their tradition. They accompany the leading world class alpinists.
When a family of Sherpas is approached by a group of climbers to accompany them on a trek to the never conquered east face of Nepal’s Kumbhakarna, they are faced with a dilemma. The peak, deemed more challenging than Mount Everest, in the local Kirant religion is considered a sacred mountain that must not be climbed. The father wants to earn with the expedition the money necessary for the education of his son. The mother is against the climb, but eventually agrees to lead the three foreigners up the mountain, to make her son’s dream of becoming a doctor possible. Director Eliza Kubarska follows the expedition and shows how the family copes with extreme conditions and their religious beliefs, in order to make the climb possible. Will the gods of Kumbhakarna forgive the Sherpas for their insolence? Herself an experienced alpinist, director Eliza Kubarska captures breathtaking images of the majestic landscape, honouring the spiritual dimension of the environment.
