Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi won best documentary at the Bafta Film Awards in 2019 for Free Solo, in which US rock climber Alex Honnold sets out to become the first person to free solo (climbing alone, with no ropes) the vertiginous heights of El Capitan, in Yosemite National Park.
The US filmmakers have since made Bafta-nominated documentary The Rescue and narrative feature Nyad. They are in contention for awards again with their latest film Love+War, which follows photojournalist Lynsey Addario as she captures images of the Ukraine war, and examines her Pulitzer prize-winning career.
How did you feel when your name was called that night?
Jimmy Chin: My jaw was on the floor.
Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi: Free Solo hadn’t won any of the guild awards. There’s something very special about the Baftas. That room is so intimate and there’s royalty in the room. I was a little off-kilter because when we were walking in, the press were going nuts: “Michelle, Michelle!” They thought I was Michelle Yeoh.
What do you remember from giving your speech?
Chin: I was really moved that the film had been so well-received. It validated this idea that the film had universal truths. As a filmmaker, you want to reach beyond national boundaries, cultural boundaries, across belief systems.
Vasarhelyi: It was very sincere. I think it speaks to being mistaken for Michelle Yeoh on the way in that I was like, “A big thank you to National Geographic for empowering different types of voices, like ours.” Being inclusive only makes the storytelling more interesting and more reflective of the world we live in.
Where did you go that night after your win?
Vasarhelyi: We went to the official Bafta party, which was very beautiful, then we ended up at the Chiltern Firehouse. I remember hanging out with Chris Miller and Phil Lord.
Chin: Chiltern Firehouse was fun. I’d never seen Alex dance before, and nor had I suspected that he would ever dance.
Did you get to know your fellow nominees on the awards circuit?
Vasarhelyi: We became close friends with the directors of RBG, Betsy West and Julie Cohen. We’ve always been good friends with Morgan Neville, who had directed Won’t You Be My Neighbor?. There were a few people who became my safe islands. One of them was Bradley Cooper.
Chin: Bradley was a big fan of the film.
Vasarhelyi: Everywhere we went with Free Solo, the Marvel stars came out. Andrew Garfield wanted to go climbing with Jimmy and Alex in London. Climbing with Spider-Man! Brie Larson was around. Jake Gyllenhaal. Jason Momoa [Aquaman in the DC Extended Universe] is a real climber. My kids know him as Uncle Jason. To this day, they think we won the Oscar because Uncle Jason gave it to us [Momoa presented the 2019 documentary feature award].
What did you do the next day?
Chin: Press. I remember I was a little rough in the morning. We were in a fifth-floor room and Alex opened a window and climbed out and traversed over to the roof of this other building, where he did an interview on his phone.
What are your tips on awards season survival?
Chin: Set some boundaries. I need three hours a day at the climbing gym. Give me that space, I can go for a long time. But if I don’t get it, I won’t last two days.
Vasarhelyi: One for them, one for you. I’m in Amsterdam right now [attending IDFA] and I’ll go to the Rijksmuseum to visit the Rembrandts. I’ll also see friends.
How would you assess the impact on your career?
Chin: That validation and recognition of the work gives you a seat at the table.
Vasarhelyi: Access becomes much easier. They might not even know me but they’ll take the call.
Where did you keep your award at first, and where do you keep it now?
Chin: At the time, my Bafta was in a makeshift office in the garage. I hope that doesn’t sound disrespectful, but the house was small and I was in the process of tearing it down and building on it. Now it’s in my screening room.
Vasarhelyi: I keep my awards in our pantry, next to the pee-wee soccer tournament award or the junior squash award. All the family’s awards are together. You forget the power of that statue. The moment people come in, they’re like, “Can I hold it?”
How do you keep your Bafta clean?
Chin: Am I supposed to clean it?
Vasarhelyi: We dust them. But I guess they could be shined.
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