Wadi Rum

Synopsis

Set in the expansive landscape of Jordan’s distinctive national park, “Wadi Rum” documents the unlikely story of two Israeli climbers, an affable Bedouin Muslim, and a professional American climber as they work together to complete a climbing route up Wadi Rums’ largest rock formation. Three years ago, Israeli climbers Eliav (Eli) Nissan and Elad Omer began working on the ‘Sultan El-Mujahidin,’ in an effort to re-introduce this area back into the modern climbing community. In the final stage of this project, American-Climber Madaleine Sorkin arrives to help them finish the job. Led by Bedouin guide Mohammad Hussein, Eli, and Elad this film documents the creation of the ‘Sultan El-Mujahidin; interwoven into glimpses of daily Bedouin life. Emerging filmmaker Henna Taylor combines breathtaking imagery, meditative editing, and the relationships of these four unlikely friends into a profound documentary that reminds us that the imaginary walls we create can often prevent us from understanding a simple beauty that lays waiting just beyond. Shane McConkey Award - Wasatch Mountain Film 2018.