Social & External
The people behind it
Patrick Edlinger
Self
Patrick Berhault
Stéphane Troussier
Jacques 'Pschitt' Perrier
Jean-Marc Troussier
Capturing the greatest stories and sends from the year in climbing, the new films of Reel Rock 16 will deliver a joyful dose of inspiration, heart, and humor. The Reel Rock 16 lineup is our biggest release yet, with films starring Alex Honnold, Tommy Caldwell, Alex Johnson, Charles Albert, Pete Whittaker and Tom Randall. FEATURING FOUR WORLD-PREMIERE FILMS Bridge Boys A horizontal big-wall adventure on the longest, most ridiculous crack climb ever attempted. Featuring: Pete Whittaker, Tom Randall Big Things to Come An elite boulderer’s struggle with a project propels her on a decade-long journey of self-discovery. Featuring: Alex Johson Barefoot Charles Meet the opera-singing, cave-dwelling Frenchman who climbs futuristic boulder problems sans chaussons. Featuring: Charles Albert Cuddle A massive link-up of 17 alpine summits pushes a famed climbing duo to the brink - and into each others' arms. Featuring: Alex Honnold, Tommy Caldwell, Adam Stack
Full throttle climbing in Switzerland. Autoroute captures the full-throttle climbing odyssey of Americans Dave Graham, Luke Parady and Joe Kinder as they test themselves on the most difficult boulders and cliffs in Switzerland and France. Witness Graham makes the second ascent of Passion (14d), third ascent of Speed (14d), first ascent of La Foon (14d), and the first ascent of Bah Bah Black Sheep (14c/d). Additionally, autoroute profiles Swiss native Stephan Siegrist, climbing his amazing 26 pitch sport route, La Vida el Silbar on the Eiger's 6,000' North Face; Alex Huber on his unrepeated creation Black Power in Austria; and Lisa Rands sending in Tralenta, France.
In the fifties a group of men attempted to ascend the highest peak on earth. In the same year, as the first ascent of Mount Everest succeeded, the German climber Hermann Buhl single-handedly managed to make the first successful ascent of Nanga Parbat. Cameraman Hans Ertl joined the expedition which took place under the toughest conditions and with his camera created a stunning documentary.
Remembering Gasherbrum I is a documentary about alpinism that takes place on Gasherbrum I - Hidden Peak. It was directed by Bob Swift in 2008.
Against the backdrop of a turbulent era in Brazil, this documentary captures Pelé's extraordinary path from breakthrough talent to national hero. Mixing rare archival footage and exclusive interviews, this documentary celebrates the legendary Brazilian footballer who personified football as art.
Alpine Series is a collection of scenes taken by Frank Ormiston-Smith in 1901 in the Alps. They were screened in different selections by the Warwich Trading Company. These scenes are, along with the scenes of a roped party in the Mer de Glace of the Lumière Brothers, the first alpine films in the history of cinema. The scenes include: Eagleswing Panorama of the Wetterhorn, Panorama of the snow peaks of the Jungfrau, Eagleswing panorama of the Mer de Glace, Crossing the Mer de Glace, Ascent of the Jungfrau, Ascending the Guggi Glacier, Climbing the Wetterhorn, Climbing the Jungfrau.
A pioneering mountaineering film made by Frank Ormiston-Smith for the Warwick Trading Company in 1902. Ormiston-Smith himself led and filmed an expedition of seven men up to the top of Mont Blanc. The party left Chamonix the 23rd of september up to Pierre-Pointue and Grands Mulets and reached the top the 25th. The film consists of 18 scenes including a final scene of the team on the summit. This is the first major mountain film shown widely in cinemas. The mountaineering filming is rudimentary by later standards, but in 1902 it gave audiences moving pictures of places, and altitudes, which they could never expect to witness otherwise.
The ascent of the Jungfrau by the Urban Alpine Expedition, headed by Frank Ormiston-Smith, the pioneer mountaineering photograher and filmmaker, on september 24th, 1903. The film consists of 15 scenes and illustrates the whole ascent from Grindelwald through the Fieschier Glacier and the Rothal Sattel and culminates with a panorama from the summit. It was produced by the Charles Urban Trading Co., one year after the huge success of 'The ascent of Mont Blanc'. Charles Urban left the Warwick Trading Company in 1903 to form his own film business, and took with him many of the film-makers who had worked for Warwick, including Ormiston-Smith, who went on to make many more mountaineering films.
Following the successful ascent of Mont Blanc, the Warwick Trading Company expedition led by Frank Ormiston-Smith went on to film the ascent of the Great Schreckhorn accompanied by three guides and porters. Screened in different selections of scenes, the film was presented as ‘the most perilous rock climbing that is within the power of man’. The film also included scenes of the ascent and descent of the Aiguilles des Grandes Charmoz. ‘The ascent of Mont Blanc’ and ‘Climbing the Great Shcreckhorn’ are the two first major mountain films shown widely in cinemas.
Grande Boys: The Way To Play is an upcoming mockumentary project about the fictional football team Grande Boys FC.
Former England international Alex Scott looks at the explosion in popularity of women’s football and asks what the future holds for the game she loves. Women’s football is the fastest growing female sport in the world. With wages on the rise and multimillion-pound broadcasting deals being agreed, this summer’s European Championships in England are set to be a watershed moment for the game.
HEAVEN tells the story of a trailblazing high school wrestler named Heaven Fitch. In 2020, as a junior, Fitch became the first female athlete to win a boy’s state wrestling championship in North Carolina, claiming the top spot in the 106-pound weight class. The film documents her inspiring journey up the ranks and the challenges she faced along the way, from proving doubters wrong to defying the odds and making history.
Scotland in winter is an arena where mountaineers pit their skills against exacting climbs often in ferocious conditions. It is respected by climbers around the world. Distilled examines what makes the climbing here so potent. Andy Cave first climbed in Scotland as a teenager. This was the start of a lifelong journey for Andy, which took him from the depths of a Yorkshire coal mine to the peaks of the Himalayas. As the story unfolds we see dramatic footage of Andy climbing some of Scotland’s classic and most challenging winter routes in the full spectrum of conditions that Scotland’s mountains can conjure. Distilled is a celebration of Scottish winter climbing and a poignant profile of a life spent in the mountains.
Vertical Opera is a documentary film directed by Jean-Paul Janssen, with climbers Patrick Edlinger and Jean-Paul Lemercier in the Gorges du Verdon. The film opens with a training sequence of Patrick Edlinger then he links the routes with Jean-Paul Lemercier "L'Ange en décongelation" (7a), in which he falls voluntarily to demonstrate the usefulness of the rope, then "Le Septième Saut" (7b+). Finally, the final scene, an anthology, consists of a close-up of Edlinger who climbs free solo and barefoot the route "Débiloff", still in the Verdon, above hundreds of meters of void, all to lyrical music. It is "Wie Furchtsam Wankten Meine Schritte", the aria for alto voice from Johann Sebastian Bach's cantata BWV 33, music not unrelated to the subject of the documentary: "How faltering and fearful my steps were".
First film in a series of three with Over-Ice and Oversand and one of the first films on free climbing shot in the cliffs of the Gorges du Verdon in several parishes. We meet a certain Patrick Edlinger, Patrick Bérhault, but also Jean-Marc Troussier, Jacques Perrier, Stéphane Troussier, Hugues Jaillet, Gilbert Thomann, Odette Schoënleb, Bernard Gorgeon, Christian Guyomar. Thanks to the program Les Carnets de l'aventure, then broadcast on Antenne 2, and its producer Pierre-François Degeorges, this film was made. The chain gave its production agreement during the day, while the climbing was very confidential, no one knew Patrick Edlinger and the project itself contained only a few lines on a sheet
1907, cinematography by Frank Ormiston-Smith.
Movie about David Lama climbing the Patagonian mountain Cerro Torre for the first time free, a mountain that has been dubbed the most difficult to climb in the world.
Every climbing reward comes at the cost of a potential risk, but when you are a climbing pioneer, driven by the unknown and unexpected, you are willing to risk whatever it takes for the chance to find the perfect first ascent line. This is a story of exploration and discovery, a journey of friendship and solitude, a quest to fuel an obsessive passion. Starring Paul Robinson, Jimmy Webb, Daniel Woods, Chris Sharma and Niky Ceria.
The life of Canadian mountain climber Marc-André Leclerc as he pushes the boundaries of climbing while on an expedition to Patagonia.
Follow Alex Honnold as he attempts to become the first person to ever free solo climb Yosemite's 3,000 foot high El Capitan wall. With no ropes or safety gear, this would arguably be the greatest feat in rock climbing history.
In an unbelievable story of perseverance, free climber Tommy Caldwell and climbing partner Kevin Jorgeson attempt to scale the impossible 3000ft Dawn Wall of El Capitan.
In the shady campgrounds of Yosemite valley, climbers carved out a counterculture lifestyle of dumpster-diving and wild parties that clashed with the conservative values of the National Park Service. And up on the walls, generation after generation has pushed the limits of climbing, vying amongst each other for supremacy on Yosemite's cliffs. "Valley Uprising" is the riveting, unforgettable tale of this bold rock climbing tradition in Yosemite National Park: half a century of struggle against the laws of gravity -- and the laws of the land.
This documentary starring climber Alex Honnold and famous biologist Bruce Means document their expedition to the South American sky islands in search of new species and discoveries. Follows elite climber Alex Honnold and a world-class climbing team led by National Geographic Explorer and climber Mark Synnott on a grueling mission deep in the Amazon jungle as they attempt a first-ascent climb up a 1000 foot sheer cliff.
Meru is the electrifying story of three elite American climbers—Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin, and Renan Ozturk—bent on achieving the impossible.
In 2019, Nepalese mountain climber Nirmal “Nims” Purja set out to do the unthinkable by climbing the world’s fourteen highest summits in less than seven months. (The previous record was eight years). He called the effort “Project Possible 14/7” and saw it as a way to inspire others to strive for greater heights in any pursuit. The film follows his team as they seek to defy naysayers and push the limits of human endurance.
No ropes. No fear. Free solo legend Alex Honnold risks it all in a high-stakes, live ascent of one of the world's tallest skyscrapers in Taipei, Taiwan.
An epic cinematic and musical collaboration between SHERPA filmmaker Jennifer Peedom and the Australian Chamber Orchestra, that explores humankind's fascination with high places.
The film follows adventurer Jeff Johnson as he retraces the epic 1968 journey of his heroes Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins to Patagonia.
14-year-old Laura Dekker sets out on a two-year voyage in pursuit of her dream to become the youngest person ever to sail around the world alone.
Bonded by their love of freediving, a record-setting champion and a heroic safety diver try to make history with a remarkable feat, ready to risk it all.
A young penguin, driven by his instinct, embarks on his first major trip to an unknown destination.
The elite pilots of the Air Force Thunderbirds display exceptional skill, trust and courage during a high-stakes training season.
Captured during Billie Eilish's sold-out world tour, a concert experience from one of the most celebrated and successful artists of her generation, presented in immersive 3D.
In 2009, Alex Gibney was hired to make a film about Lance Armstrong's comeback to cycling. The project was shelved when the doping scandal erupted, and re-opened after Armstrong's confession. The Armstrong Lie picks up in 2013 and presents a riveting, insider's view of the unraveling of one of the most extraordinary stories in the history of sports. As Lance Armstrong says himself, "I didn't live a lot of lies, but I lived one big one."
James Cameron and Simcha Jacobovici go on an adventure to find the lost city of Atlantis by using Greek philosopher Plato as a virtual treasure map.
Riding Giants is story about big wave surfers who have become heroes and legends in their sport. Directed by the skateboard guru Stacy Peralta.
While investigating the furtive world of illegal doping in sports, director Bryan Fogel connects with renegade Russian scientist Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov—a pillar of his country’s “anti-doping” program. Over dozens of Skype calls, urine samples, and badly administered hormone injections, Fogel and Rodchenkov grow closer despite shocking allegations that place Rodchenkov at the center of Russia’s state-sponsored Olympic doping program.
After years in the limelight, Selena Gomez achieves unimaginable stardom. But just as she reaches a new peak, an unexpected turn pulls her into darkness. This uniquely raw and intimate documentary spans her six-year journey into a new light.
