Forbidden Pilgrimage
Who was the mysterious Marie-Louise Chapelle, housewife and mother, who also answered the call of the mountains?
Photographer and filmmaker Renan Ozturk was sent by the National Geographic to search for the body of Andy ‘Sandy’ Irvine on the flanks of Mount Everest. Because of the commercialisation and cliches about Everest, this went against his better judgement. Once on the mountain, surrounded by the spirits, in the Death Zone, he realises it is actually quite beautiful.
A hundred years ago, Mallory and Irvine’s expedition pioneered the high altitudes of the Himalayas. The world was introduced to climbing, high mountains and their inhabitants. It was the beginning of a complex intercultural collaboration. The team feel like ambassadors of both the indigenous and colonial culture. Despite the respect, the filmmakers risk the work and lives of the Sherpa in pursuit of their goal.
And it was Ozturk himself that had portrayed the Sherpa so beautifully in the film of the same name, which was shown here in 2017. He also worked on Mountain and The Last Honey Hunter, both in our selection for 2018.
