Samsara

In the heart of the lofty, knife-sharp Vindhya Mountains in India sits a 6,500-foot rock route that resembles a massive shark fin and rises from the ocean of crags. This fin, which is twice as long as anything on El Capitan and just as steep, has denied many notable climbers from reaching its summit. In Samsara, all-star climbing team Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin and Renan Ozturk set out to attempt a first ascent. Directed by Ozturk, the film is woven together with art, journal excerpts and still photography. Here’s the thing: The sacred peak, Meru, is said in mythology to be the center of the universe, but can you climb to the center of the universe? And that’s what Samsara—which means “wheel of suffering”—is about.