Eric Valli’s 1999 film “Himalaya” is a beautiful anthropological act in the guise of “adventure” fiction. The first Academy Award nominated Nepalese film (albeit directed by Frenchman Valli, who has lived in Nepal since 1983), it was shot in a virtually inaccessible region of the midwestern Nepalese “uphills” and stars locals from the area. Spirited by a pitch-perfect humanist tone, the film lovingly focuses on the daily lives and traditions of the people of the upper Dolpo. Some wooden performances from the non-professional actors only serve to further clarify the movie’s honesty. It’s a wonderful viewing experience.
I haven’t seen it in several years, but now a blog post at the killer graphic design site iso50 – by musician and graphiketeer Scott Hansen – has brought Eric Valli the photographer into my life.
Valli’s work is breathtaking. I’m going to blow these images out beyond the borders of my humble page layout. I know it’s tacky, but the bigger these photographs are the better (images link to Valli’s site)…
