Movies Similar to Bhutan: The Snowman's Trek

Everest Unmasked(1978)

Record of the first ascent of Everest made without the use of oxygen equipment, made in May 1978 by Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler. Could it be done? Would their blood vessels burst? Would they suffer brain damage leading to madness? Nobody was sure. Messner: 'I would never come here for trying Everest with oxygen. That is not a challenge for me.' A fascinating piece of history, well filmed by Leo Dickinson and Eric Jones (above the South Col Messner used a cine camera to continue the filming), featuring Messner and Habeler's thoughts. The film follows the usual sequence from Namche to Base Camp, through the Icefall, to Camps I, II and III. It also shows historical footage of the pioneering Mallory and Shipton expeditions.

6.3

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1000 Hands of the Guru(2016)

Four monks, a royal scholar, and their American guru are fighting to save Bhutan's sacred arts while learning the art of letting go.

0.0

Blindsight(2006)

Six blind Tibetan teenagers climb the Lhakpa-Ri peak of Mount Everest, led by seven-summit blind mountain-climber Erik Weihenmayer.

6.8

Sikkim(1971)

Satyajit Ray's poetic documentary was commissioned by the Chogyal (King) of Sikkim at a time when he felt the sovereignty of Sikkim was under threat from both China and India. Ray's documentary is about the sovereignty of Sikkim. The film was banned by the government of India when Sikkim merged with India in 1975. The ban was finally lifted by the Ministry of External Affairs in September 2010. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2007.

6.5

Marco Étoile Filante(2008)

Avid for steep slopes, Marco Siffredi (1979-2002) obeys only one rule: not to fall. This gifted kid with hair sometimes blond peroxidized, green or blue clashed in his valley: Chamonix, mecca of mountaineering. His thing was to go up and down on a snowboard. . 90 minutes September 8, 2002, altitude 8848 meters, rare oxygen, his head already brushing the sky and his snowboard running, Marco Siffredi, 23, rushes from the summit of Everest in the Horbein corridor and its slopes at 50 degrees . A year earlier, he had already made the first descent of the mountain on a snowboard. But there remains another corridor… more direct. It's not a challenge, just a reason to be... However, that day, at the top of the roof of the world, his trace is lost...

10.0

Pasang: In the Shadow of Everest(2024)

Transcending cultural barriers and consistently going against the grain, female Nepali climber Pasang Lhamu Sherpa attempted to summit Everest four times in the early nineties. Although she was not allowed to attend school as a child, Pasang did not let that stop her from pursuing her dreams. After founding her own trekking company in Kathmandu, she blazed a trail for Nepali women via her efforts to summit Everest. Proving how big you can dream and how far you can go to achieve those dreams, she left a legacy not only for the family she has left behind, but for the myriad women following in her footsteps.

7.0

Jurek(2014)

This documentary follows the feats of high-altitude climber Jerzy Kukuczka and his ascent to higher heights before his death in 1989.

7.2

The Himalayas(2011)

The highest mountain range in the world, the Himalayan range is far reaching, spanning thousands of miles, and holds within it an exceptionally diverse ecology. Coniferous and subtropical forests, wetlands, and montane grasslands are as much a part of this world as the inhospitable, frozen mountaintops that tower above. The word Himalaya is Sanskrit for abode of snow, fitting for a stretch of land that houses the world’s largest non polar ice masses. Extensive glacial networks feed Asia's major rivers including the Ganges, Indus, and Brahmaputra. More than a billion people rely on these glacier-fed water sources for drinking water and agriculture. The Himalayas are not only a remarkable expanse of natural beauty. They're also crucial for our survival.

8.0

25-dollar Sisyphus: The Story of Himalayan Porters(2017)

The village under the Himalaya, Lukla. From here, you can only climb the Himalayas with your own two feet. Many tourists come here to admire the beautiful scenery of nature. It is a beautiful path with romantic memories for the tourists. But for some people, the same path could be somewhere with a burden of life, carrying heavy loads for someone else. Nepalese porters climb the Himalayas wit)h the heavy loads of the tourists. The amount of the loads is more than the one that the porters might not even use all to their grave. Thirteen-year-old Sonam also climbs the Himalayas instead of going to school because of the difficult family situation.

0.0

Bhutan: The Dictatorship of Happiness

Hidden away in the Himalayan foothills, Bhutan is a country reputed for its exquisite natural beauty and the importance its people place on individual happiness. The Bhutaneses’ acute environmental awareness has led it to being the only carbon-negative country in the world. To many, the small nation seems like a model for the rest of the world. But behind this idyllic façade there lies a more sinister reality. Buddhism is the only religion tolerated by the Wangchuck dynasty who have ruled the country for the last century. This ultra-conservative regime is closely intertwined with the Buddhist faith. The flocks of millionaires and Hollywood stars who arrive in Bhutan to work on their karma can only be accommodated thanks to the toil of terribly paid workers. This film explores the dynasty’s rule while also taking a look at the youthful counterculture movement which has emerged since the country’s exposure to the internet.

5.0

Agent of Happiness(2024)

The documentary team follows two happiness agents in their forties who spend a month and a half on the road twice a year, going door-to-door with their questionnaires in isolated villages in the Himalayas. The filmmakers undertake to provide an intimate insight into the daily lives and desires of Bhutanese people, and also seek the answer to the universal question of whether happiness can really be measured. Gross National Happiness promises a heart-warming journey into a mysterious, fairytale-like world, which is the exact opposite of the social order dominated by consumption and desires.

7.7

Lord of the Dance/Destroyer of Illusion(1985)

The documentary focuses on the annual Mani Rimdu festival of Tibet and Nepal, an event which encapsulates the Himalayan Buddhist experience.

10.0

Hanuman Airlines: Fly Over Everest(2011)

Two Nepali men climb Mt. Everest, launch a paraglider from the summit, fly over the top and set a new free flight world record.

0.0

Earth(2007)

An epic story of adventure, starring some of the most magnificent and courageous creatures alive, awaits you in EARTH. Disneynature brings you a remarkable story of three animal families on a journey across our planet – polar bears, elephants and humpback whales.

7.6

Himalayas(2023)

Simon Richardson and James Lowsley-Williams head to the Himalayas on a quest to discover Nepal’s mysterious ‘Forbidden Kingdom’, the remote mountaintop city of Lo Manthang. Breath-taking views, lung-busting climbs, and incredible encounters with locals; Si and James are in for an unmissable gravel bike adventure! Their once-in-a-lifetime expedition begins in the chaotic streets of Kathmandu before embarking on a gruelling five-day ride up the ancient trade route that forges a path between Nepal and Tibet. Their epic ride sees them dicing with kamikaze trucks, enduring freezing rainstorms, taking a 228m bungee jump, and even a heroic attempt to beat a Himalayan KOM.

6.0

The Man Who Returns from Above(2004)

What compels a man to push the limits of what is attainable ever higher? After thirty years of relentless struggle with the highest peaks on earth, Marc Batard has finally found the answers to these questions. He had to reach the summit of Everest twice, once shattering the record for fastest time in 24 hours without oxygen, and climb the most difficult faces of the Alps to glimpse the path to inner healing. It was through physical suffering that he was able to confront the pain of his soul. He was finally able to talk about the violence of his childhood, the shock he carried like a ball and chain for decades. Having completed his summit therapy, Marc Batard tells his story in this documentary by Gilles Perret.

10.0

Lyon Premier 8000, Au Gasherbrum II - 8035m(1975)

The "Lyon Premier 8000-Gasherbrum II 8035m" expedition, organized and led by Jean-Pierre Frésafond in 1975, was sponsored by the Lyon section of the Club Alpin Français and by Louis Pradel, Mayor of Lyon. The film traces the departure from Lyon of Berliet heavy trucks loaded with equipment, daily life in Pakistan, preparation for the expedition and the approach march with the porters, daily life at the base camp and in the camps. altitude of the members of the expedition: L. Audoubert, Marc Batard, F. Bourbousson, A. Chariglione, J. Dupraz, J.J. Forrat, H. and JP. Frésafond, B. Macho, Doctor A. Raymond, Y. Seigneur, J. Soubis, F. Valençot, B. Villaret de Chauvignypuis. Finally On June 18, 1975, Yannick Seigneur and Marc Batard reached the summit by opening a route along the south ridge. Bernard Villaret de Chauvigny, who was killed during the second assault, was the first victim of the Gasherbrum.

10.0

THE QUEST: Everest(2024)

THE QUEST: Everest is a journey to deeper understand and climb the most iconic mountain in the world, Mt. Everest, and to reveal its amazing history and culture. From experiencing Everest like never before to witnessing unique stories about one of the most remarkable places on earth, THE QUEST: Everest is a one-of-a-kind cinematic tribute to the human spirit of adventure that lives inside us all.

0.0

Meru(2015)

Meru is the electrifying story of three elite American climbers—Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin, and Renan Ozturk—bent on achieving the impossible.

7.4

The Wildest Dream(2010)

Uses astonishing visuals to tell the intersecting stories of George Mallory, the first man to attempt a summit of Mount Everest, and Conrad Anker, the mountaineer who finds Mallory's frozen remains 75 years later.

7.0