UP(LIFTING) (2025)
A young man starts down the long path towards physical fitness and self-improvement, with the goal of being able to do a single pull-up.
Genre: Drama, Sports
Runtime: 7m
Written and Directed by: Kaden Wittig
Starring: Ryan Peachlyn, Kyler Wayne, Nathan Kirby
Produced by: Kaden Wittig, Preston Schnoor, Luke Green
Up(Lifting) originated as a final project for the University of Oklahoma’s Media Theories and Methodologies class, exploring the theory of montage. Shot in December 2024, the film was selected for OU’s Spring 2025 CAC Film Festival before making its off-campus festival premiere at the Circle Cinema Film Festival in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The film stars Ryan Peachlyn, who met director Kaden Wittig on the set of Twisters, where he was working as a stunt double. Featuring gritty, high-contrast cinematography by Aldair Gutierrez and a pulsing electronic score by composer Andrew Crawford, the film seeks to tell its story through a tactile visual language.
STARRING
Ryan Peachlyn as Ryan
Kyler Wayne as Ethan
Nathan Kirby as Fitness Influencer
Written and Directed by Kaden Wittig
Produced by Kaden Wittig, Preston Schnoor, Luke Green
Director of Photography: Aldair Gutierrez
Second Unit Director of Photography: Liam Jai Kharb
Edited by Kaden Wittig
Colorist: Aldair Gutierrez
Original Score Composed by Andrew Crawford
1st Assistant Camera: Preston Schnoor
2nd Assistant Camera: Lauren Markley
Gaffer: Michael Russell
Key Grip: Luke Green
Grips: Kaden Downs, Aramis Nuñez
Sound Mixer: Alex Wilson
Boom Operator: Michael Russell
Production Assistants: William Little, Camron Carr, Abigail Hutchcraft
Special Thanks:
OU Film and Media Studies, Man-Fung Yip, David Burkhart, Elijah Felkins, Steve Clausen, OneHealthyBod Fitness, Kyler Wittig, Michael Wittig