03 May Mountainfilm 2016: World Premiere, “Frost: The Story of a Lifetime!”
Based in Telluride, Mountainfilm announced $60,000 in Commitment Grants for 25 film projects this year. Tom Seawell’s “Frost: The Story of a Lifetime” was among the winners. The doc, entirely shot in black-and-white, is a great story of a very colorful man – and yes, another fine example of indomitable spirit.
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And scroll down to listen to a podcast with “Frost” director Tom Seawell.
Given Mountainfilm’s deep roots in climbing culture — the nonprofit was literally founded by climbers Royal Robbins, Lito Tejada-Flores, Bob Craig, and Bill Kees, along with help from Yvon Chouinard — the list of Big Mountain luminaries who have appeared or been honored over Memorial Weekend reads like a Who’s Who of the sport across generations.
“Telluride Mountainfilm has always held a special place in my heart. The first films I ever made played at this festival. It is a crucible for storytelling talent from the past, present and, most importantly, the future… I met many of my mentors at Mountainfilm. All of them have had a major impact on my life,” said climber/fimmaker Jimmy Chin.
Summing up, Mountainfilm has not just featured climbers — it was, as mentioned, built by them, and the climbing world has remained its spiritual core for nearly five decades.
So it is altogether fitting and proper to welcome another name to the list of climbing luminaries, Tom Frost, honored in a film titled “Frost: The Story of a Lifetime.” The doc was directed by Tom Seawell, a 2025 Commitment Grant winner.
Craig Yahata, Post Producer / Tom Seawell, Director / Jeff Wiant, Editor (Last Day of Post Production)
Tom Seawell, Tom Frost, Jeff Wiant – Yosemite Valley.
Flatlander Films LLC – Craig Flax, Tom Seawell, Jeff Wiant
For two decades, Tom worked as a photographer with Tom Frost, co-founder of the game-changing Chimera Lighting Equipment. Having heard only piecemeal stories from others about Frost’s history, Tom began what became a 15-year journey to create an autobiographical documentary about Tom Frost and the Golden Age of Climbing.
The film features Frost alongside legendary figures including Yvon Chouinard, Royal Robbins, Doug Robinson, Conrad Anker, Lynn Hill, Tommy Caldwell, Alex Honnold, Kai Lightner, and Kevin Jorgenson.
Which means the entire cast of “Frost: The Story of a Lifetime’s” is essentially drawn from the Mountainfilm’s extended family — people who have walked those Telluride streets, spoken from local stages, and, in some cases, helped build the institution itself.
Bottom line: Tom Seawell did not just make a climbing doc for Mountainfilm. He made a film about Mountainfilm’s people.
Tom’s Flatlander Films is a San Francisco-based independent documentary production company, founded by him and creative director/editor Jeff Wiant, both alumni of the Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara. Producer Craig Flax joined in 2014.
To learn more, check out our conversation with Tom Seawell.
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