Told through the eyes of a 6-year-old climber who goes by the name of Brave Girl, this documentary captures the experience of climbing a new mountain for the first time. Brave Girl is embarking on the longest hike of her life, accompanied by her mentor and grandpa, 66-year-old Grandpa Gary. In early spring, the pair sets out into the high desert of Southwest Wyoming with the goal of summiting an isolated sandstone chimney. In order to make it to the top, the team has to overcome the unpredictable early-season elements, a grueling approach, and technical route finding as they attempt to make the first documented ascent of this unnamed peak in Wyoming.
As Brave Girl’s mountains are getting taller and Grandpa Gary’s mountains are getting smaller, we see the two adventurers at a moment in time when they are the perfectly-matched mountain climbing duo.
This film was part of VIMFF 2023 and is no longer available for viewing.
Mark Pedri is an expedition-based documentary filmmaker and writer from Southwestern Wyoming where he tells stories from off the beaten path. Mark founded Burning Torch Productions in 2011 to focus on character-driven stories from the backcountry and backroads of the world. His films have played at international festivals, on national PBS, and in screening tours around the world. Prior to making films full-time, Mark managed the Episodic Storytelling program at Sundance Institute. Mark has an MFA in Producing from the University of Southern California and an MA in Communication and Journalism from the University of Wyoming. For his most recent film he cycled across Germany to retrace the route of his grandfather who was a Prisoner of War in WWII.
