K2 & The Invisible Footmen main backdrop
K2 & The Invisible Footmen main poster

K2 & The Invisible Footmen

Visit website

8.9/10 • 7

2015-04-200h 54m

Documentary

K2 is widely seen as the world's harshest mountain. Yet many indigenous porters make a living in its extreme conditions, carrying provisions for foreign climbing expeditions. Often risking their lives, they receive minimal pay for their efforts. Against a backdrop of breathtaking natural beauty, this doc explores the courage and sacrifice of the men who call the 'Savage Mountain' their home.

Directors
Iara Lee
Editors
Jawid Sharif

Top Billed Cast

View Credits

    Reviews1

    View Reviews
    Peter McGinn Avatar

    Peter McGinn

    Apr 5, 2020

    9/10

    This is a pretty good documentary. It is refreshing to get the perspective from people other than the western climbers, and other than the sherpas as far as that goes, since this follows porters from Pakistan rather than the higher paid sherpas of Tibet. So it involves trekking rather than the climbing itself. So we hear about the inequities of the porters employment, the lower pay scales as I already mentioned, the sometimes unfair expectation that they carry much more weight than what is considered standard without any increase in pay, and of course the danger inherent in their occupation. It is so hazardous that it actually affects the life expectancy of the male population. This documentary also highlights the humor and wit of some of the porters in discussing their plight, so that the show is not a downer to watch. There was a bit of repetition in their conversations, and some comments by climbers themselves sometimes seemed to be off the point being made, sort of more about them than about the subject matter. Maybe that was the point of including it. It is an interesting look at workers who have practically no voice of their own in the scheme of things. Perhaps the countries who issue the permits to the climbers employing the porters need to put more guarantees and safeguards in place for their citizens taking on this hazardous, low paying work. I believe that was done to some extent for the sherpas.

    Media

    • K2 & The Invisible Footmen poster
    • K2 & The Invisible Footmen poster

    Recommendations

    • No Backdrop

      Box

      4.5

    • Old Man Junior main backdrop

      Old Man Junior

      6.9

    • No Backdrop

      East of Main Street: Asians Aloud

      6.6

    • Box main backdrop

      Box

      6.2

    • Hannibal Brooks main backdrop

      Hannibal Brooks

      6.4

    • Bangkok Breaking: Heaven and Hell main backdrop

      Bangkok Breaking: Heaven and Hell

      6.6

    • No Backdrop

      Forest

      6.6

    • Take Cover main backdrop

      Take Cover

      6.6

    • Another 48 Hrs. main backdrop

      Another 48 Hrs.

      6.0

    • Zamora main backdrop

      Zamora

      7.1

    • No Backdrop

      Brent Weinbach: Appealing to the Mainstream

      6.0

    • Life of a Mutt main backdrop

      Life of a Mutt

      10

    • My Penguin Friend main backdrop

      My Penguin Friend

      7.4

    • River of Blood main backdrop

      River of Blood

      6.3

    • No Backdrop

      Divers at Work on the Wreck of the "Maine"

      6.1

    • Yes Boss main backdrop

      Yes Boss

      6.0

    • Scooby-Doo! in Arabian Nights main backdrop

      Scooby-Doo! in Arabian Nights

      7.4

    • Torrente 2: Mission in Marbella main backdrop

      Torrente 2: Mission in Marbella

      6.0

    • Liberation: Direction of the Main Blow main backdrop

      Liberation: Direction of the Main Blow

      6.2

    • Night of the Demons III main backdrop

      Night of the Demons III

      5.4

    Status
    Released
    Original Language
    English
    Budget
    --
    Revenue
    --
    Keywords
    woman director