This event includes a post-screening Q&A with director Jereme Watt and Producer Merit Jensen Carr. Synopsis: Mount Everest is known for its heroic expedition tales dating back to the days of Sir Edmund Hillary, but in recent years it has developed a more treacherous reputation. An overlooked part of this story is the Nepalese guides who risk their lives daily to help climbers safely navigate their ascent. Everest Dark tells the story of Mingma Tsiri Sherpa, revered as a national hero in Nepal for leading numerous rescue missions. After nearly retiring from climbing, Mingma undertakes a mission to recover a body from Everest’s slopes, so it can be returned home and restore balance to the mountain gods. Directed by award-winning Canadian documentarian Jereme Watt and produced by Oscar-nominated Ina Finchman and veteran producer Merit Jensen Carr, the film’s stunning cinematography captures the grandeur and unforgiving terrain of Mingma’s trek. He and his team must navigate extreme weather, impossibly steep slopes, and deep ice crevasses in order to accomplish their impossibly dangerous mission. Everest Dark screens at PIF following screenings at CPH DOX, DC/DOX and Festival International du Film de Montreal. *This film will be preceded by short film Between Salt and Sky (Brazil, Chile, 16 min). Synopsis: In the heart of the Bolivian altiplano, where the infinite white of the Salar de Uyuni meets the deep blue of the sky, an epic battle unfolds. Ariel Flores, leader of the Rio Grande community, faces a monumental challenge: to preserve the millennial tradition of capturing and shearing wild vicuñas in a rapidly transforming world. Climate change threatens the delicate balance of this unique ecosystem, while the exploitation of lithium, the planet’s largest reserve, beckons with progress, but at what cost?