‘Japan is the place that formed me, Scotland is the place that opened my eyes. ‘
In this session we will join climbers Masa Sakano, Greg Boswell and Ryan Balharry for a panel discussion, hosted by Rachael Crewsmith, all about about climbing adventures in Scotland, before watching the new film, Masa: 居場所 (The Place Where I Am).
In the film Masa, we root ourselves in exploring the concepts of home and belonging – and what those mean to Masa Sakano. Blending together Scottish and Japanese landscape, culture and language, the film will take us from the icy crags of the Scottish mountains to Masa‘s home in the shadow of the Cairngorms, back to his roots and family connections in rural Japan.
Following the screening, there will be a Q&A with filmmaker Rachel Sarah, taking a look behind the scenes of making the film.
Supported by Ellis Brigham & Rab
Rachael Crewesmith
Rachael works full time in the mountains. She teaches climbing, mountaineering and mountain biking but her first love is winter climbing. She worked as part of the safety team on ‘Masa’.
Masa Sakano
Masa is a climber and translator based in the Scottish Highlands. Originally from Japan, Masa was drawn to Scotland by the winter climbing and the climbing culture. Having climbed around the world, Masa has been part of historic first ascents as well as being passionate about the experience of being out in the landscape.
Ryan Balharry
Ryan is a Scottish adventure photographer and filmmaker specializing in capturing images in challenging conditions and remote locations from the cliffs of St Kilda to El Capitan in Yosemite. Ryan is also a passionate trad and winter climber, spending his time outside of work climbing the crags himself, seeking adventure, fun lines and beginning his journey into
Greg Boswell
Greg is a professional mixed and ice climber based in Scotland. He is best known for opening new winter routes around the globe, but his heart and passion always lies in the Scottish mountains. Whether it’s summer or winter, you can usually find him wandering the hills searching for unclimbed lines and soaking up the Scottish magic along the way.
Rachel Sarah
Rachel is an adventure and environmental filmmaker, with a love for tying together human stories with landscapes and wildlife based in the Scottish Highlands. She thrives on narrative-lead documentary work, and commercial campaigns centred on stories with real meaning.