Documentary Chronicles Journey of First Northeastern Brazilian to Summit Everest

The documentary "O Engraxate que Escalou o Everest" premieres this Thursday on Canal OFF. The film tells the story of Rosier Alexandre, 58, who became the first person from Northeastern Brazil to reach the summit of Mount Everest. The production has already won the Best National Feature Film award at the International YVY Festival in Teresópolis and the Corcovado Trophy for Best Film by popular jury at the Rio Mountain Festival.

Filmed across three continents and four countries, the documentary combines images of extreme expeditions with testimonies from global mountaineering figures. Alexandre describes his childhood in a mud house in the sertão of Ceará, where he grew up in poverty and initially believed the Earth was flat. He credits a conversation with a doctor and a German visitor at age nine for sparking his passion for geography and his lifelong goal to travel the world.

Alexandre pursued a technical agricultural course in Fortaleza at 16 and later earned a degree in administration after age 30. At 28, he set a goal to climb the seven highest peaks on each continent. While he did not complete all seven due to family priorities and the logistical challenges of funding and licensing, he successfully summited Everest. His journey included failed attempts in 2014, when a glacier rupture killed 16 people, and 2015, during a major earthquake in Nepal.