EVEREST: A CLIMB FOR PEACE

EVEREST: A CLIMB FOR PEACE tells the amazing story of a group of climbers, brought together from different religious backgrounds, to climb to the top of Mt. Everest. The climbers are made up of both Israeli and Palestinians, as well as Christian, Atheist, Hindu, and Buddhist.

The film is narrated by Orlando Bloom. It follows the climb from starting in Kathmandu, up the mountains to the base camps, through the final climb. We get to know the climbers, especially the Israeli and Palestinians.

Directed by Lance Trumbull, who was one of the climbers as well as initiating the project, the film is part travelogue, part sociological experiment, as well as ultimately an adventure story.

One of the great things about the film is the excellent use of computer animation. Through graphics of Everest, we see the progress, giving you a feel of exactly where they are headed and what they have to do.

Without giving anything away, the final section of this film is harrowing.

I spoke with Lance about the film.


Q: How did you come up with the idea for the Everest Peace Project?

Well…about 6 years ago, I had been going through a very difficult time in my life and so after much thought I decided to do something radically different: I sold everything I possessed – my business, my car, my furniture, my clothing – everything except a couple of duffle bags of trekking and climbing gear and I moved to Nepal! (Not quite the American dream that everyone talks about…) and so I made Kathmandu my base camp and travelled around the Himalayas by myself for several months - and then on October 2nd, 2002 while standing near a mountain top in Ladakh, India (about 15,000 feet high) – a sudden burst of inspiration came over me – an epiphany I guess you could say happened – the vision was that I was going to organize a world peace climb on Mt. Everest with people of different faiths and cultures. To this day I still do not know where this idea came from…perhaps it was the merging together of my love for mountains and my interest in religion – as I was a religious studies major at UC Berkeley.

And so I went forth and created a peace organization called “The Everest Peace Project” and started the process of making a Climb for Peace of Mt. Everest become a reality. To be honest, throughout this whole time, I have felt a bit like Frodo of Lord of the Rings, in that I was given this mission - this task on that mountain in India and that it was my job indeed my duty to make sure that it happened - and so I have literally spent the last 5 years putting the team, the climb, and most recently the film together.

Trying to put together and fund a world peace climb that had Palestinian and Israelis along with other people of various religions and cultures while we were at war in the Middle East was not an easy thing! Not to mention, climbing Everest is inherently dangerous which can make sponsors and investors nervous…and so this project has been all about overcoming obstacles – a truly uphill battle. But I guess that is appropriate for an Everest expedition and film!

And after all, if it were easy everyone would do it.

Q: How did you find the climbers?

It took a long time to find the right climbers; I wanted to make sure that I put together a true peace climb with people from different faiths and cultures, including Palestinian and Israelis. The problem was that Palestinian climbers really do not exist – it took almost two years to find Ali Bushnaq and that was through an exhaustive search. Also, from the beginning I put up a Web site with a call out to climbers and in the end we had an incredibly diverse and unique climbing team.

Q: The film is narrated by Orlando Bloom. How did he get involved?

A: I personally reached out to Orlando Bloom and fortunately he seemed to be moved by the project, the film, and the message of peace and teamwork that we were trying to send – I also think that he is fan of adventure films, which I am sure helped. Perhaps it is also that I have good karma …?!

Q: Who exactly shot the film? Were there additional climbers operating the camera, or were the climbers themselves shooting?

A: Our main high altitude cameraman was Brad Clement; Brad is an Everest veteran and a professional high altitude cameraman who has filmed on Everest several times. He did an incredible job. On top of that, several of our climbers also had cameras. We actually ended up having 4 cameras on the summit. I also filmed at advanced base camp, and did all the filming in the Middle East. It was definitely a team effort.

Q: What type of equipment did you use?

A: Since we did not have a huge budget we went small and light; mostly we used lightweight mini DV Sony cameras.

Q: What has the reaction to the film been?

A: So far the reaction has been extremely positive and I am so happy with the way everything has turned out. I been extremely fortunate to have had a great team of people working with me – it has been an incredible five year journey putting this all together. I truly feel blessed.

Q: You have a critical blurb from none other than His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Do you even need any other critical attention than that? What was his reaction to the project?

A: Personally for me, it does not any get any better than this. I was so humbled and thankful when I received the endorsement from His Holiness. He called the project and the film a “tremendous achievement”! As far as critical attention – I do not think I need the film to be validated any more than this; however – when you make a film, you of course want as many people as possible to hear about it and see it. And that is why it is nice when reviews are done for it just brings about more awareness. This project, the climb, and now the film has all come about through a grass roots approach, and being an independent release without a major studio behind us (even with having the Dalai Lama’s endorsement and Orlando Bloom’s narration) – it has been difficult in getting the word out.

We are of course, also looking to get this on TV at some point – which will then give the film world wide exposure, but that can be a long process…and so in the meantime we are entering film festivals and I continue to take the grass roots approach – to speak to whomever will listen and to do my best to promote this very moving and inspirational film.

Q: Will you try to do this again?

A: After you do Everest, where do you go from there? The moon? I guess that could be an idea! The peace project will continue; I am just not sure what is next for I am still focused on the present which is getting this film out for the world to see!

You can read more about the Everest Peace Project, and buy a copy of the DVD, from their website.