The Long Hope

Director: Paul Diffley 2011 UK 55 minutes
Showing: Saturday 11th February 2012
Location: Centennial Theatre

Tickets $18 online / $20 doors   Buy Tickets Here

The story of the hardest sea cliff climb in the world, The Longhope Route Direct.

St John’s Head on the island of Hoy is a wild and remote 1000-foot sea cliff. It was first climbed in 1970 by climber and poet Edwin Drummond. Drummond, together with Oliver Hill, took 7 days to climb the cliff, sleeping on ledges and in hammocks on the way.

Now, 40 years later, Scotland's top climber, Dave MacLeod, sets out to climb the cliff in a single day, finishing with a new desperately hard final pitch up the headwall. This new route will rate as the hardest climb of its type in the country.

MacLeod’s historic new climb is captured close-up with the latest HD cameras and contrasted with the challenge of Drummond’s first ascent though interviews and archive material.

The film also follows Ed Drummond, now in his sixties and suffering from Parkinson's disease, as he makes a pilgrimage back to St John's Head to look upon the route one last time.

Director Bio:

Paul is an award winning adventure film maker, based in Edinburgh, Scotland. As well as creating his own productions under his Hot Aches label, Paul also works as a freelance cameraman, director and editor for the broadcast industry. Skilled in observational documentary techniques and an experienced interviewer, Paul puts his subjects at ease and allows the story in question to reveal itself. Many of his productions have won awards at national and international film festivals, appealing to both judges and audiences alike. His rock climbing DVDs continue to sell worldwide. Among the adventure sports Paul has filmed are rock climbing, ice climbing, competitive kayaking, sea kayaking, fell running, mountaineering, cross-country and downhill mountain biking, kite surfing, yacht racing, skiing and snowboarding. Aside from his professional interest in adventure sports as a film maker, Paul is a lifelong rock climber and general outdoor enthusiast with a love of mountain environments and a passion to portray their special qualities through the medium of film.