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JIMMY CHIN AND CHAI VASARHELYI TO SPEAK AT THE U


Visit from Academy Award-Winning Directors of "Free Solo" Highlights MUSE Theme Year

 

Photo credit: Chris Figenshau

The University of Utah MUSE Project is pleased to welcome Jimmy Chin and Chai Vasarhelyi to campus on January 23, 2020, to keynote the MUSE theme year on Vision. Chin and Vasarhelyi, the Academy Award-winning directors of “Free Solo,” will discuss their dedication to their individual life paths and their collaborative successes in film and photography.  

Each year, MUSE chooses a theme as the basis for its educational work. As part of the 2019-20 theme year on Vision, MUSE will host a series of lunchtime lectures, student gatherings, and evenings out with faculty designed to encourage students to engage in reflection and build community.

For more information about MUSE, please visit www.muse.utah.edu.

Event & Ticket Information


THURSDAY, JAN. 23, 2020   |  12:15 PM

Doors open at 11:15 AM. Guests should be seated by 12:00 PM.

KINGSBURY HALL
1395 PRESIDENTS CIRCLE
SALT LAKE CITY, UT  84112

 

STUDENT TICKETS: TUESDAY, JAN. 7 AT 10 AM

Exclusive early access in-person at the box office only
Free with student ID – limit one ticket per person

In-Person Only

GENERAL PUBLIC: FRIDAY, JAN. 10 AT 10 AM

In-person at the box office and online
Free – limit two tickets per person

Get Tickets

About Jimmy Chin and Chai Vasarhelyi


Photo credit: Chris Figenshau

Jimmy Chin is a photographer, filmmaker, and mountain sports athlete known for his ability to capture extraordinary imagery while climbing and skiing in extremely high-risk environments. A longtime member of The North Face Athlete Team, he has joined dozens of exploratory expeditions and completed first ascents around the globe, working with the best adventure athletes in the world. Jimmy’s award-winning photos have appeared on the cover of National Geographic and The New York Times Magazine, among others, and he has directed commercial film projects for a diverse range of clients including Apple, Chase, Pirelli, Red Bull, The North Face, and RSA Films. As a filmmaker, his years of experience in the adventure and extreme sports world enables him to bring an authentic and unique perspective to his storytelling. His 2015 film “Meru,” which he co-directed with his wife, filmmaker Chai Vasarhelyi, won the coveted Audience Documentary Award at the Sundance Film Festival and was on the 2016 Oscar shortlist for Best Documentary. In 2019, he and Vasarhelyi won an Oscar for their directorial effort of “Free Solo,” which captures Alex Honnold’s historic ropes-free climb of El Capitan in Yosemite Natoinal Park.

Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi co-directed and produced the Academy Award-winning documentary “Free Solo” from National Geographic Documentary Films. Vasarhelyi’s other films as a director include “Meru” (Oscars Shortlist 2016; Sundance Audience Award 2015); “Incorruptible” (Truer Than Fiction Independent Spirit Award 2016); “Youssou N’Dour: I Bring What I Love” (Oscilloscope Films, 2009), which premiered at the Telluride and Toronto Film Festivals; “A Normal Life” (Tribeca Film Festival, Best Documentary 2003); and “Touba” (SXSW, Special Jury Prize Best Cinematography 2013). Vasarhelyi has directed a New York Times Op Doc, an episode for Netflix’s nonfiction design series “Abstract,” and two episodes for ESPN’s new nonfiction series “Enhanced.” She has received grants from the Sundance Institute, the Ford Foundation, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Bertha Britdoc, the William and Mary Greve Foundation, and the National Endowment of the Arts. She is a member of the DGA as well as AMPAS. Married to Jimmy Chin since 2013, Vasarhelyi holds a B.A. in comparative literature from Princeton University and lives in New York City.

Q&A Submission


TO PARTICIPATE IN THE Q&A WITH JIMMY CHIN AND CHAI VASARHELYI, PLEASE ENTER YOUR QUESTION BELOW BY
FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2020.

Limit one question per submission.

(This form no longer exists)

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For more information about this event, please view the full release in @TheU.

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Last Updated: 11/3/22