Free Solo, and Q&A with Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin

How high would you climb to fulfill your destiny? If you are celebrated professional rock-climber Alex Honnold, the answer would be "the tallest rock-face on earth" (Yosemite’s El Capitan). That challenge in and of itself is a remarkable feat of human determination. What sets Alex apart is his obsession to do it without safety ropes. Experienced mountain-doc filmmakers Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin (Meru) take on the dual challenge of capturing the record-breaking free climb, and capturing the peripatetic life of their subject (who lives in his van). The result is a powerful work of cinema that is both heart-stopping and heart-melting. Courtesy of National Geographic Films.

A discussion with directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin follows the screening. Moderated by Raj Roy, the Celeste Bartos Chief Curator of Film at The Museum of Modern Art.

Free Solo. 2018. USA. Directed by Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi. 97 min.

Location: Billy Wilder Theater at the Hammer Museum
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MoMA Contenders 2018 is organized by The Museum of Modern Art, New York. This film program is organized by Rajendra Roy, the Celeste Bartos Chief Curator of Film, and Sean Egan, Senior Producer, Film Exhibitions and Projects, The Museum of Modern Art, New York.

The Hammer Museum’s presentation is made possible by The Billy and Audrey L. Wilder Foundation.

Media sponsorship is provided by The Hollywood Reporter.