Old Man Lightning

The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present the one-night-only Sedona premiere of “Old Man Lightning” on Friday, July 31 at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre.

Meet the filmmaker! Director Dawn Kish will be in Sedona to host the film and do a live Q&A discussion after both screenings.

“Old Man Lightning” may be the best climbing, comedy, comeback film ever made, with a conservation twist. The film won the Best Climbing Film Award at the Banff International Film Festival and Bilbao Mendi Spain.

Cranky, yet witty bouldering legend John “Verm” Sherman has lost his mojo and is jonesing to regain it. What better way than to climb the world’s most famous boulder problem, Yosemite’s iconic Midnight Lightning? He climbed it 25 years ago, but since then the climb has gotten harder and Verm’s gotten softer due to beerlust and a third-degree burning passion for bird photography.

Standing in his way is his age (57), weight (200 lbs), dozens of injuries, and myriad health issues. Nevertheless, he’s stubborn and determined. Verm needs to save condors from extinction, and if leveraging his climbing celebrity will help, he’ll stop at nothing. Verm enlists the assistance of Ryan “Meatball” Whited, a cheerfully sadistic personal trainer and musculoskeletal guru. A 6-month mission to whip Verm back into shape ensues, leading to a final confrontation with bouldering’s “Problem of Problems”.

What could possibly go wrong in this comedic climbing comeback film?

“I loved it. In my wildest dreams, I could never have imagined a climbing film inspired by ‘Monty Python’ and ‘Rocky’. This movie made me laugh out loud, but it also managed to be a poignant comeback story with the power to resonate with climbers and non-climbers alike.” — Maya Silver, Editor-in-Chief, Climbing Magazine

Both screenings will feature a Q&A with the film’s director, Dawn Kish. She is photographer and filmmaker, who connects art, adventure and advocacy. Kish received her first camera at the tender age of 17 and grew up in Flagstaff. Her passion for storytelling has led her to transform her captivating photographs into immersive films that have screened at The Banff Film Festival and Mountainfilm Telluride. Kish’s works have been commissioned by esteemed clients such as Audubon, National Geographic and Patagonia.

“Old Man Lightning” will be shown at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre on Friday, July 31 at 4:00 and 7:00 p.m.

Tickets are $12, or $9 for Film Festival members. For tickets and more information, please call 928-282-1177. Both the theatre and film festival office are located at 2030 W. Hwy. 89A, in West Sedona.