Himalaya (film)
Himalaya: Caravan (French: Himalaya: L'Enfance d'un chef) is a 1999 Nepali film directed by Éric Valli and was funded through based in France corporations. It was the first Nepalese film to be nominated in the Best Foreign Film category at the 72nd Academy Awards.
| Himalaya | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Éric Valli |
| Written by | Jean-Claude Guillebaud Éric Valli Louis Gardel |
| Produced by | Christophe Barratier Jacques Perrin |
| Starring | Tsering Dorjee Thinle Lhondup Gurgon Kyap Lhakpa Tsamchoe |
| Music by | Bruno Coulais |
| Distributed by | Kino International |
Release date |
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Running time | 108 minutes |
| Country | Nepal |
| Languages | Dolpo, Nepali, German |
| Budget | $4.4 million |
| Box office | $40.1 million |
The film is a narrative on both the traditions and the impermanent nature of human struggle to retain and express power in the face of the gods. "The gods' triumph" is the call that echoes at the end of the film and expresses the balancing of karmic destinies. The extreme environment of the Himalayas is magnificently contrasted to the delicacy of humanity and the beauty of Tibetan culture.
The film depicts not only the life style of the upper Dolpo people of the mid western uphills of Nepal but also their traditional customs, for example celestial burial.
Himalaya was shot in widescreen over nine months on location in a region that can only be reached on foot, with all but two characters played by real chiefs, lamas and local villagers. Director Éric Valli has lived in Nepal since 1983 and is also a photographer and author. His work is regularly published in National Geographic Magazine , GEO magazine and Life magazines.