News release
“The Climb,” a 14-minute drama following a father and daughter carrying the weight of loss on a strenuous mountain hike, will have its world premiere Friday at 10 p.m. as part of the Oscar-qualifying LA Shorts International Film Festival in Los Angeles, according to a news release from the filmmaker.
The short film is a collaboration headed by California Institute of the Arts alum Shawnee Badger.
In the film, Sloan (Badger) and her dad, Caleb (Adam J. Harrington), are forced to confront a shared personal loss. Dad jokes clash with raw emotion, and old wounds surface. Approaching the summit, Sloan faces a choice: disappear further into the darkness of grief or keep moving forward.
The screening is to be held at the Laemmle NOHO, 5240 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood. Tickets ($19.99, which includes “The Climb” and eight other short films) can be purchased at lashortsfest.com.
As an acting and writing student at CalArts in Valencia, Badger brought the story of “The Climb” to Justin Hogan, head of production at CalArts. Badger’s story of loss, inspired by her own personal connection to grief, resonated with Hogan, who had lost his wife to cancer, the release said. The two began collaborating; making the film became an act of healing for them both.
Produced through a collaboration of CalArts students, alumni, faculty and professional filmmakers, “The Climb” transformed deeply personal loss into a film intended to reach anyone who has loved — and lost.
The film was shot in the Los Padres National Forest by cinematographer Angelo Garcia De la Garza with an original score by Karen Tanaka. The Climb stars Badger as Sloan, alongside Harrington, a British Academy of Film and Television Arts nominee, as her father, Caleb.
Harrington is a veteran actor known for his work as Congressman Murray in “Parks and Recreation,” over 60 episodes of “General Hospital” and his more nuanced work in series such as “Bosch,” “Countdown” and “Palm Royale.” In the gaming world, he earned a BAFTA nomination as Sindri in “God of War.”
“The Climb” was recognized among the top 10% of short film scripts by the PAGE International Screenwriting Awards.
The film has drawn early praise, the release said: ElizaBeth Taylor of The Knockturnal called the film, “funny, real and honest … [an] unflinching cast … towering performances mixed with glittering direction.”
Richard Propes of The Independent Critic wrote that he was “drawn to Badger’s performance … a relative newcomer whose work [on ‘The Climb’] promises more to come … and that of Harrington, who wisely committed to this project.”
Propes described Hogan’s direction as “disciplined yet also giving these characters room to breathe,” and De la Garza’s cinematography as “beautiful to behold and patiently observational,” with Tanaka’s original score accompanying the film “without ever dominating it or hitting a false note.”
LA Shorts International Film Festival is the longest-running short film festival in Los Angeles, celebrating its 30th year and runs from July 30 to Aug. 12.
