Death Zone from a filmmaking perspective
In his speech, Oswald Rodrigo Pereira shares his firsthand experience of filming in the Himalayas and Karakoram. His journey into high-altitude filmmaking began in the winter of 2018, when he joined his first project in the mountains as a reporter. Since then, Oswald has participated in nine expeditions, each marked by his unique approach: he climbs in a small, independent team, without supplementary oxygen or personal Sherpa support, carrying not only his own mountaineering gear but also his filming equipment.
Oswald has developed the endurance and discipline of a professional athlete, but his true aim is to tell powerful, authentic stories from the heart of the mountains. His work has intersected with some of the most iconic moments in recent mountaineering history, including the first-ever winter ascent of K2 by a Nepali team. Tragically, during the same expedition, five of Oswald’s friends perished, a moment that profoundly shaped his perspective and opened his eyes to the emotional depth of those who survive after losing loved ones in the mountains.
Oswald’s story is one of remarkable transformation—from a child suffering from severe asthma, barred from participating in sports, to a dreamer who, against all odds, became a mountaineer and filmmaker with five 8,000-meter peaks to his name. His evolution as both a climber and storyteller reflects the resilience and spirit needed to navigate not only the highest peaks but also the emotional landscapes that come with them.
Oswald Rodrigo Pereira is a Polish film director and cinematographer. Author of films and documentaries that capture the raw emotions of climbers as they attempt to climb the highest peaks on Earth. Oswald has personally climbed five eight-thousanders without the use of supplementary oxygen or personal support of Sherpas. Over the past two years, he has formed a dynamic climbing partnership with Bartek Ziemski. Together they have summited four 8000-meter peaks, with Bartek skiing down each one while Oswald captured these extraordinary feats on film.
His latest film, “The Silent Escape”, explores the complex dynamics of partnership and the intense emotions that arise in the desolation of the planet’s loftiest summits—an experience that stands in stark contrast to the routines of everyday life. Set during an ambitious expedition to Annapurna and Dhaulagiri, the film centres on Bartek Ziemski, whose objective is not only to ascend these peaks, but also to make a ski descent from both.
