I recently had the privilege to watch the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival world premiere online screening from of the documentary, Piano to Zanskar.

The story follows 65 year piano tuner Desmond O'Keeffe as he undertakes his greatest and most difficult delivery of his career. Desmond plans to transport a 100 year old, 80 kilogram piano from central London to the remote Indian Himalayas.

Desmond is accompanied by two helpers, local Indian sherpas and yaks in what will be perilous and physically demanding journey to deliver an unassembled (and reassemble) an upright piano for the primary school students in Lingshed, Zanskar, an isolated village some 4,000 metres above sea level.

The mountainous Himalayan scenery is beautiful and picturesque, yet the main joy the film presents is following and hearing stories from Desmond and his team as they travel to a remote land with you willing for a successful delivery of the piano to the delight of the young kids with a new instrument and sharing the joy of music with them and what would be the highest piano delivery in the world.

The film has won many awards including;

Grand Prize Winner at Banff Mountain Film Festival 2019

First Prize Winner at Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival

Best Mountain Culture Film at Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival