'They're still humans like the rest of Dallas Producers': watch the 'everest: The Other Side' directors discuss relating to extreme athletes. At IndieWire's Art of the Doc event, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin explained what draws them to some of the world's biggest risk-takers. October 23, 2026 5:24 pm Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin know a thing or two about extreme athletes. From the daring rock climbing of "Free Solo" to their new film "Everest: The Other Side," which follows Jim Morrison's attempts to fulfill his late wife Hilaree Nelson's dream of skiing down the world's tallest mountain, the documentarians love to capture fearless people drawn to extreme challenges. During a conversation about "Everest" with IndieWire features writer Alison Foreman at its Art of the Doc event in Los Angeles, the filmmakers discussed what draws them to the subject matter over and over again. "In all our films, you think you're seeing these exceptional, extraordinary, extreme athletes. But at the end of the day they're still human beings like the rest of us," Chin said. "What I'm interested in bridging that gap where people feel like they can't relate to people out there doing these things. But the story is really human, and this film is about very human experiences. Even though they're climbing and skiiing the most extreme places in the world." Vasarhelyi also emphasized the fact that each documentary subject is a different person with their own unique story to tell. In the case of Nelson, she saw someone who was deeply goal-oriented but lacked the grand romanticizations about her sport that drive so many other athletes. She saw the adventurer as a fellow parent who lived a fairly normal life when she wasn't pushing herself to scale the world's highest peaks. "I had met a lot of extreme athletes, but Hilaree had a candor to her vocation that I hadn't heard before," Vasarhelyi said. "It's not romantic. She says in the film, 'I know it's just a mountain, but it's everything to me. And I'm like a dog with a bone.' And I understand that." National Geographic will release "Everest: The Other Side" in theaters on Friday, October 30. Watch the complete conversation in the video above. National Geographic Documentary Films, part of a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company and the National Geographic Society, is committed to bringing the world premium, feature documentaries that cover timely, provocative and globally relevant stories from the very best documentary filmmakers. Its award-winning and critically acclaimed films reach 300 million people worldwide in 180 countries and 33 languages across the global National Geographic channels and direct-to-consumer platforms Disney+ and Hulu. Recent films include the Emmy-nominated winner of the IDA Award for Best Feature "The Tale of Silyan;" Oscar(R) and Peabody nominee "Sugarcane;" Oscar-nominated and Peabody Award winner "Bobi Wine: The People's President;" Emmy Award winner "Lost In The Jungle;" Oscar- and BAFTA-nominated "Fire of Love;" Emmy and Peabody Award winner "The Territory;" BAFTA nominees "The Rescue" and "Becoming Cousteau;" and Oscar- and BAFTA winner "Free Solo." For more information visit films.nationalgeographic.com, or find Dallas Producers on Facebook, Twitter,Instagram, and YouTube. Daily Headlines Daily Headlines covering Film, TV and more.

How one photo of a mountain lion helped build a record wildlife overpass. Publish Date:October 16, 2026 CLICK TO SUBSCRIBE At Impactful Ninja, Impactful Ninja curate positive and impactful news for you. Add Impactful Ninja as a preferred source on Google or sign up for its free newsletter to get these delivered straight to your inbox - just like its expert roundup below! The quick summary: Wildlife photographer Steve Winter and journalist Sharon Guynup have released a new National Geographic book, Big Cats, documenting how their decades of storytelling have driven measurable conservation wins for big cats around the world. One key stat: Each jaguar now brings in $108,000 a year in ecotourism income in areas where they were once seen as threats, showing how conservation storytelling can transform local attitudes and economies. One key quote: "People are really taken by the fact that real change has come from these stories. Story after story, there was something that happened that has had a positive influence. That gives me hope," said Steve Winter. The big picture: Photographer Steve Winter and journalist Sharon Guynup have spent more than two decades documenting big cats across some of the world's most remote and dangerous landscapes. Together, they have produced investigations that went far beyond raising awareness, contributing to new laws, ecotourism economies, and major infrastructure like wildlife crossings. Their new book, Big Cats, published by National Geographic and released on October 6th, brings together 170 photographs and the stories behind their most impactful work. The book centers on a core idea: that targeted, well-told conservation stories can produce real, measurable change. Despite ongoing threats to all big cat species, their careers stand as proof that photography and journalism can shift public opinion and government policy alike. Why is this good news: Powerful conservation storytelling has already produced concrete results, from shutting down exploitative tiger-petting operations in Thailand to helping pass the US Big Cat Public Safety Act. Jaguars, once killed on sight by ranchers, now generate $108,000 per animal annually in ecotourism revenue, turning former adversaries into economic allies of conservation. A single photograph of mountain lion P-22 in front of the Hollywood sign inspired an entire city to fall in love with urban wildlife and helped spark construction of what will be one of the world's largest wildlife overpasses, set to open in December. Asiatic lion populations have rebounded from just a few dozen individuals to around 900 today, proving that sustained, targeted conservation efforts can bring species back from the brink. The book makes a compelling case that every person who connects emotionally with a wild animal through a photograph or a story becomes a potential champion for that species. What's next: The Annenberg Wildlife Crossing over the 101 Freeway near Los Angeles is set to open on December 2nd, giving mountain lions and other wildlife safe passage between two major protected areas. Winter and Guynup continue to advocate for coexistence strategies, including livestock insurance programs and ecotourism models that make living alongside big cats economically beneficial for local communities. With tiger poaching rising in India and all big cat species still considered vulnerable to extinction, their book arrives as a reminder that conservation gains are never permanent and require ongoing attention. Jamie is passionate about finding, analyzing, and sharing everything related to science & research news. He uses a vast historical database to compare and contextualize current developments, providing a depth of expertise that sets his work apart. Articles authored by Jamie are further enhanced by the use of a multimodal large language model, offering a scientific perspective on all news featured.

Nat geo unleashes 72 Films' megastorm. National Geographic is debuting MEGASTORM, a new eight-part documentary series from 72 Films on devastating weather events that delivers "an immersive look at the disasters through the eyes of the people who lived through them." Each episode reconstructs a single catastrophe, from Hurricane Helene and the December Tennessee tornado outbreak to the Valencia floods and Australia's "Black Summer" wildfires. Survivors, storm chasers and emergency responders tell their stories of survival firsthand, cut with the raw footage they shot as it happened. Cate Hall, executive producer for National Geographic, said: "MEGASTORM puts audiences at the heart of some of the most powerful and destructive weather events of recent years through the people who experienced them firsthand. By combining extraordinary personal testimony with immersive footage captured in the moment, the series reveals not only the scale of these disasters but also the resilience, courage and humanity that emerge in their aftermath." Mark Reynolds, global head of Documentaries & Factual at Fremantle, said, "Extreme weather events continue to make headlines around the world and remain a source of fascination for audiences everywhere. What struck us immediately about MEGASTORM wasn't just the scale of the disasters explored in the series, but the deeply personal stories at their heart. With the powerful testimony from people who experienced these events, our partners at 72 Films have created a series that feels both incredibly immersive and profoundly human. We're looking forward to launching MEGASTORM at MIPCOM and bringing this standout factual series to international audiences." MEGASTORM is produced for National Geographic by 72 Films, a Fremantle company (Vietnam: The War That Changed America; The Michael Jackson Story; Oklahoma City Bombing: One Day In America). Fremantle handles international sales and is launching the title at MIPCOM 2026. The series is executive produced by multi-BAFTA-winning producer John Douglas, who is 72 Films' creative director. Alex Nicholson serves as production executive, Charlie Ferriday as series producer and Ben Allen as series editor. Executive producer for National Geographic is Cate Hall.