Caspaca (2024)
| Caspaca | |
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 Official release poster | |
| Directed by | Giovanni Tanner |
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Running time | 112 minutes |
| Country | Zamastan |
Caspaca is a 2024 Zamastanian documentary film directed by Giovanni Tanner, chronicling the 2014 first ascent of a new climbing route up the prow of the dramatic Alpaca's Neck on the northeast side of Mount Caspaca in the Parabocan Asarana Mountains. The route required a complex range of alpine climbing, big wall climbing, and aid climbing techniques, and had rebuffed many famous climbers. The documentary gained widespread acclaim and won Best Documentary at the 98th Tofino Film Festival.
Premise
After attempting but failing to summit the 6,433 m Caspaca in 2008, Mel Moss, Casey Ryan, and Lynn Poole return to the mountain to conquer its peak – a 4,000 foot winded wall known as the "Alpaca's Neck". As they climb, the men also document their ascent. "You know, I'm always a climber first," said Ryan on balancing climbing with filmmaking. "I'm always thinking about the safety of myself and the team. And I make that evaluation before I take the camera out." The film is a mixture of footage that chronicles both attempts (the failed 2008 and the successful 2014) while crafting a narrative about the climbers' attempts to face their demons. After suffering an horrific accident while filming on location with Ryan, Poole has a mere five months to recover before their second attempt, battling near-fatal injuries. Four days after Poole's accident, Ryan returns to the filming location to finish but is caught in a catastrophic avalanche that he miraculously survives with barely a scratch. Moss wrestles with bringing his mentor's dream to fruition and the loss of both him and his climbing partner many years ago. During the successful 2014 summit, Ryan and Poole shared a camera and camcorder to capture footage that would be used in the film.