NEW YORK, May 28, 2025 – Director Lucy Walker, who is on the roster of the global commercial production company Merman, has won an Emmy for her latest documentary “Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa,” which was picked up at the Toronto International Film Festival last year for worldwide distribution by Netflix. The film won an Emmy for Outstanding Long Documentary and was nominated for Outstanding Cinematography.
Mountain Queen tells the story of Lhakpa Sherpa, the first woman to summit and descend Mount Everest. Born into a milieu of socio-economic and cultural challenges, her life story is a chronicle of overcoming adversity to ascend to unparalleled heights. Now a single mother working at a Connecticut Whole Foods, Lhakpa leaves an abusive marriage and goes back to Everest, risking everything on a record-breaking summit attempt to make a better life for her two daughters.
“Mountain Queen” also won the Grand Prize at the Kendal Mountain Festival’s International Film Competition for 2024 as well as a 2024 Peabody Award. This is Walker’s second Emmy, having won in 2014 for her documentary “The Crash Reel.”
Watch the “Mountain Queen” trailer here: https://youtu.be/0yz5F9WtmsI?si=CU7ps-SM66_14jzt
Walker is currently developing several commercial projects with Merman. Her career in advertising is as acclaimed as her documentary vocation; she’s won three Cannes Lions, two Clios and two AICP awards.
