Loading the player...
Return to Main Page

Synopsis: It’s the great irony of climbing.We are simultaneously drawn and repelled by the ferocity of the world’sgreatest mountains. For the last decade, climber and photographer MikeySchaefer has been making the annual pilgrimage to El Chalten to ferret out newroutes on the massive granite teeth that inspired him as a young climber. Alongthe way, these mountains have become a part of him. The photos he tookalong the way propelled him into a career in photography. Over the last fiveyears, Mikey has been collecting footage from his climbs and misadventures. Woven together, it tells a story of success, fear, joy and growth. Now,Mikey’s images capture the imagination of young climbers who make thepilgrimage to this wind-swept wilderness.

Genre

Documentary

Rated

NR

Language

English

Run Time

18 minutes

Available Territories

Worldwide

Starring

Directed by

Fitz Cahall

Executive Producer

Fitz Cahall

Director's Statement

Five years ago, photographer Mikey Schaefer started showing me clips from his climbs in Patagonia. Returning year after year, it was clear he’d built a lifelong relationship with this landscape. He’d come to embrace the wind and storms that terrify so many climbers. Year by year, he established first ascents on each of the Fitz Roy Massif’s iconic peaks,something no climber had ever done. Along the way, he began his career as a photographer and discovered he had a unique gift for pulling out the camera at the most difficult moments. I knew we had a story about passion, creativity and wild places, so I waited patiently. I watched as Mikey’s passion for climbing developed into something more — creativity, reverence and stewardship. Mikey became an accomplished photographer capable of landing a National Geographic cover or becoming a staff favorite on Instagram. I saw him share his inspiration and encourage the next generation of climbers and creatives.

To tell Mikey’s story, we took a unique approach. Patagonia has a way of reeking havoc on film crews, so wedecided to crowdsource footage from the climbing community. We pulled together footage from dozens of climbers shot over the course of the last six years. We supplemented this with footage from our own time in El Chalten, which we used to capture the connecting visuals of our story. We believed that the rough footage enabled us to see the power of this wild landscape reflected in the faces, emotions and voices of climbers.

Director's Bio

Fitz Cahall is the founder of the Dirtbag Diaries and the creative director at Duct Tape Then Beer, which is a bizarre but wonderful amalgamation of a creative rocket ship, grassroots community building agent and advertising agency. He likes riding bikes in the nude and street riots on LSD. Currently, he is being flippant because he can’t think about what to write about himself. Only some of this can be confirmed by outside sources.

Official selection

5 Point Film Festival - United States - 2015

Country of Origin

United States

Production Year

2014

Aspect Ratio

1.77:1 (16:9)

Sound Mix

Stereo LT/RT

Medium

HD

Resolution

1920x1080

Official Website

Facebook

Twitter

https://twitter.com//dttbcreate

Please don't close or refresh the page while we are processing your submission
Please be patient, this could take a few minutes.

Choose the plan that’s right for you!

Change or cancel anytime

Single Channel
Click to subscribe
Multiple Channels
Click to subscribe
All Access
Click to subscribe
Subscription Price From: $4.99 / month $9.99 / month $14.99 / month
Free Trial Period
Automatic with subscription
Yes Yes Yes
Watch on your laptop, TV, phone, or tablet Yes Yes Yes
Single Festival Access Yes Yes Yes
Multiple Festival Access No Yes Yes
Unlimited Films On Demand
VOD Library
No No Yes

Request A Screening

Oops! We could not locate your form.

Search

Create an Account

You will create your account during the first purchase on Film Festival Flix. To create an account now, select the Channel that's right for you? Subscribe or select the ticketing page. If you're not ready to purchase at this time, you can create your account at any time in the future.
close