She Made Her First Film at 65: Now Melissa Davey's Documentary "Climbing Into Life" is Award Winning

Few of us would dare attempt to become a filmmaker at 65, but that is exactly what Melissa Davey did when she retired from corporate life. Her second documentary, "Climbing Into Life" profiles Dierdre Wolownick, the oldest woman to climb Yosemite’s El Capitan. Wolownick was guided through the climbing process by her son, Alex Honnold, famous for his free solo climb up El Capitan. Melissa recounts how she discovered Wolownick’s story, the process of producing and directing the film herself, and the challenges and successes of navigating the film festival circuit, where the movie has won multiple awards. She speaks about her growth as a filmmaker, her current projects, and offers advice and encouragement to other potential midlife creatives.

Topics Covered in the Podcast:

How Davey discovered the story via a Facebook post
-The film's title reflects Wolownick's personal journey of breaking free from a conservative upbringing and discovering her full potential later in life.
Her growing confidence as a filmmaker, as she produced and directed this film independently
How she applied and was accepted into 19 film festivals. She has won 10 awards, a surprising success in the competitive festival circuit.
Where she goes from here: mentoring a friend on his first documentary and creating a film for a domestic violence center to mark its 50th anniversary.
How her new creative life keeps her energized, motivated, and happy
Her advice to listeners interested in a midlife creative endeavor: just start and don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Interviewee Background: Melissa Davey is a filmmaker who transitioned from the corporate world to a creative career later in life. At age 65, after a day on the set with a famous Director, she decided to take a risk and left her career to jump into the unknown. Pursuing her dream of becoming a filmmaker became a reality in late 2018 when Melissa completed her first film, Beyond Sixty, a feature-length documentary about women over the age of sixty. During 2019 Melissa’s film was accepted by and screened at 8 film festivals throughout the United States and Canada, winning awards and confirming that it is never too late to learn something new.

Beyond Sixty is currently available on most streaming platforms (Apple TV, Prime Video, Vimeo, Vudu, Google TV, YouTubeTV) including international airlines, Library streaming as well as Cable OnDemand.

Melissa’s second documentary, Climbing into Life, is the story of Dierdre Wolownick who is the mother of Alex Honnold (Free Solo). The film has been accepted into nineteen film festivals so far and has won numerous awards.