Posted on December 9, 2013

Following its recent sold-out screening at the Banff Mountain Film Festival, multi-award-wining film The Summit will come to Calgary on January 8, 2014, at 7 p.m. at the Globe Cinema (617-8 Avenue SW) as part of the Doc Soup series, co-presented by CIFF and Hot Docs.

A heart-pounding adventure to the top of K2, The Summit asks what could have happened on the deadliest day on the world's most dangerous mountain.

In August 2008, 18 climbers reached the top of K2. 48 hours later, 11 of them were dead.  What happened on that fateful day has never been resolved. At the heart of the mystery is a remarkable man, Ger McDonnell, the first Irishman to summit K2. Left behind in the mountain's 'death zone' while his best friend, Pemba Gyalje Sherpa, searched in vain to find him, McDonnell's final moments were consumed by a heart-breaking dilemma: save himself, or help other climbers tangled in ropes and running out of time. Majestic and terrifying, this 2013 Sundance award-winning film will have you on the edge of your seat.

Combining breathtaking cinematography, jaw dropping reenactments based on the testimony of those who survived the climb, and actual climbers’ footage, The Summit is about the nature of adventure in the modern world. This particular story remains fiercely debated, at the expense of the memory of Ger McDonnell and the ten others who died with him. As their legend grows, new climbers are drawn to test themselves against the deadliest mountain on Earth.

“Howling winds, topped off by Nick Seymour’s edgy musical score, acclimatize our senses to the deep drops and harrowing heights of The Summit.” Hollywood Reporter

Advance tickets can be purchased online at calgaryfilm.com or are available at the door for $13 including GST.

---

For more information or interviews, please contact:
Laura Carlson; Calgary International Film Festival
lcarlson@calgaryfilm.com
403-452-4845 (office); 587-700-0116 (cell)

ABOUT DOC SOUP

Doc Soup Calgary is a monthly feature-length documentary series presented in partnership between the Calgary International Film Festival (CIFF) and the Hot Docs International Documentary Film Festival. The series is now in its ninth year, and runs from November 2016 to April 2017. Screening on the first Wednesday of each month, Doc Soup showcases six of the latest and most acclaimed Canadian and international documentaries, bringing local audiences the finest in inspiring and intelligent non-fiction cinema from across the globe.

Back to news page