The two people who climbed to the top of the Empire State Building today — I wasn’t surprised when I heard about it during this afternoon’s Yankees game. (Don’t ask — 100 degrees out and we lost).
Ivan Beerkus and Angela Nikolau are smart people, not “twerps” as some idiot described them in the NY Post.
They were the subjects of “Skywalkers: A Love Story,” which screened at Sundance, Tribeca, and Hamptons Docs two years ago. I saw it exactly on July 5, 2024 at Guild Hall in East Hampton. Alec Baldwin hosted a Q&A after the screening.
Atop the Empire State Building, they unfurled a banner that read “When the power of love beats the love of power, the world will know peace.”
Then Ivan and Angela became engaged. She showed off a picture of her ring and her manicure. LOL. They had the same bravado they had in the movie.
The young Russian couple met online, sharing a vision of climbing skyscrapers — or “rooftopping.” The movie — directed by eff Zimbalist and co-directed by Maria Bukhonina — is sensational. It follows the pair and their crew all over Eastern Europe, where they scale the tallest buildings they can find. They are methodical and resourceful. I thought the doc was terrific. But Netflix got cold feet and didn’t do much for it, which surprised me.
At the screening we learned from the producers that Senator Mitt Romney had secured visas for the pair so they could do the film festival circuit. That was a surprise.
There were many luminaries at the screening who live nearby including former NYC Police Commissioner Ray Kelly and his wife, Veronica. During the Q&A after the screening, I asked a question of the directors, then jokingly asked Kelly if the couple could get away with this sort of thing in New York.
Kelly — I’m a big fan — laughed and told the audience he didn’t think so. “The New York police would stop them in a minute,” he told the crowd.
He and his wife, Veronica, enjoyed the film but like a lot of people found it maybe too good to be true. Did these people really climb all these buildings without attracting attention?
And yet, there they were today, atop the Empire State Building. I felt very proud that they managed to do it. If you see the film, you’ll know they plan these climbs carefully. Usually they get into the building at night, find a hiding place, and then go on their adventure.
Was today’s stunt for a new doc? Could be, and not necessarily for Netflix. But good for them! Much more interesting couple than Taylor and Travis, that’s for sure. I’m sick of that wedding already.
PS Did Ivan and Angela really get engaged today? I thought they already were engaged, or maybe married. No matter. Brilliant hook.
A 2018 video of Russian daredevils Angela Nikolau & Ivan Beerkus climbing a Hong Kong skyscraper for a wild selfie has resurfaced
Today they got arrested after scaling the Empire State Building spire and getting engaged
Imagine us pulling that off on the Kremlin domes pic.twitter.com/izc6itjoR8
— Mambo Italiano (@mamboitaliano__) July 1, 2026
