PASANG: In the Shadow of Everest

I WAS SO DISPPOINTED THAT "PASANG" DIDN'T GET A NOMINATION FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY. I JUST HOPE THAT THIS FILM MANAGES TO HAVE A LONG LIFE IN SPITE OF THAT. I ALSO HOPE THAT EITHER "20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL" OR "BOBBY WINE: THE PEOPLE'S PRESIDENT" WIN FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY BECAUSE THE FIRST FILM HAS SO MUCH TO TELL US ABOUT THE SUFFERING OF THE UKRAINIAN PEOPLKE & THE SECOND FILM TELLS US SO MUCH ABOUT THE SUFFERING OF THE UGANDAN PEOPLE> OF COURSE, YOU CAN NEVER BE CERTAIN OF HOW THE BEST DOCUMENTARY AWARDS WILL GO. FOR EXAMPLE, "THE SORROW AND THE PITY" LOST TO "THE HELLSTROM CHRONICLES." - A MOVIE ABOUT BUGS, DOES ANYONE EVEN REMEMBER "THE HELLSTROM CHRONICLES?"

I AM SO THANKFUL THAT I WAS ABLE TO SEE THIS DOCUMENTARY & ALSO SO THANKFUL THAT I WAS ABLE TO HEAR THE DIRECTOR NANCY SVENDSEN BEING INTERVIEWED BY ANGELA SHERPA. I AM PARTICULARLY GRATEFUL TO THE WOMEN WHO BROUGHT UP THE ISSUE OF HOW THE NEPALESE GOVERNMENT DIDN'T PROVIDE MS. PASANG & THE OTHER NEPALESE CLIMBERS WITH THE SAME EQUIPMENT THAT WAS PROVIDED TO THE CLIMBERS FROM OTHER COUNTRIES- & HOW THAT MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO HER DEATH. THE FOTAGE THAT Ms. SVENDSEN PROVIDED OF MS. PASANG CLIMBING WAS ESPECIALLY VALUABLE BECAUSE IT ILLUMINATED HOW MS. PASANG SAW HERSELF &HER STRUGGLE TO SUCCEED. ALTHOUGH IT LOOKED AS IF SHE WERE STRUGGLING, MS. PASANG RESPONDED TO A GENTLEMAN CLIMBER'S QUESTION ABOUT IF SHE WERE HAVING DIFFICULTIES BY SAYING, "IT'S NOT DIFFICULT." I ALSO THOUGHT THAT MS. PASANG'S STATEMENT ABOUT HOW "YOU CAN'T DIFFERENTIATE" BETWEN MALE CLIMBERS & FEMALE CLIMBERS WAS ILLUMINATING BECAUSE IT SHOWED HOW MUCH SHE THOUGHT OF THEM AS BEING EQUAL. I ALSO THOUGHT THAT THE INTERVIEWS WITH MS. PASANG'S OLDEST DAUGHTER WERE EXTREMELY TOUCHING - ESPECIALLY WHEN SHE POINTED OUT THAT HER MOTHER'S LIFE SERVED AS AN EXAMPLE OF HOW MUCH YOU CAN ACHIEVE WHEN YOU SET YOUR MIND ON YOUR GOAL. IT BECOMES EVEN MORE IMPORTANT WHEN YOU REALIZE THAT THE NEPALI MILITARY & MONARCHY WERE DOING EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO SUBJUGATE THE NEPALI PEOPLE. I WOULD HAVE LIKED A LITTLE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE HISTORY OF HOW THAT MONARCHY CAME TO POWER. I ALSO WOULD HAVE LIKED A LITTLE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE 1953 BRITISH-LED CLIMB ON MOUNT EVEREST. (ONE OF THE CLIMBERS WAS THE BRITISH JOURNALIST JAMES MORRIS- WHO LATER TRANSITIONED INTO JAN MORRIS. JUST AS MS. PASANG WAS A TRAILBLAZER FOR NEPALI WOMEN, MS. MORRIS WAS A TRAILBLAZER FOR THE TRANSSEXUAL COMMUNITY). I JUST HOPE THAT THIS FILM GETS AN OSCAR NOMINATION FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY BECAUSE THIS FILM & "20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL" WERE MY TWO FAVORITE DOCUMENTARIES OF THE YEAR!