Water Tower, The

Pete McBride | 2013 | 28 min.

2013 Official Selection

Three decades ago, filmmaker Pete McBride had the opportunity to climb Linana, the false summit of Mt. Kenya. He was 9. He discovered his first glaciers and became enthralled with this African mountain, the second highest in the continent, which produces 70% of Kenya’s water supply. Today, it is changing. It’s glaciers are retreating. Some have already vanished. McBride partners with Challenge21 climber Jake Norton and a team of local Kenyans and athletes to understand this iconic mountain’s vast watershed and see how it’s transformation is rippling downstream. The journey is more than a climb, more than an expedition. It is a water wake up call and a physical and symbolic quest to find Ngai, the Samburu people’s local water God, who is said to live atop this 17,057 foot “Water Tower”.