Shangku Shelter

SynopsisZanskar is a remote kingdom in the northwest Indian Himalaya, where local people are snow-bound for six months of the year. In winter, mountain passes are blocked, the summer Jeep road closes and buses stop. Two decades ago, three friends founded a ski school, to enable winter transportation in the valley, improve quality of life, and to encourage young people to stay in Zanskar by promoting a culture of mountain sports. In 2015, the friends decide to expand the reach of the school. Along the way they ponder a bigger question - how can Zanskar's wilderness be preserved while providing local people with employment and a motivation to stay.

Ben Stephenson is a geologist living in Canada with a passion for outdoor sports and travel. Ben enjoys long ski trips; one of them was a 600 km ski crossing of the Himalayas. Vera Neverkevich grew up between Arctic Siberia and Saint-Petersburg, Russia, but now calls Canada home. An MA in Film from Raindance, Vera has had principal roles in a number of short narrative and documentary film productions and most recently produced and directed her debut dramatic short film Burned, which won may awards. Yana Kehrlein is a French-American filmmaker and visual artist. Raised in the south of France, he studied Philosophy at Université de Provence before moving to Montreal, Canada to pursue visual art. He has won numerous awards for his unique digital artworks.