Myanmar: Bridges to Change

Filmmakers Mark Fisher and Eric Daft's documentary takes viewers to the southeast Asian nation of Myanmar (formerly Burma), where a 2013 expedition tackled a never-before summited mountain called Gamlang Razi, considered by some to be the highest peak in the region. A group of five Americans and two Burmese set out not just to reach the top, but also to use a special GPS unit to measure Gamlang Razi's true height, which has been a matter of dispute. Equal parts adventure story and cultural immersion experience, Myanmar: Bridges to Change offers glimpses of a land closed off to much of the outside world until very recently, as the team treks through more than a hundred miles of jungle terrain just to reach the base of the mountain, meeting villagers along the way who have existed in almost total isolation and are curious about their unexpected visitors. The challenges are tremendous, ranging from the effects of extreme heat and humidity on the climbers and their equipment, to encounters with vipers, leaches, and insects, before the altitude transforms the landscape into snow, ice, and bare rock. A Grand Prize winner in the New Zealand Mountain Film Festival and winner of Best Documentary Short in the Sedona Film Festival, this is highly recommended. Editor's Choice. Aud: P. (C. Block)