About this submission

Set against the stunning backdrop of the Himalayas in Kashmir, IT IS THIS chronicles the history of snowboarding in Kashmir. A sport which is generally associated with white people is slowly growing in popularity in Gulmarg, a ski resort north of India. The underprivileged youth of Kashmir can hardly afford the equipment or training, but the thrill and sense of freedom and flight in sliding down the powdery slopes provides them an escape from the challenges of their military-occupied existence. The film is shot entirely on GoPro.

Rizza Alee

Creator

Rizza is an athlete and filmmaker. As part of the tragic 2019 expedition to Mount Everest, Rizza's photo went viral gaining worldwide attention to the crisis of over trafficking on the mountain. He released a short film about this expedition in the same year called, ‘Everest - The Mountain That Changed My Life’ which has been viewed by over 4.6 million on YouTube to date. Rizza was the subject for an Everest documentary which aired on National Geographic called, ‘A Deadly Ascent.’ In May 2022, Al Jazeera released 'Kashmir: Skiing in a Conflict Zone,' a documentary about skiing in Kashmir on which Rizza acted as co-director/co-producer. As an influencer, Rizza has been part of the GoPro family since 2021. He has also represented major international brands including SunGod, Suunto, Garmin, and Scott Sports as an ambassador. In May 2022, Rizza was a guest speaker at TedX NIT Srinagar speaking on the topic of, 'Reaching the Heights Within.' Rizza directed/co-produced the award-winning film, It Is This shot entirely on GoPro Camera in June 2023. more...