‘Road to Everest’ Shares Nepal’s Himalayan Story with Hong Kong Audiences
HONG KONG – The special screening of the documentary Road to Everest concluded successfully in Hong Kong on Sunday under the theme “Experience Everest, Support Rasuwa.” Organized by the Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) Hong Kong, the screening took place at Sunbeam Whampoa Cinema in Hung Hom, attracting an enthusiastic audience.
The event aimed to introduce Mount Everest and Nepal’s Himalayan heritage to the international community while raising support for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of families displaced by recent floods and landslides in Rasuwa, Nepal.
The screening brought together audiences from diverse communities, including Nepali, Indian, Chinese, Filipino, Thai, and Indonesian communities living in Hong Kong. Viewers appreciated the film’s visual presentation, storytelling, journey to Everest, and its message about climate change and its impact on the Himalayan environment.
Following the enthusiastic response to the earlier grand premiere in Hong Kong, NRNA Hong Kong organized this special screening in response to audience demand. The event combined documentary storytelling with a message of humanitarian support and social responsibility.
Screening Coordinator and NRNA Hong Kong Vice President Kabita Gurung said the event was organized to provide another opportunity for those who could not attend the first screening and to bring Nepal’s Himalayan stories to audiences from different communities.
NRNA Hong Kong President Anu Rai highlighted that Road to Everest is not just a story of climbing the world’s highest mountain but also portrays the contributions, courage, struggles, challenges, and beliefs of the Sherpa community, along with the impacts of climate change on the Himalayan region. She thanked the Nepali community in Hong Kong for participating in the screening and supporting the campaign for families affected by the disaster in Rasuwa.
NRNA Hong Kong General Secretary Indra Pun emphasized the importance of supporting Nepali filmmakers who are making efforts to tell their own stories through local investment and limited resources.
The event was also attended by Tulsi Kumar Gurung, Chairperson of We Will Rise Foundation, Raj Gurung, the central subject of the documentary, and Vinod Gurung, one of the key figures in the film.
The approximately 50-minute documentary follows a journey from sea level to the summit of Mount Everest, highlighting the challenges of mountaineering, human courage, the contributions of the Sherpa community, Nepal’s Himalayan heritage, and the environmental changes taking place in the mountains due to climate change.
The documentary features Phurba Tenjing Sherpa, who has successfully summited Mount Everest 18 times, and Nima Gyalzen Sherpa, who has climbed Everest 11 times. Nima has also successfully climbed all 14 of the world’s 8,000-metre peaks, including Everest. Director Nirmal Shrestha and businessman Suraj Gurung are also among the key characters in the documentary.
Produced by We Will Rise Foundation, Road to Everest is directed by Nirmal Shrestha. The story is written by journalist Santosh Acharya and Nirmal Shrestha. Available in both Nepali and English, the documentary was made entirely with the involvement of a Nepali technical and production team.
The production team stated that the international journey of Road to Everest continues, with plans to reach wider global audiences through international film festivals and special screenings in different countries.
Photo: Swodesh Maharjan
