Sherpa (film)

Sherpa

Australian release poster
Directed by Jennifer Peedom
Produced by John Smithson, Bridget Ikin
Written by Jennifer Peedom
Running time
 90 minutes
Country Australia, Nepal
Language English

Sherpa is a 2015 documentary film by Australian filmmaker Jennifer Peedom. It was filmed during the 2014 Mount Everest ice avalanche.

Synopsis

Sherpa focuses on Phurba Tashi, a Sherpa who has made 21 Mount Everest ascents and leads the team for New Zealander Russell Brice's expedition company, Himex. Tashi's wife and family in Khumjung do not want him to keep risking his life climbing just for the money. The film explores some of the Sherpa culture and their spiritual relationship with the mountain, as well as the heavy work and risks Sherpas take in making multiple ascents to take equipment and supplies up the mountain and make the climb possible for foreign climbers.

After the ice avalanche kills 16 Sherpas, the focus shifts to the differing perspectives and understandings of the various groups in the following days. The Sherpas stage a protest meeting and most do not want to climb - some out of respect for the dead and others in order to push for better working conditions. Brice believes a small group of Sherpas have threatened to harm any Sherpas who do continue and for this reason decides to cancel his expedition, although Tashi notes that he is unaware of any such threats. The 2014 climbing season is cancelled and the closing titles note that Tashi honoured his family's wishes and retired. It also notes that the 2015 season was cancelled due to avalanches in the wake of the April 2015 Nepal earthquake.

The film contains archival footage of Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary and includes interviews with Norgay's children.[1]

Production

Peedom intended to make a film about the 2014 Everest climbing season told from the Sherpas' point of view. The idea came about in response to violent confrontations between Sherpas and Europeans during the 2013 climbing season.[2] The filmmakers were on location when an ice avalanche occurred on Everest's Khumbu Icefall, killing 16 Sherpas.[3][4] This sparked a confrontation between the Sherpas, foreign expedition leaders and the Nepalese government regarding wages and conditions and resulted in a significant increase in compensation paid to victims' families.[5][6]

The film was produced by Bridget Ikin and John Smithson and financed by Screen Australia and a small number of private investors, along with presales from Universal Films and Footprint Films.[7]

Release

The film premiered at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival in September 2015.[2] It was released in the US in fall 2015,[8] and was released in Australian theatres on 31 March, 2016.[9]

Critical response

Film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 97% of critics gave the film a positive rating, based on 30 reviews with an average score of 7.9/10.[10] Patrick Peters of Empire Magazine wrote: "...this is a spectacular, intimate and politically provocative exposé of the dangers, racial tensions and harsh economic realities on the world's highest mountain."[11] Geoffrey MacNab of The Independent wrote: "No one here emerges in an especially positive light. There is bad faith on all sides but, amid all the bickering about money and safety, Peedom always also pays attention to the courage and selflessness of her subjects."[1]

Accolades

Year Group/Award Category Recipient Result Ref.
2015 AACTA Awards
(5th)		 Best Feature Length Documentary Bridget Ikin and John Smithson Nominated [12]
Best Cinematography in a Documentary Renan Ozturk, Hugh Miller and Ken Sauls Nominated [12]
Best Editing in a Documentary Christian Gazal Nominated [12]
Best Original Music Score in a Documentary Antony Partos Won [12]
BFI London Film Festival
(59th)		 Grierson Award for Best Documentary Jennifer Peedom Won [13]
2016 British Academy Film Awards
(69th)		 Best Documentary Bridget Ikin, Jennifer Peedom and John Smithson Nominated [14]
APRA Music Awards Best Soundtrack Album Antony Partos Won [15]

References

  1. 1 2 MacNab, Geoffrey (18 December 2015). "Sherpa, film review: stunning imagery of the Himalayan peaks but a depressing story". The Independent. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  2. 1 2 Kay, Jeremy (16 September 2015). "Sherpa director: how I tackled Everest". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  3. ↑ Utichi, Joe (24 November 2015). "'Sherpa' Doc Director Jennifer Peedom On Filming Through Everest Tragedy & Giving The Sherpas A Voice". Deadline. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  4. ↑ Buckmaster, Luke (10 June 2015). "Sherpa first look review – Everest the backdrop to fine workers' rights film". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  5. ↑ O'Neil, Devon (22 September 2015). "Sherpas Get Their Say in New Everest Documentary". Outside Online. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  6. ↑ Barnes, Henry (19 December 2015). "On strike at 8,848 metres: Sherpa and the story of an Everest revolution". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  7. ↑ Nicholson, Laura (14 September 2015). "TIFF 2015 Women Directors: Meet Jennifer Peedom - 'Sherpa'". IndieWire. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  8. ↑ Holbrooke, David (24 March 2016). "The Real Stories of Mt Everest's Sherpas". Bloomberg. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  9. ↑ Maddox, Gary (7 March 2016). "Film Short Cuts: 'Australia's Spotlight' takes on landmark sexual abuse case". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  10. ↑ "Sherpa (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
  11. ↑ Peters, Patrick (15 December 2015). "Sherpa Review". Empire Online. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  12. 1 2 3 4 "5th AACTA Awards presented by Presto". 30 November 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  13. ↑ "59th BFI London Film Festival award winners". 26 October 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  14. ↑ "Film in 2016". BAFTA.
  15. ↑ "2016 Screen Music Awards Full List of Winnders". Retrieved 14 November 2016.
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