 Mount Everest, the highest peak on Earth. From the base camp to the summit, one must pass through six camps— and perhaps face the greatest hardship of your life— Tribute to the "sky ladders" on the road to Everest On the cliffs along Tibetan roads, there are often small white ladders painted by Tibetans, called "sky ladders." According to the locals, these ladders can guide the soul to sacred places. The small ladders on the cliffs offer people mostly a kind of spiritual strength. However, the film "Himalaya: Climbing to the Sky" documents a group of people—who truly devote their whole selves to helping climbers reach unknown versions of themselves. They are the high-altitude guides. The young guide Soddo, in the film, during his zodiac year, summited for the first time. Guide Gegyang, Soddo’s junior sister. Assigned to the medical team this time, she wasn’t able to fulfill her dream of reaching the summit. But that’s okay—she’s young and has many opportunities ahead. The iron-willed mentor of the guides, Vice Principal of the Mountaineering School Purbu Dondrup. Teacher Purbu was once an outstanding guide who achieved the miracle of summiting without supplemental oxygen, but that very experience caused irreversible damage to his brain. He could no longer set foot on the summit, so he turned to training these children who carry echoes of his younger self. Students at the mountaineering school undergo various trainings at the school The unsung heroes behind the film—they have dreams, and we are the lucky ones And just like these aspiring and dream-driven guides, behind our film there is also a group of true heroes who hold fast to their dreams. It is they who, with four years of perseverance, created a dream as real as life for those who never had the chance to go to Everest. It is they who turned an unattainable journey into a film you can watch anytime. They have dreams, and thus, we are blessed. The guardians in the wheat field, the backstage quartet—from left to right: cinematographer Zhang Hua, director Liang Junjian, director of photography Zaxi Wangjia, and assistant director Guobule · Xirong. The "bronze men" of the film crew, having shot mountains, waters, and people, in all sorts of poses chasing altitude sickness, inviting the lens to witness the world and its beings. They have captured the most beautiful scenery. They have photographed the most simple-hearted villagers. They have shot milk and cow dung. And also filmed colleague Golden Camera Zhang Hua, who, after heavy rain, watched the waterlogged land like a spectator enjoying the spectacle. Director of photography Zaxi Wangjia, focused on aerial filming, and the group of children drawn to Wangjia’s lens. Our good friend—the drone. Don’t think he only flirts with flowers and grass— He once soared at altitudes above 6,500 meters. But still not as high as our Zhang Hua, the only Han cameraman who followed the drone to 7,000 meters. Another shot of Teacher Wangjia with his face covered—always so serious and meticulous while working. So the challenging task of lightening the mood falls to our adorable producer Lei Jianjun. Or maybe this is destined to be a filming crew that finds joy amid hardship—after all, what they’re filming is Everest. Mount Everest, your beauty transcends life and death Mount Everest, those who have climbed her know that this mountain represents a test of life and death, even torment worse than death. Yet she remains the deepest longing in countless people’s dreams—because of her beauty that transcends life and death. Mount Everest, the incarnation of the dakini in the hearts of Tibetans. Snow is her color, her beauty as pure as snow, yet more mysterious than snow… She is continuity, majesty, and a touch of life nurtured in the direst of places— The continuous snow-capped mountains stir the soul. The creatures in the snow mountains always make one wonder if they are incarnations of the divine. The setting sun stirs a spoonful of brilliance into the snowy glow; night is about to fall, and the dakini is ready to sleep. Encountering a dream beyond dreams, embracing the starry river. Glaciers are the snow mountains’ robes, adorned in countless shades of blue; within the vast whiteness, they ignite a touch of life. Coming from afar, they are not conquerors, but pilgrims. These admirers who have journeyed far measure the grandeur of the snow mountains with their own steps, kissing their majesty. They are not conquerors, but pilgrims. Before nature’s greatest creations, humans are insignificant, like a grain of sand in the ocean. Red prayer knots tie together safety, as well as a prayer. Rather than calling it climbing, it is more like trudging — breakthrough comes from squeezing every bit of the known. Step by step, shattering the past is the only way to forge an unknown self. And reaching the summit at last brings joy, gratitude, awe, and also peace. Beyond the snow mountains — the Tibetan region that captivates countless travelers. The Tibetan region beyond the snow mountains is as breathtakingly beautiful as the snow peaks. There are so many people enchanted by Tibet, and this place truly deserves such admiration. Beyond the ice and snow, there are also expansive grasslands where the wind blows low. There are also harsh landscapes of flying sand and rolling stones. There is also the vastness and austerity of ancient paths swept by west winds and timeless sorrow. Encountering an ancient temple is like witnessing time itself pause its footsteps here. White stupas, prayer flags — religion flows through the blood of daily life, inseparable from the heavens, the earth, and the people. The most lovable of them all — simple and full of life. In the purest of sceneries, the simplest of people belong. And these simple folk, kind and vivid, are just like good friends around you. Every child is an incarnation of the divine; in their clear eyes, you can see the brightest sun and the gentlest moon. Labor is also a form of play — getting close to the earth, frolicking with crops — to them, it is happiness without even knowing it. The elderly spinning prayer wheels, young lamas, monks practicing alone in the world’s highest monastery — what are their beliefs? What is their devotion? The mountain does not speak, nor do they. But they and the mountain are kindred spirits. These 80 photos come from the production team’s four years of travel and shooting in the Tibetan region, condensed from 600 hours of footage. With these 80 images, we tell a story both within and beyond a movie — will it spark a bit of curiosity or closeness toward that mountain and those people? To learn more, come to the cinema on October 16th to meet them. May you also encounter your own unknown self… Share
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