K-2 & The Invisible Footmen
The selfless porters of the Karakoram and Himalayas give an insight into their lives, which are as rugged as the terrain they conquer to help mountaineers reach the summit.
K2 & the Invisible Footmen documents the unsung efforts of Pakistani porters, who for decades have facilitated the ascent of the Earth’s second-highest mountain.
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SYNOPSIS
Logline: The selfless porters of the Karakoram and Himalayas give an insight into their lives, which are as rugged as the terrain they conquer to help mountaineers reach the summit.
K2 & the Invisible Footmen documents the unsung efforts of Pakistani porters, who for decades have facilitated the ascent of the Earth’s second-highest mountain.
Located on the border between Pakistan and China, K2 is the second-highest mountain on Earth. For many climbers, it is an even greater prize than Everest, with limited routes, a steeper ascent, and a harder push to its summit. Nicknamed the ‘Savage Mountain,’ K2’s peak juts unprotected into the atmosphere, regularly exposing climbers and porters to life-threatening weather conditions. Despite being paid at rates far below those received by international expedition leaders, such porters—whether they provide critical supplies to expedition base camps or take on higher-altitude tasks in support of ascending climbers—do some of the most difficult and dangerous work and these efforts make them worthy of recognition as the true heroes of mountaineering.
The film also follows the first official all-Pakistani climbing team, made up of former porters, who successfully summited in 2014, in celebration of K2 60th anniversary. Amid breathtaking scenery, the film depicts the everyday sacrifices of porters and the courage of those indigenous climbers who choose to return to scale K2 in spite of past tragedies. In their striving to perfect their craft, these mountaineers provide a fresh look into the cultures and national traditions of Pakistan, a country typically portrayed in the foreign media as merely a land of conflict and sectarian strife.
The documentary film won 36 International Awards and screened at more then 100 International Film festivals.
Cinematographer & Editor
Jawad Sharif
Released year
2015
TRAILER
FILM
Awards
PAKISTAN / LAHORE, Audience Award, Pakistan International Mountain Film Festival, 2015
SPAIN / TORELLÓ, BARCELONA, Jury Prize, BBVA Mountain Film Festival, 2015
BRAZIL / RIO DE JANIERO, Best Film, Rio Mountain Festival, 2015
ITALY / SALENTO, Best Documentary, Salento International Film Festival, 2015
INDIA / JAIPUR, Best Cinematography Award and Best Sound and Editing Award, Jaipur International Film Festival, 2016
POLAND / KRAKOW, Second Place, International Film Competition, Krakow Mountain Festival, 2015
KASHMIR / SRINAGAR, Prof. Hamid Award of Excellence, Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Department/Jammu and Kashmir Mountaineering and Hiking, 2015
BANGLADESH / DHAKA, Best Documentary, Women Filmmaker Section, Dhaka International Film Festival, 2016
SLOVENIA / LJUBLJANA, Slovenian National Television Award for Best Film, Festival Gorniškega Filma, 2016
INDIA / JAIPUR, Best Cinematography Award and Best Sound and Editing Award, Jaipur International Film Festival, 2016
ITALY / CONDOVE, Best Film, Alps Competition, Valsusa Film Festival, 2016
BOLIVIA / SUCRE, Best International Mid-Length Film and Audience Award, Pukañawi Festival Internacional de Cine de los Derechos Humanos, 2016
ARGENTINA / USHUAIA, Best Full-Length Film, Festival Internacional de Cine de Montaña Ushuaia Shh, 2016
POLAND / LADEK, Best Film on Man and Mountain, Ladek Mountain Film Festival, 2016
ITALY / MILAN, Italian Touring Club Prize, Milano Mountain Film Festival, 2016
UNITED KINGDOM / LONDON, Best Film Award – Development, We the Peoples Film Festival, 2016
CZECH REPUBLIC, First Place, Climbing and Mountaineering Film, International Festival of Outdoor Films, 2017
PAKISTAN / KARACHI, Best International Film, Pakistan Calling Film Festival, 2016
SPAIN / ISABA, Best Mountain Film, Ukerdi Mountain Film Festival, 2016
CHILE / VALPARAISO, Best Feature Length Documentary, Festival Internacional de Cine del Cono Sur, 2016
ROMANIA / CLUJ-NAPOCA, Second Place, Sound Designer of the Month, April Edition, 12 Months Film Festival, 2017
ITALY / SAN VITO, Audience Award, SiciliAmbiente Documentary Film Festival, 2017
MEXICO / ROSARITO, Best Documentary, Logcinema Rosarito International Film Festival, 2017
IVORY COAST / ABIDJAN, Special Participation Prize, Bushman Film Festival, 2017
SLOVAKIA / POPRAD, Official Selection, International Festival of Mountain Films, 2015
UNITED STATES / BUFFALO, NEW YORK, Official Selection, Buffalo International Film Festival, 2015
CAMBODIA / PHNOM PENH, Official Selection, Phnom Penh International Film Festival, 2015
SPAIN / BILBAO, Official Selection, Bilbao Mendi Film Festival, 2015
UNITED STATES / MISSOULA, MONTANA, Official Selection, Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, 2016
BULGARIA / BANSKO, Official Selection, International Bansko Film Festival, 2015
UNITED KINGDOM / KENDAL, Official Selection, Kendal Mountain Film Festival, 2015
THE NETHERLANDS / HEERLEN, Official Selection, Dutch Mountain Film Festival, 2016
ITALY / TRENTO, Official Selection, Trento Film Festival, 2016
POLAND / GDANSK, Official Selection, Gdansk International Film Festival, 2016
POLAND / LADEK, Official Selection, Ladek Mountain Film Festival, 2016
UNITED KINGDOM / LLANBERIS, WALES, Selected, Climbing & Mountaineering, Llanberis Mountain Film Festival, 2016
UNITED STATES / PORTLAND, MAINE, Official Selection, Maine Outdoor Film Festival, 2016
KURDISTAN / DUHOK, Official Selection, Duhok International Film Festival, 2016
BOLIVIA / SUCRE, Official Selection, Pukañawi Festival de Cine de los Derechos Humanos, 2016
GREECE / ATHENS, Official Selection, Athens Adventure Film Festival, 2016
UNITED STATES / LOS ANGELES, CA, Best Documentary Film Award Nominee, Arpa International Film Festival, 2016
UNITED STATES / GUAM, Official Selection, Guam International Film Festival, 2016
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO / GOMA, Official Selection, Congo International Film Festival, 2017