Beyond the Summit with Jimmy Chin

Join Vivid Sydney and Sydney Film Festival for an exclusive evening with Academy Award-winning filmmaker, National Geographic photographer and New York Times bestselling author Jimmy Chin.

His first appearance in Australia, this one-night-only event will be hosted by award-winning journalist Kumi Taguchi and will reflect on his remarkable journey. From elite mountain athlete and North Face team member to globally renowned documentarian and director. 

Best known for Free Solo—his Oscar-winning, Emmy- and BAFTA-decorated portrait of climber Alex Honnold—Jimmy has since directed The Rescue, chronicling the miraculous cave rescue in Northern Thailand, and his recent narrative debut Nyad, the story of Diana Nyad’s 110-mile ocean swim, which earned Academy Award, Golden Globe and SAG nominations for stars Annette Bening and Jodie Foster.

This in-depth conversation will explore Jimmy’s singular ability to capture the world’s most extreme environments through a deeply human lens. Hear how his experience as a climber, skier and adventurer informs the way he frames risk, resilience and awe on screen—and how his work challenges audiences to rethink their relationship with the natural world.

From summiting Everest with a camera in hand to crafting some of the most powerful adventure documentaries of our time, Jimmy Chin has spent his life scaling the literal and figurative peaks of human endurance.

This event promises to inspire anyone who has ever dreamed of reaching new peaks —whether to climb them, film them, or simply see the world differently.

This event is presented in partnership with Sydney Film Festival.