Jimi Sir: An American Peace Corps Volunteer in Nepal

The north face of Chamlang, nearly 2,000 meters high and culminating at 7,200 meters, is one of the last great unclimbed faces in the Himalayas. Benjamin Védrines, who had scouted the face during a previous ascent of Chamlang in 2019 with Nicolas Jean via the northeast couloir, decided to tackle it with Charles Dubouloz, a very strong mountaineer but a novice at high altitude. Snow slides, suspended bivouacs, pitches of mixed climbing and vertical ice… The gamble paid off for the Frenchmen, who opened a new route, "À l'ombre du mensonge" (1,600m, 5+, m5+, 90°), after four intense days on the north face—a magnificent first ascent of a coveted summit, as a duo, in alpine style.

Regular people, many of whom witnessed the World Trade Center attacks in New York City, describe where they were, what they felt and the actions they took on that day.

The Odd Monk is a personal journey through modern day Buddhism. German first time Filmmaker Jesco Puluj travels around the world, meeting a variety of monks and nuns to discover the essence of Buddhism.

Daulagiri (8167m), Naga Parbat (8125m) and Broad Peak (8051m) are among the 14 peaks in the world. Jean-Christophe Lafaille has set himself the goal of reaching these 3 peaks in the space of two months. This film takes us on a surprising journey that begins in Nepal and ends in Pakistan, while exploring the soul of this committed mountaineer… Ed Viesturs and Katia Lafaille accompanied Lafaille on his adventure.

Eyewitness accounts, incredible home-video and the latest scientific revelations tell the gripping tragedy of an earthquake that unleashed terror on Nepal and the world’s highest mountain.

A well-known filmmaker follows a famous mountain climber to Nepal, documenting the journey. Conversations about their lives lead to philosophical reflections, as the mountain challenges their motives. As days go by, the higher altitude and the depletion of oxygen will raise their debate to interior and transcendental territories, putting at stake their trajectories and their egos when facing the mountain and its millenary depth.

In October 2019, Benjamin Védrines and Nicolas Jean climbed the northeast couloir (1,500 m, M3/M4, 65°) of Chamlang (7,321 m, Nepal) to an altitude of 7,240 meters, using alpine style with a bivouac. The young French team had initially aimed for the north pillar of this mountain, a favorite among top climbers. Although they had to abandon their ascent of the northeast couloir, their climb was selected for the Piolets d'Or "big list."

This documentary follows an expedition taken by the United Nations to observe the increasingly rapid glacial melt forming at the base of the Himalayas.

Four years after the devastating Gorkha earthquake, the people of Nepal still live everyday with the problems the world left behind.

Waste Mandala

In the summer of 2011 twenty Peace Corps Volunteers returned to Sierra Leone, West Africa. For most of them, it was the first time returning to the country since they had served in the 1960’s and 1970’s. They came to reconnect with their friends in Sierra Leone. It was an auspicious time for their trip. The nation was celebrating its fiftieth anniversary of independence from Great Britain. The year also marked the fiftieth anniversary of the Peace Corp's arrival in Sierra Leone.

In the summer of 1966 a group of 65 idealistic Peace Corps volunteers headed for Africa and landed in the dusty, heat-scorched desert of Niger. They stayed for two years working in agriculture, digging wells and starting health clinics for women and their babies. In 2008 five of them returned to Niger to revisit the country, see old friends, and witness how their work has improved the lives of Nigeriens. And create a documentary of their experiences.

In October 2001, five Basque mountaineers, Beñat Arrue (22), Iñaki Aiertza (27), Aritz Artieda (23), Javi Arkauz (22), and César Nieto (23)—lost their lives while climbing Mount Pumori (7,161 m) in Nepal. After the fatal avalanche, the five other members of the expedition alerted rescue services and organized an unsuccessful rescue attempt. A year later, Arantxa Gurrutxaga and Peio Arrue, Beñat Arrue's parents, returned to Nepal to pay their respects at the site of the tragedy and try to find the young Nepalese girl who appeared with their son in the last photograph of him before the accident. A growing bond developed between Suku Maya, the mountain girl, and Beñat Arrue's family, who would support and accompany him over the years. Catharsis, from tragedy to love, the death of the five young mountaineers allows Suku to have a new chance in life.

In a remote himalayan region, the villagers of Maikot are preparing for the harvest of a mysterious aphrodisiac caterpillar-mushroom worth more than gold.

Construyamos una escuela

Summits of My Life 3 - Langtang

Three years after the 1959 expedition, abandoned 350m from the summit, Lionel Terray leads a new assault on Jannu, one of the most demanding peaks in the Himalayas. At the base camp, equipment and food rations are prepared. The conditions are optimal and the ascent can begin. The camera follows the progress of the mountaineers and Sherpas as closely as possible, from one high-altitude camp to another: installing fixed ropes, progressing over crevasses, in the middle of frozen towers, vertically down immense ice falls or along the edge of sharp ridges. From 7000m, oxygen bottles become essential, as the difficulty of the climb prevents acclimatization. The expedition is a total success: the majority of its members reach the 7710m summit.

Ningwasum follows two time travellers Miksam and Mingsoma, played by Subin Limbu and Shanta Nepali respectively, in the Himalayas weaving indigenous folk stories, culture, climate change and science fiction.

Documentary about Nepal and its path into the 20th century.

Lumdo Kolola