PRESS KIT
INNER WALLS
Au pied du mur
a film by Alexandra Elkin
Documentary | 74 minutes | 2025
Specs
Language: French with English ST
filming: 4k - color
ratio scope | 5.1 sound
DCP - ProRes - H264
filming country: Canada (Quebec)
country of action: Canada (Quebec)
#climbing #yosemite #generation #limits #self-improvement
Logline
From Red Rock Canyon to Yosemite, filmmaker Alexandra Elkin accompanies two exceptional climbers on a dizzying adventure where fear, self-improvement, and a passion for climbing meet at the summit, revealing that courage has no age.
Short Synopsis
From Red Rock Canyon to Yosemite, director Alexandra Elkin follows two septuagenarian climbers, Jack Lambert and Dierdre Wolownick, as they push the boundaries of age in the extreme sport of rock climbing. Between dizzying ascents and inner journeys, "The Wall" is an inspiring human adventure, where fear becomes the driving force, and where each summit reached redefines the very notion of limits.
Long Synopsis
From the arid region of Red Rock Canyon to the impressive summit of Yosemite, filmmaker Alexandra Elkin embarks on an adventure as physical as it is introspective, where each ascent pushes her to reconsider her limits. At her side, two exceptional climbers, Jack Lambert and Dierdre Wolownick, passionate septuagenarians, pave the way and prove that it is always possible to push one's limits in the practice of an extreme sport.
Driven by radically different philosophies and life paths, these inspiring mentors show that age is not a barrier, but a new starting point. At 71, Dierdre, mother of the legendary Alex Honnold, became the oldest woman to climb El Capitan. At 73, Jack seeks to pass on his experience to the next generation.
For Alexandra, this encounter will be a catalyst: confronting her fears, she discovers what it truly means to step outside her comfort zone. Thus, from dream to reality, her group of young climbers unexpectedly find themselves in the big leagues.
Cast
Alexandra Elkin, Dierdre Wolownick, Alex Honnold, Jack Lambert, Sandrine Daoust, Amélie Leclerc, Xavier Boisvert, Frédérick Breton
FESTIVALS: Awards and official selections
26th Outaouais Film Festival - Gatineau, Canada / April 2025
29th Fantasia International Film Festival - Montreal, Canada / July 2025 - Silver Audience Award - Best Québec Feature
8th Montana International Film Festival - Billings, Montana, USA / September 2025
10th Ulsan Ulju Mountain Film Festival - Ulsan, South Korea / September 2025
DIRECTOR - BIO
After twelve years of work as a machinist on film sets,
Alexandra Elkin, 34, is embarking on the production of her first feature film.
documentary Au Pied du Mur. She graduated in 2013 from Concordia University
in Montreal in film studies and art history
DIRECTOR'S WORD
In my first feature-length documentary, Inner Walls, I aimed to tell an emotional and vertical odyssey. The film follows my own journey as I take on a major challenge with a group of fellow amateur climbers: to ascend El Capitan, the legendary wall in California’s Yosemite National Park, typically reserved for the world’s climbing elite.
In this bold adventure, our group is guided by two exceptional mentors: Dierdre Wolownick, the oldest woman to have ascended El Capitan and mother of renowned climber Alex Honnold (Free Solo), and Jack Lambert, a seasoned 75-year-old climber.
Inner Walls explores the concept of limits: recognizing them, confronting them, redefining them, and sometimes accepting them. Through breathtaking images and deeply human stories, the film encourages viewers to pursue their most ambitious dreams. Each character faces their own challenges, whether related to age, skill, or fear, showing that it’s possible to grow older with both grace and boldness. I truly believe that the majesty of Yosemite and the power of this ascent deserve to be experienced on the big screen.
With Inner Walls, my hope is that each viewer will feel inspired to listen to their inner voice and reach their own summits, whatever they may be.
Enjoy the film!
Director's filmography
First film
PRODUCER - BIO
Producer Serge Desrosiers is behind the documentaries Mon Oncle Patof (2021), Amour Cougar (2017), and Lise Watier: Une Vie à entreprendre (2014), as well as Renée Beaulieu's film Habiter la Maison (2024). As a cinematographer, he has been a leading figure in the Quebec film industry for 30 years. He frequently lectures, notably at the American Film Market Association and Ciné-Québec. He has served on the boards of the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television and the Canadian Society of Cinematographers.
Producer's filmography
LES CHRYSALIDES, feature documentary, in production, 2026
LE PETIT BRÛLÉ, feature documentary, in post-production, 2026
TIGHT LETTUCE, feature film, in post-production, 2026
HERBY, feature documentary, in post-production, 2025
UNE DERNIÈRE CICATRICE, feature documentary, 2025
AU PIED DU MUR, feature documentary, 2025
MARCHE AU PAYS RÉEL, feature documentary, 2024
HABITER LA MAISON, feature film, 2024
PACIFIC BELL, short film, 2022
MERRY SWISSMAS, feature film, 2022
GRO$ LOT, short film, 2022
MON ONCLE PATOF, mid-length documentary, 2021
BICHE & LOUVE, short film, 2020
THE CROWN: A DAY IN THE LIFE OF ADRIANO GOLDMAN, mid-length documentary, 2020
ANGE & OVNI, short film, 2018
AMOUR COUGAR: BEYOND THE MYTH, mid-length documentary, 2017
12 SEMAINES, short film, 2016
LISE WATIER: A LIFE OF ENTERPRISE, feature documentary, 2015
Team
Directed by Alexandra Elkin
Screenplay - Alexandra Elkin and Étienne Plasse
Editing - Etienne Plasse
Production - Serge Desrosiers
Director of photography - Frédérick Breton and Serge Desrosiers csc
Musical composition - William Gendreau-Coronel
Sound - Jérôme Boiteau
Sound design and mixing - Jérôme Boiteau
