Films by Eliza Kubarska

Switzerland, Germany, Polen 2020, 94 min
by Eliza Kubarska

When a Sherpa family is asked by a group of westerners to lead a trek up the never-conquered east wall of the imposing Kumbhakarna Mountain in Nepal, they’re confronted with a dilemma. Not only is the summit reputed to be more challenging than Mount Everest, but according to the local Kirant religion, it’s a sacred mountain that is not supposed to be ascended. While the father would like to earn the money necessary for his son’s education, the mother, a fierce woman who supports her boy’s dream of becoming a doctor, is adamant that they shouldn’t hike God’s body. Director Eliza Kubarska follows the expedition after the family agrees to guide the three foreigners, negotiating as best they can the pressure to finish the climb, the dangerous conditions and their own religious beliefs. Herself an experienced alpinist, Kubarska captures breathtaking images of the majestic landscape, honouring the spiritual dimension of the environment. (Charlotte Selb)„Kubarska knows that the grandeur of the mountain is but a hill of beans compared to the human drama in the camp. The film is all the better for it.“ Pat Mullen, Point of View Magazine

Germany, Great Britain, Polen 2015, 72 min
by Eliza Kubarska

Hanna wasn't born yet when her father came crashing to his death in 1986. He was attempting to conquer the notoriously dangerous K2, the second-highest mountain on earth. Łukasz was four when his mother died on the same mountain; Chris and Lindsay’s mom was the first British woman to reach the summit of K2, but she didn’t return, either. During the “Black Summer of 1986,” some 10 other climbers perished as well. Almost 30 years later, director Eliza Kubarska traveled with Chris, Lindsay, Łukasz and Hanna to the plateau where the fatal climbs began. Are they able to comprehend the lure of the mountain? If so, can it help them accept their loss? Despite everything, one of them has become a mountain climber himself. Kubarska has her own very personal reason for embarking on this enterprise, as she reveals at the start. She has been addicted to climbing for 18 years, and now she wants to have a child. But is it acceptable for a parent to take such risks? Archive footage of ascents and testimonies from survivors underline the passions and the dangers. While past and present draw ever closer to one another in this enchanting and intimidating landscape, Kubarska reflects on her own future, as a mountain climber and a potential mother.