Filmmaker Interview: Looking Up Inspiring Film About Finding Joy Despite Setbacks, Always Challenge Yourself, Be An Inspiration

“Looking Up” was an incredibly inspiring journey to the top of a cliff face with a young man going blind while he maintains his positivity and continues to find new ways to challenge himself. He is a person that doesn’t let life’s limitations make him shy away from something he wants to do.  

Readers familiar with the Dalai lama’s philosophy, as exemplified in the film Wisdom of Happiness, will recognize some of the same philosophy in this film. Happiness and joy are not circumstance dependent.  They come from within, and that’s the ultimate wisdom. 

The film was quite inspiring, as was our interview with Elena, in the video above.  Her life wasn’t just a standard progression, one thing after another.  Like so many other people, her life took her on unexpected journeys.  

She found that the scene that most resonates with viewers is the very human moment shared between Eitan and his dad in the car.  In that moment, Eitan reveals that he doesn’t feel that his dad has disappointed him in any way, and that he has supported his son in the ways that really matter. 

This film inspires us to understand that there will always be challenges, some more difficult than others, but if you meet the moment with positivity and a willingness to learn and to stretch beyond what you thought your boundaries are, you can find happiness.  Also worth clarifying is that being happy in life doesn’t mean being joyful every moment.  It’s deeper than that and more profound.  Discovering that joy within that sustains us regardless of circumstance is what true happiness is.  It isn’t dependent on outside circumstances but comes from within.  

We also briefly discussed vitamin therapies that have shown promise for this condition (retinitis pigmentosa), including bilberry, vitamin A, lutein and the AREDS combination from the NIEH (National Institute Of Eye Health) studies for macular degeneration. We will be covering this aspect in greater depth in the coming weeks.  

This is an excellent film and is highly recommended.  I would give it five stars and recommend it to everyone.  It’s available to stream on many of our reader’s favorite streaming platforms.  Definitely worth the watch.  It’s a little over 90 minutes long and an exciting film.

Summary of the Interview:

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Documentary Journey from History to Film

Elena explained her journey from wanting to be a history professor to becoming a documentary filmmaker, describing how she transitioned from print journalism to film through a role writing treatments and grant proposals at a documentary company. She met Eitan, the film’s subject, through her daughter at Columbia University, where Eitan was a student with retinitis pigmentosa. The project began as a small promotional video Eitan wanted to create to help recruit others for his medical trial, but evolved into a feature film when Eitan met Jay, a climber who invited him to attempt climbing El Capitan.

Climbing Documentary Production Challenges

Elena discussed the challenges of directing a climbing documentary, including being separated from her subjects due to park regulations and an unexpected equipment issue on the final day of filming. She shared that a particular scene in the film, featuring a conversation between Eitan and his father about the father’s reaction to Eitan’s blindness diagnosis, resonated strongly with audiences, particularly connecting with parents who watched the film.

First-Time Director Film Discussion

Elena discussed her experience as a first-time feature director working on a rock climbing film, which has recently been released on Amazon Prime Video and other streaming platforms. She mentioned that the film’s marketing journey was time-consuming but has now reached a point where it can stand on its own. Staten Islander then provided information about supplements and vitamins that may be helpful for people with retinitis pigmentosa, including AREDS vitamins, bilberry, and vitamin A.

Psychology Film Production Discussion

Elena talked about her experience working with Eitan on a film that focused on psychology rather than medicine. Elena explained that the film featured scenes filmed in New York, including a discussion with Tal Ben-Shahar about positive psychology principles and resilience. Elena noted that the film has resonated with audiences facing various challenges, including those with RP, cancer, and mental illness.

Short Synopsis of the film:

LOOKING UP tells the inspiring story of Eitan Armon, a young man battling progressive blindness from Retinitis Pigmentosa, a rare genetic condition. Diagnosed while serving in the military, Eitan refuses to let his 95% vision loss define him. Determined to live boldly, he sets out to climb El Capitan, one of the world’s most challenging granite walls. With resilience, humor, and guidance from mentors like renowned positive psychologist Tal Ben-Shahar, retinal researchers Drs. Edwin Stone and Budd Tucker, and climbing partners Jay Lefkowitz and Willie Benegas, Eitan’s journey becomes a powerful testament to the strength of the human spirit and a symbol of hope for overcoming life’s obstacles.

LONG SYNOPSIS

LOOKING UP is the inspiring story of Eitan Armon, a young man facing encroaching blindness, as he takes on the challenge of climbing the world’s most epic granite wall, El Capitan.

Diagnosed with RP at the age of 20, Eitan faces the reality of a life without eyesight.
Retinitis Pigmentosa, or RP, is a very rare and incurable genetic disease that gradually causes blindness over time. With about 5% of his central vision remaining, Eitan decides to challenge himself and ascend Yosemite’s daunting El Capitan. Refusing to be limited by his limitations, Eitan’s journey demonstrates that life has endless possibilities for those who approach it with positivity and resilience. In LookingUP, Eitan lets go of everything he can’t control and focuses on what he can.

The portaledge of El Capitan is where we find Eitan, camping out 1500 feet above the Yosemite Valley floor, eating peanut butter and taking in the view with the little central vision he still has. Eitan’s journey is told through filmed scenes of Eitan — ascending one of the hardest pitches on El Capitan; maneuvering around NY with a white cane; hanging out with his girlfriend Tamar; undergoing medical treatment with his doctors at the University of Iowa; discussing positive psychology with his professor and mentor Tal Ben Shachar; exploring advances in the science of stem cell retinal transplantation at the Institute for Vision Research; meeting with RP patients who have more advanced disease; and learning to rock-climb. Throughout Eitan’s journey, we come to appreciate the strength of character of a young man who has been dealt a bad hand and refuses to sink into despair.

The film showcases Eitan’s resilience, great sense of humor, and grit.

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

Climbing the Zodiac route of El Capitan was the perfect metaphor for Eitan’s journey from despair to enlightenment. A few years earlier he had transformed from an elite soldier to a civilian with a disability; from protecting others to receiving offers of protection to cross the street. Eitan internalized and implemented the power of positive psychology as an escape from his personal black hole. I wanted to share Eitan’s uplifting story of resilience – and his unique charm – with a film audience.

It all started when I met Eitan Armon at, ironically, a documentary film screening while he was a neuropsychology student at Columbia University. His walking stick was folded in his hand, and I had no idea that he was visually impaired. All I sensed was his charm, intelligence, and impish sense of humor. I later discovered not only that he was largely blind but that he had lost his eyesight relatively recently. Eitan called me a few years later to make a short video sharing his experience participating in a RP medical trial, hoping to pay it forward and inform other RP patients who might benefit. Long story short, when Eitan decided he needed a new challenge and Yosemite captured his imagination, the project transformed from a short recruitment video into a feature film.

LookingUP is a universal story about overcoming limitations and transforming challenges into opportunities: we all have something that holds us back; the trick is to find a way past it. The act of taking on new challenges and pushing ourselves to try new things – fail or succeed – is what ultimately contributes to mental wellbeing.

Making LookingUP was an incredible journey for me, personally. Eitan has inspired me to push myself beyond my comfort zone, focus on the possible, and take on new challenges. This is my debut feature film. I’m not sure I would have taken on a project of this scale had Eitan not shown me the power of thinking big and persevering.

— Elena Neuman

About Eitan Armon:

Eitan Armon

Eitan is a veteran IDF Paratrooper, where he was named the outstanding soldier of his company. After getting diagnosed with RP, Eitan was medically discharged from the military and enrolled at Columbia University, where he studied neuropsychology. Eitan was a Phi Beta Kappa honors graduate and a Rhodes Scholar finalist.

Since graduating, Eitan has been applying the lessons he learned through his own patient experience and positive psychology research by working to raise awareness for RP and emerging treatments. Eitan serves as a mentor to others with visual impairments and as a member of the Foundation for Fighting Blindness Strategic Council. Professionally, Eitan works as a financial analyst covering healthcare services companies.

In his spare time, Eitan is an avid skier and hiker, rabid Boston sports fan, and loves dancing with his friends and family.

Filming Locations:

Yosemite National Park, CA
New York, NY
Salt Lake City, UT
Hackensack, NJ
Wasatch National Forest, UT
Silver Spring, MD
Ra’anana, Israel
Iowa City, IA
Englewood, NJ
Closter, NJ
West Nyack, NY
Run Time: 01:11:34
Accessibility features:
Captions and Audio Description