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Bergfilmfestival: EVEREST: „PHUNJO“
NP 2026; Directed by Bidhya Chapagain and Kamal Kumar; Duration: 85 min., original version with german subtitles
A world premiere at the Mountain Film Festival: Stories about Nepal’s mountains have so often been told by outsiders. PHUNJO tells the story of Everest from a Nepali perspective. Directors Bidhya Chapagain and Kamal Kumar follow Phunjo Jhangmu Lama and her team as they film their own expedition. The focus is on the Nepali people who work on the mountain and make ascents possible in the first place.
Phunjo grew up in the remote Tsum Valley and is now a mountaineer and Everest world-record holder. Six years after setting her first record, she is aiming to reach the summit in less than 20 hours. At the same time, her 13-year-old daughter, Zing, is preparing to embark on her own journey: she wants to go to the United States to study. The climb thus becomes a personal journey exploring letting go, motherhood and finding one’s own path in life.
PHUNJO tells the story of Everest from a Nepali perspective, following mountaineer Phunjo Jhangmu Lama on her latest record attempt – caught between the challenges of the mountain and the emotional journey of letting her daughter go.
A world premiere at the Mountain Film Festival: Stories about Nepal’s mountains have so often been told by outsiders. PHUNJO tells the story of Everest from a Nepali perspective. Directors Bidhya Chapagain and Kamal Kumar follow Phunjo Jhangmu Lama and her team as they film their own expedition. The focus is on the Nepali people who work on the mountain and make ascents possible in the first place.
Phunjo grew up in the remote Tsum Valley and is now a mountaineer and Everest world-record holder. Six years after setting her first record, she is aiming to reach the summit in less than 20 hours. At the same time, her 13-year-old daughter, Zing, is preparing to embark on her own journey: she wants to go to the United States to study. The climb thus becomes a personal journey exploring letting go, motherhood and finding one’s own path in life.
PHUNJO tells the story of Everest from a Nepali perspective, following mountaineer Phunjo Jhangmu Lama on her latest record attempt – caught between the challenges of the mountain and the emotional journey of letting her daughter go.
