so we're back again in the green room here at the Look Out Wild Film Festival.

And we have Geneviev and Scott, the filmmakers behind Climb Malawi.

Thanks for coming by here.

Congratulations on the win, by the way.

Yeah.

How did you get connected to this film?

So this all started, when we were first connected with GCI, which is the Global Climbing initiative.

My friend Tyler, who is part of this team, reached out to myself and Mario Stanley, the other guy in the film, about running educational program over in Malawi.

Folks over at Climb Malawi.

Reached out to GCI and asked if they could get help with bolting and establishing new routes in and around Malawi and GCI came back and was like, how about instead we teach the folks of Climb Malawi how to bolt and establish routes?

And that's kind of how myself, Scott and Mario, started with this whole film.

so originally when we were going to go over to Clonmel or go over to Malawi, we were just kind of on a three week program, teaching folks everything from the basics of climbin all the way up to multi pitch, establishing routes, bolting, etc.

and really within the last week before leaving or flying out, Mario was like, how about we make a film?

Because I think the work that we're doing over there is amazing, and we really want to be able to highlight the folks of Climb Malawi and the work that they're doing with GCI to the world, and that's kind of how we created this film.

We really wanted to make it less about us and mor about the folks in Climb Malawi.

Sure.

And it seems like there's more I mean, there's more to the efforts of, you know, climbing in East Africa than it is just like this one project.

Like, how did how did y'all get connected to, you know, Malawi?

I mean, there were climbers from Kenya and from.

Oh, gosh, I'm not going to make the list.

But yeah.

So from all over, like, there's a lot going on, I guess, from, you know, trying to, encourage the climbing community.

How did how did that becom something that yall are into?

GCI is working with, small climbing communities around the world.

In the Philippines and Kenya and, India and I think in Brazil and some other places.

Just trying to lif up, these climbing communities.

They can, get mentorship they can get, they just kind of establish themselves in a wa that they are climbing safely.

Theyre building up leadership within their own communities and creating their own mentors.

And so, the they previously worked in Kenya, and that's where Liz came from.

Who was one of the guide that came down, to Malawi Yeah.

I feel like GCI is almost like the middleman, kind of like connecting folks like Scott, I and Mario to communities like in Malawi.

Like I said Climb Malawi really reached out to GCI and was like, for this, these are our goals.

This is what we need.

And GCI is like, well, let's figure out a way to make this so it can be self-sustainable.

We just want to go in, give you a couple of resources, leave, and we still need more from us.

We want to be able to give you the resources, and you can kind of grow and build your community on your own.

And then, like I said, that's how we all got connected to Malawi was really through GCI.

Because again, another another focus point of this whol project was really making sure that the folk that we're going to be teaching, the folks of Climb Malawi were also kind of within that same demographic space.

And, for Mari and I as climbing instructors, it's really important for us as folks of color to make sure that we can also be mentors for other folks of color in the outdoor spaces.

And I thought that this was like the perfect opportunity for us to share the skills that we've had and that we've develope and created over the last ten, 20 years, with folks who are either just getting started in climbing or the outdoor spaces and want to become mentors in their own space.

Yeah, that's I'm sorry.

Now, I have so many question and I'm going to try to in turn get to them.

But like when y'all were talking about with and talking with Mario about going and working, on this project, what made you want to tell this story through film?

I was I had wanted to g since I knew about the project with her, but, it wasn't confirmed that I was going to be able to get until about three weeks before.

And so it was a it was a little bit o a surprise in the last minute, packing everything and getting ready to go.

And like she said before, it wasn't until a week before that we're like, yes, let's do a film.

It was very much I was going there for GCI t capture and for their marketing and things like that.

And then it really shifted to let's make a film.

Yeah.

That really tells the story.

For all along, we really wanted to tell the story from the.

Malawans perspective, right?

And really focus on on the and that we are not going into, kind of take over or do anything that we're we're there to support them.

Right.

Yeah.

I mean, because it seems like it would be very simple for this kind of project to be like we're coming in, we're goin to, you know, bolt some routes.

We're going to, you know, say here's how you do it.

And then, you know, but like when you'r really, you know, coming in and, and I guess tutoring is the way in the sand and exposing, you know, young people to I mean, you know, you see young people all the time getting exposed to, climbing here.

And it's just, I mean, it's just taking it in other parts of the world.

You know just as any part of the world, there's like, young people just need to, you know, have that kin of boost to get to get into it.

I think something important that we went into the, into the projec with is a lot of the established climbing areas that are in third world countries.

Europeans, Americans, Canadians, whatever went in established roots and left and they made the areas, approachable for them, but didn't didn't make a space for the locals.

And, yeah, so many times you go to a climbing area in, in Lao or in, like, I don't know how it is in Argentina and things like that, but you go in going to these, climbing area and there's no locals that climb as it's you're just there with Europeans and Americans and, and it's really like, as someone who traveled a lot before I started traveling to climb, really go on to, learn cultures living in in Uganda and India and, like, just really, absorbing those cultures.

It's really disheartenin going to a place and seeing no locals that are invited in, no locals that are interested in it, seemingly.

And so it was really important that we go in and like, they invited us to g and support them and help them grow their own community and make it so they're controlling th the space, they're controlling, the land usage and all that kind of stuff.

It's not just us foreigners going in and forcing our our vision on the thing.

Yeah, yeah.

Because I feel like we've seen similar trips and even films like this before where a climber or a group goes into a new place, a new area and they're like, hey, I think this is what this community needs without actually listening to what they need.

And does a bunch of community work, whatever you want to call it, leaves.

And then there's still like disconnect with the locals, with that community that you're putting the work into.

And we really want this trip, this film, this whole program to be so different.

We really want it to be about the local community and making sure we listen t what they need and help provide the resources that they need to reach their goals.

I can give you my personal or my professional opinion about things, but at the end of the day, like I'm here to support you, you tell me what you need and I'll give you that.

But instead of me going in and being like, this is what you need.

And like Scott was saying, piggybacking off of him.

Yeah.

Traveling to climbin destinations all over the world.

It is so disheartening to se these areas not run by locals.

You don't see a lot of local restaurants a lot of local accommodations.

You don't see the money that climbing tourism, you know, provides being recirculated back in that local community and helping them build up to be to be better.

So really Climb Malawi, you know, is recognizing that climbing is becoming more mainstream.

There's a lot of touris that's centered around climbing, and they really want to make sure they're like that first 2 or 3 steps ahead and so that they can kind of take over or kind of, control that space and not feel like, you know, foreigners are coming in and benefiting from that.

We really just want to see that money was being recirculated back in the community.

Yeah.

to m it seems like a lot of the films that we're seeing at this festival, are kind of telling a story of building community around an outdoor activity.

And this is obviously no different.

So, I don't know, was that a thing that you were intentionally trying to do was show this, like, what was what building of this community, of, you know, y'all kind of just being a catalys to building the community around what also is the catalyst of climbing, for me, climbing is community.

And and having traveled quite a bit, living in India, my people were the climbers in Mumbai.

And I went out of my way to find the climbers, and we traveled around India together.

Whenever we moved to a new state.

And you move, you, you go and search out the climbers and you know, you find your people and wit with sport, with cycling, with, runners, apparently, it's, you know we as humans need that community and, and, shared interests is such an important one.

And it's amazing in you talk about in the film that, you know, we land in East Africa and immediately connect with the, these people that we just immediately have an amazing connection.

And, and then just seeing their love for each other within that community is amazing.

Yeah.

It feels like afte talking to everybody over there, you know, when we ask, like what does climbing mean to you?

There wasn't a lot of talk around like, you know, this is a great way to get fit or, you know, to get strong.

It was always aroun community and around friendships and how this is a way for me to connect with other folks.

This is a way for me to be around other folks that are not in Malawi.

Like, and I love that.

And I feel like as climbers and as athletes, sometimes we lose sight of that, you know, and we get so goal oriented.

So it was really nice to be able to highlight, you know, what climbing really means to climb Malawi and really to all of us.

I mean, I feel like a lot of us get into any outdoor sport in the beginning.

Maybe part of it is goal oriented, bu really it's to build community and to meet other folk that are doing similar things.

So I really hope we were able to, kind of show that through the film.

Why do y'all think that the, the outdoors are a great subject for filmmaking, for storytelling through you know, visual storytelling?

The outdoors feeds us.

It feeds are, our need to breathe to have space to, and for me, the need for adventure, the need to, have something other than the doldrum of everyday life.

And and you sense we as, society or not.

Like, having to scavenge for our food and and fight off the wolves.

We, we need those kinds o spaces to feel alive, I think.

And, you know just the beauty of the outdoors lends itself to filmmaking, but also the stories that go along with it, and, and watching how people find themselves, grow, get, get past fears, all that kind of stuff is really powerful stories.

Yeah.

The outdoors is so healing.

I just feel like th the beauty that nature creates, you can't create that, you know?

And even though.

I'm not as much as a filmmaker as Scot is, I just feel like I connect and resonate a lot with outdoor films because of that beauty.

Right?

Because of that creative creativit like I said that nature has that we just you can't you can't find that in the modern world.

And even like listening to some of the or watching some of the films and talking about how just being in natur kind of slows you down and helps you become more present.

Yeah.

I just feel like in our every day to day, you know, we all kind of need that.

And being abl to make the outdoors accessible for everybody is so important, because I think everybody, should have that experience and doesn't have to mean that you have to like kind of fourteeners or climb Denali or ski some crazy slope.

It can really just be like seeing the beauty of your local park, you know?

So I think all of that is really important.

Well, me neither.

yeah.

Well, congratulations on your win.

First time out.

So but what do y'all have coming up next?

Oh, well that is a very deep question.

Yeah I know what's coming up next for me is actually we are working on a second film for Climb Malawi.

So we this film, this trip happened about two years ago.

And Mario Stanley, actually went back last year, to continue the work that we're doing because this work, we'r trying to have a five year plan.

We don't want to just let go and never come back.

So we actually got to work with a few folks, that were featured in our first film.

On this second film, they actually more of the the filmmakers of this film, which is really cool to see.

So that should be coming out hopefully by an end of this year.

And then we're hoping tha we can do another trip this year and just kind of keep building on the work that we've been doing.

And Mario's with the I mean, he goe every time that y'all are going.

So far, yeah, yeah, it really just comes down, like I said to the funding, everything is donation based right now, so and flying over there is expensive.

So hopefully we can keep getting more of that.

Very cool.

Yeah.

Congratulations agai and thank y'all for stopping by.

Thank you so much for having us.

Thank you for having.