Synopsis
Look Down Not Up follows an interdisciplinary team of mycologists, mountaineers, journalists, and adventurers into Nepal’s Sagarmatha (Everest) National Park to document rare and undiscovered mushrooms and, in the process, to reflect on culture, climate, and the resilience of the human spirit.
Led by renowned Nepali mycologist Dr. Shiva Devkota, the team traverses forests and high valleys, connecting with Sherpa communities, witnessing Buddhist traditions, and confronting the stark realities of climate change in the Himalayas.
Beneath towering peaks of the Everest region, there is a vibrant, life-sustaining world underfoot. Fungi form essential partnerships with trees and plants, knitting ecosystems together and, when illuminated by local knowledge, reveal new pathways for science, safety, and stewardship.
What the Film Explores
Science in service of place. The team’s fieldwork underscores how little of the region’s fungal biodiversity has been formally studied—and how urgent it is to document species, habitats, and indigenous knowledge before they are lost.
Culture and community. Along the traditional routes into the Khumbu, the film spends time in villages, monasteries, and schools, honoring Sherpa heritage and everyday acts of care that define Nepal’s “software”: its people, values, and living traditions.
Safety and education. Through outreach in mountain communities, Dr. Devkota shares practical guidance to help prevent mushroom poisonings—demonstrating how research can immediately save lives.
Climate reality. From unstable roads and landslides to diminishing glacial water supplies, the Himalayas reveal cascading effects of a warming world—felt first and most acutely by local residents.
Human connection. Moments of joy, hardship, grief, and celebration—trekking at altitude, communal prayer, even a village wedding—mark a journey that transforms everyone involved.