Founded in 2006 by filmmakers Josh Lowell of Big UP Productions and Peter Mortimer of Sender Films, the Reel Rock Film Tour brings the best climbing and adventure films of the year to audiences throughout the world.
This year’s Reel Rock film tour commemorates two significant events that happened this year in the climbing world – the free climb of El Capitan’s Dawn Wall in Yosemite National Park by Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson; and the death of former Moab resident and world-renowned rock climber Dean Potter, who died during a BASE jump in Yosemite Valley, California, in May.
Both are featured in the collection of films that will be shown on both Saturday, Oct. 17, at 7 p.m., and Tuesday, Oct. 20, at 8 p.m., at Star Hall, 159 E. Center St. One six-minute film is a tribute to Potter, “one of the great climbers of our generation,” said Nick Rosen of Sender Films.
In its landmark 10th year, Reel Rock is kicking off the 2015 world tour to more than 450 locations around the world.
The film tour is the definitive annual event for climbing communities globally. Reel Rock shows are high-energy, community events that go beyond mere film screenings to include prize giveaways, athlete and filmmaker appearances, nonprofit fundraising, and a party atmosphere.
“We have a really good line-up this year,” Rosen said. “My favorite is ‘Line Across the Sky,’ a 35-minute film about Caldwell and Alex Honnold’s climb across multiple jagged peaks at high elevations on Cerro Fitz Roy in southern Patagonia.
“We gave them cameras,” Rosen said. “They did an incredible job portraying alpine climbing by filming it themselves. It was intimate and funny,” and at times terrifying, Rosen said.
“Dawn Wall: First Look” is a 15-minute film about Caldwell and Jorgeson’s “epic final push to free climb the Dawn Wall.” The event was “the biggest event of the history of climbing,” Rosen said.
“We’re working on a feature documentary about (the Dawn Wall climb). This is a preview, a teaser of things to come,” Rosen added.
Other films include “High and Mighty,” “Showdown at Horseshoe Hell” and the “Dean Potter Tribute.”
Tamara Robbins is the local organizer of the Reel Rock 10 event. Her father, renowned climber Royal Robbins, was featured in last year’s Reel Rock tour film showing of “Valley Uprising.”
At the Oct. 17 showing, there will be a prize drawing, as well as a silent auction of “valuable, historical climbing gear,” including carabiners that Robbins’ father designed and produced for the European company Salewa. The silent auction will also include climbing gear donated by Caldwell – gear that he used in the movie “Dawn Wall: First Look,” Robbins said.
A portion of all proceeds will be donated to Friends of Indian Creek/ The Access Fund. Coincidentally, during the morning of the Oct 17 showing, the Friends of Indian Creek, Access Fund and Utah Open Lands will be hosting an Adopt a Crag event at the popular Castleton Tower campground.
Volunteers are encouraged to arrive at 9 a.m. to help clean up the Castle Valley-area campground, remove excessive fire ash, identify a few preferred campsites and improve the approach trail to the tower, The Access Fund Stewardship Director Ty Tyler said.
The event will run until about 2 p.m., leaving enough time to get to the Reel Rock evening performance.
Anyone willing to volunteer for the Adopt a Crag will be offered a door-ticket to Reel Rock 10 for half price, Robbins said. More details can be found at the Access Fund website at www.accessfund.org.
Climbing and adventure film tour comes to Moab
When: Saturday, Oct. 17, at 7 p.m. and Tuesday, Oct. 20, at 8 p.m. (doors open 30 minutes earlier)
Where: Star Hall
Cost: $10 advance tickets, $12 day of, at the door
Info: tamara@postpro.net
