The BAFTA award-winning film will be screened live, accompanied by a 60 piece orchestra at the Barbican Hall on Sunday 18 June. 

Author and star of Touching the Void, Joe Simpson, will introduce the one night only screening and take part in the exclusive Q&A with director Kevin Macdonald and composer Alex Heffes to talk about the film’s background.
As the film is being screened, Alex Heffes will bring his score to life with the help of a sixty piece orchestra, giving audiences a unique opportunity to see and hear the film live.

In 2003,  Kevin MacDonald chose to adapt Joe Simpson’s book into a drama-documentary film that features interviews with Simpson and his climbing partner Simon Yates, together with dramatised scenes of the events.

Talking about the screening Alex Heffes said: “It’s a thrill to be performing my music to Touching the Void live to picture. It’s a wonderful chance to bring this amazing film to a new audience and for me to revisit it with my long-time friend and great director Kevin Macdonald.” 

Touching to Void tells the story of two British climbers Joe Simpson and Simon Yates, who attempt the west face of Siula Grande in Peru. Hampered by snowstorms on their descent, Simpson fell through a hole masked by a snow drift and, still attached to Yates by rope and with a severely broken leg, was hanging in mid-air over a precipice. Yates cut the rope so at least one of them would survive. Simpson, by some miracle, also survived and, despite terrible injuries, crawled to safety.

Joe Simpson said: “It will be great to see the film on the big screen again and thrilling to hear Alex’s score played live, as well as discuss the story and film in front of an audience at the Barbican.” 

Touching the Void: Live in Concert will take place at the Barbican Hall on the 18th June at 6pm. To book tickets visit: https://www.barbican.org.uk/music/event-detail.asp?ID=21477