Slovenia, Ireland
43′36″, 2021.
DIRECTED BY
PRODUCED BY
Matjaž Pinter
CINEMATOGRAPHER
EDITED BY
Matjaž Pinter, Rock’n’roll Pictures, Berlin
CONTACT
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Yarsagumba, also known as the “Himalayan gold” is a rare mushroom that is picked in the remotest corners of the Nepal Himalayas. A decade ago Nepal was struck by the yarsagumba trading craze, as the prices of the mushrooms soared in the international markets. Since then the local population has become increasingly dependent on this precious resource. The Mushroom at the Top of the World follows a story of a village in Nepal's Rukum district, where in the aftermath of the People's War, the villagers have turned to mushroom picking in order to restructure their livelihoods. The documentary film addresses the issues of the precarious world of rural Nepal and portrays the people and their resilience in daily struggles to make a living in the relentless mountainous landscape.

Matjaž Pinter is an anthropologist and a director. He explores sensory and multilinear visual ethnographic approaches to study revolutions. His films deal with disappointment in a post-revolutionary political setting. The Mushroom at the Top of the World is a result of 3 years of research and filming in Nepal.