American climbing nuts will know who this guy is, but the rest of us? We are so proud to showcase the second film from ATFF regular, Seattle auteur, Jason Reid. Jason was part of the very first festival 8 years ago with Man Zou a timely work about cycling across China.
There is so much to enjoy with Dirtbag but first and foremost, this is the first ‘climbing’ film that this festival has ever screened. Other festivals exist Europe-wide to cater to that market but with Dirtbag we felt that we had found a film that celebrated ‘the outsider’. This amazing film is packed with stunning archive stills and footage chronicling the life of someone who really was a maverick. Actually, a man so dedicated to his art (mountaineering) that it pretty much cost him everything. A really important story to spark a dining hall conversation about ‘when is enough enough?’
Photos: Eric Bjornstad, Lin Ottinger, Dave O’Leske
