David Breashears, Filmmaker who Co-produced Everest Documentary, Dies at 68

Mountaineers check the tents before sending them to Everest base camp as they prepare for the upcoming climbing season, in Kathmandu, Nepal March 7, 2024. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar
Mountaineers check the tents before sending them to Everest base camp as they prepare for the upcoming climbing season, in Kathmandu, Nepal March 7, 2024. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar
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David Breashears, Filmmaker who Co-produced Everest Documentary, Dies at 68

Mountaineers check the tents before sending them to Everest base camp as they prepare for the upcoming climbing season, in Kathmandu, Nepal March 7, 2024. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar
Mountaineers check the tents before sending them to Everest base camp as they prepare for the upcoming climbing season, in Kathmandu, Nepal March 7, 2024. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar

David Breashears, a mountaineer, author and filmmaker who co-directed and co-produced a 1998 IMAX documentary about climbing Mount Everest, has died, his business manager confirmed Saturday. He was 68.
Breashears was found unresponsive at his home in Marblehead, Massachusetts, on Thursday, Ellen Golbranson said. She said he died of natural causes but "the exact cause of death remains unknown at this time.”
Breashears summited Mount Everest five times, including with the IMAX camera in 1996, his family said.
"He combined his passion for climbing and photography to become one of the world’s most admired adventure filmmakers,” the family said in a written statement.
In 2007, Breashears founded GlacierWorks, which describes itself on Facebook as a nonprofit organization that “highlights changes to Himalayan glaciers through art, science, and adventure."
“With GlacierWorks, he used his climbing and photography experience to create unique records revealing the dramatic effects of climate change on the historic mountain range,” his family said.
In 1983, Breashears transmitted the first live television pictures from the summit of Everest, according to his website, which also says that in 1985 he became the first US citizen to reach the summit twice.
Breashears and his team were filming the Everest documentary when the May 10, 1996, blizzard struck the mountain, killing eight climbers. He and his team stopped filming to help the climbers.



21 Short Films to Compete at Saudi Film Festival

21 Short Films to Compete at Saudi Film Festival
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21 Short Films to Compete at Saudi Film Festival

21 Short Films to Compete at Saudi Film Festival

The Saudi Film Festival announced on Monday the participation of 21 short films in its competition lineup, produced by Saudi, Gulf, and Arab filmmakers.

The 11th edition of the festival, organized by the Saudi Cinema Association in partnership with the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) and supported by the Film Commission, will be held in Dhahran from April 17 to 23.

It will feature a variety of topics and themes addressing loss, internal transformations, personal memories, and social experiences reflecting daily life in all its details. The films showcase a broad range of storytelling and visual styles, with a mix of realist, experimental, personal, and socially driven narratives.

Several of the participating films will have their international premieres at the festival this year. The competition will be judged by a jury of distinguished professionals with diverse expertise in directing, screenwriting, and content development.