DGA Monthly

4 0 I D G A M O N T H L Y Director Lucy Walker's documentary, Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa, takes a look at the single mother who survived an abusive marriage, brought up two daughters and worked as a dishwasher, while having another life as record- breaking mountain climber and became the first Nepali woman to completely summit and survive Mount Everest. On May 9, after the Special Projects Committee Documentary Series screening in Los Angeles, Walker discussed the making of the film during a Q&A moderated by Special Projects Documentary Series Subcommittee Chair Ondi Timoner. During the conversation she revealed that it wouldn't have been possible to capture Lhakpa's summit of Mount Everest without the collaborative efforts of her directorial team and the high-altitude cinematographer and Sherpas who were a part of the expedition. "You can't expect anyone to summit Everest, you can only try to find the right person and support them and empower them. Even if you're really experienced, altitude is really gnarly, and nothing's remotely worth compromising safety. We were so lucky. I was really excited to give cameras to the Sherpas on her team and see what they come up with. It was really thrilling to see everybody's shots up there. And we got some beautiful, amazing, amazing stuff." Photo: Director Lucy Walker discusses the making of Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa during a Q&A with Director Ondi Timoner (moderator). Lucy Walker discusses Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa A Special Projects Committee Documentary Series Screening Q&A See more detailed descriptions, additional photos and video, where available, online at www.dga.org. DGA Events Roundup DGA members interested in using their creativity as a climate solution were able get suggestions on how to do via an online training event on May 4. Hosted by the Sustainable Future Committee, the Natural Resources Defense Council's (NRDC) seminar, Rewrite the Future: Storytelling as a Climate Solution, delivered tips on how use their talents as Directors and directorial team members to re-imagine a world more climate resilient than the one we currently inhabit. Following a welcome from Sustainable Future Committee Co-Chair Lydia Pilcher and greetings from Co-Chairs Todd Holland and Mari Jo Winkler, NRDC Director Daniel Hinerfeld and NRDC Creative Director Meredith Milton led the attending DGA members through a wide spectrum of ways to integrate core narrative story-points featuring climate storytelling into any genre, storyline, feature or television series. During a PowerPoint presentation coordinated by NRDC Program Manager Livia Mandoul, they covered topics including how to create stories with inspiring characters tackling climate issues that support front-line communities, normalize climate-positive behaviors, and employ systems based on renewable and clean energy. Following the presentation, the floor was opened up to questions from the online audience. Members seeking more information about how to integrate climate storytelling into their productions or other tips on how to move the industry in a more ecologically conscious direction, please visit the Sustainable Future Committee's Pro-Tips on www.dga.org. The training was also recorded and will be posted online in the near future. Image: L-R Top Row: Natural Resources Defense Council Director Daniel Hinerfeld, Creative Director Meredith Milton and Program Manager Livia Mandoul. Bottom Row: Sustainable Future Committee Co-Chairs Lydia Pilcher, Todd Holland and Mari Jo Winkler. Rewrite the Future: Storytelling as a Climate Solution A Sustainable Future Committee Training Event photo by Elisa Haber DGA Accessibility Reminder: The Guild is committed to the full inclusion of its members and as such would like to ensure proper accommodations are provided to all attendees (e.g. people with disabilities) as needed. If you have a need for accommodations to ensure your full participation for this event, please contact access@dga.org to submit your request.

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