Sherpa to air in 200 countries in the Discovery Network

The award winning documentary film ‘Sherpa’ will be screened in over 200 countries this month by the Discovery Network. The documentary was directed by Australian filmmaker Jennifer Peedom in an attempt to understand how the relationship between the modern day Sherpa and climber has evolved since the time of Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay.

Peedom’s interest was piqued when in 2013, an ugly altercation between Sherpas and European climbers at 21,000 feet was reported widely by the international media. Determined to explore the possible reasons behind why such a rare event had taken place, Peedom set out to film the 2014 Everst Climbing season.

However, on April 18, 2014 a disastrous tragedy in Everest claimed the lives of 16 Sherpas. An avalanche caused a whole mountain cliff to fall down, bringing fourteen million tons of ice crashing down the Khumbu Icefall. This tragedy highlighted the great personal risks that Sherpas take in order to secure a safe route for the foreign climbers. ‘Sherpa’ aims to examine the risks and rewards for the Sherpas in the Everest industry.

‘Sherpa’ is the winner of the Grierson Award at the 2015 BFI London Festival and nominee at several major award ceremonies and international film festivals such as BAFTA Awards, Australian Film Institute, Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards, London Film Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival, Palm Springs International Film Festival, Philadelphia Film Festival and Sydney Film Festival