Deep within this exhilarating mountain-scaling chronicle beats the heart of an intimate, emotionally gripping human drama. Two-time Academy Award nominee Lucy Walker focuses her nuanced lens on Lhakpa Sherpa – the trailblazing first Nepali woman to summit Everest, now a single mother toiling in a Connecticut Whole Foods market. When an opportunity arises to make a record-breaking 10th ascent, her childhood passion is reignited alongside hopes of reversing her family’s fortunes and uplifting the lives of her teenage daughters.
Beyond capturing the dizzying, adrenaline-soaked exploits of this history-making climb, Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa lays bare the systemic gender imbalances of a sport that too often clouds its female pioneers’ accomplishments. With thrilling cinéma vérité camerawork and profound emotional candor, Walker’s film stands as both a propulsive adventuring spectacle and an involving personal journey – one woman’s perseverance to reach the roof of the world while shining a spotlight on an unsung mountaineering legend’s unbreakable spirit.
Lucy Walker
Lucy Walker is an Emmy-winning and twice Oscar-nominated director whose films include Mountain Queen, How To Change Your Mind, Bring Your Own Brigade (selected as one of The New York Times Best Films of 2021), The Lion’s Mouth Opens, The Crash Reel, David Hockney In The Now, The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom, Waste Land, Countdown to Zero, Blindsight, and Devil’s Playground.
