The Wall of Shadows

In Eliza Kubarska’s critically acclaimed The Wall of Shadows, a Sherpa family is asked by a group of Westerners to lead a trek up the never-conquered East Wall of Kumbhakarna Mountain in Nepal. Not only is the summit reputed to be more challenging than Mount Everest, according to local Kirant religion, it is a sacred mountain that should not be ascended. And so the family is faced with a dilemma: while scaling the mountain would earn money necessary for their son’s education, it could also invoke the wrath of the mountain Gods.

Director of Photography Piotr Rosolowski follows the expedition, capturing breath-taking images and the plight of the Sherpa family as they face dangerous conditions and their own religious beliefs.