Himalaya (film)
| 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 |
Production company | Galatée Films |
| Distributed by | Kino International |
Release date |
|
Running time | 108 minutes |
| Country | Nepal |
| Languages | Dolpo, Nepali, German |
| Budget | $4.4 million |
| Box office | $40.1 million |
Himalaya: Caravan (French: Himalaya: L'Enfance d'un chef) is a 1999 Nepali film directed by Éric Valli and was funded by corporations based in France. It was the first Nepalese film to be nominated in the Best Foreign Film category at the 72nd Academy Awards.
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.