ARLINGTON, Texas - It all began when writer/director Martin Lisius climbed onto the roof of his family home in Texas when he was just 12 years old. His mission was to install a weather station to help him track storms as they moved through the area.

Fast forward several decades.

Now, Lisius, a full-time veteran storm chaser shares what he has learned in a new documentary film titled, "The Chasers of Tornado Alley: Touching the Sky" which premieres today on Vimeo VOD.

The 48-minute documentary film introduces a group of quirky people called storm chasers; what they do and why they do it. And, it explores the unique type of storms they track. "I wanted to tell the story so the viewer feels like they are actually on a chase with these guys," Lisius said. "The storm chasers I know are funny and brilliant people who have this undying passion for storms. It's like a road trip with extreme weather."

The story is set against Lisius' extraordinary cinematography of storms he captured on the American Great Plains over the past 7 years. He utilized 4K and 16K video cameras, along with film, to convey the dramatic skies he is used to seeing. "It's a challenge to communicate the visual experience of Tornado Alley on screen. I think that's what drives me to find new ways to make it happen, to bring the audience there," he said.

The film goes beyond just beauty and examines contributions storm chasers make to the public including improving severe weather warning systems and storm shelters. It introduces the "DFW Tornado Scenario," a day when the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex is impacted by a violent tornado. And, with the help of storm chasers, it finds answers to those threats because, according to Lisius, "Just chasing storms isn't enough. We can use our passion to help others. To help make our communities safer."

ABOUT:

"The Chasers of Tornado Alley: Touching the Sky" premieres July 15th in 4K at Vimeo VOD https://vimeo.com/ondemand/realstormchasers

The documentary's official web site includes a movie trailer, synopsis, and where to watch the film https://realstormchasers.com

Martin Lisius is a filmmaker and veteran storm chaser. He worked as a technical advisor for the movie "Twister" (1996), and was involved in its sequel "Twisters" (2024). He is the founder of Tempest Tours Storm Chasing Expeditions (https://www.tempesttours.com) and StormStock (https://www.stormstock.com), the largest collection of storm footage in the world.

"The Chasers of Tornado Alley: Touching the Sky" was written, directed and produced by Martin Lisius through his company Prairie Pictures, Inc. (www.prairiepictures.com).