|
Blindsight has its world premiere today at TIFF, garnering possibly the loudest and longest applause of any Real to Reel film so far at the festival. The film's director, Lucy Walker (background), documented the amazing story of six blind Tibetan children attempting to climb a 22,000 foot peak near mount Everest in 2004. The children were led by their teacher, Sabriye Tenberken, who is also visually impaired, and Erik Weihenmayer, a blind man who climbed to the top of Mount Everest.
Filled with emotion, struggle, triumph and a rousing rendintion of "Happy Together", Blindsight instantly became a festival favourite. After the screening, Walker wasted no time inviting up Tenberken and Weihenmayer to address the crowd and answer questions. The crowd was also told to wait for one very special guest who was being rushed from the airport. After a few more questions, Kalyi (foreground), one of the Tibetan children, made one more descent, but this time it was down the aisle to the cheers of hundreds of fans. Kalyi thanked everyone for coming to see the film and was still quite energetic after a long flight straight from Beijing.
Great cinematography combined with a complex journey of self-discovery and teamwork will have many festival goers talking about Blindsight.
Please feel free to comment on the film by submitting your thoughts to the Doc Blog...
|