Life is Climbing (2023)

Aventure à Bleau

Adventure in Bleau is a documentary about bouldering that takes place in Fontainebleau. Directed by Jean-Paul Janssen in 1980 and produced by Antenne 2, it is part of the series "Les Carnets de l'Aventure" and broadcast on the same television channel. It features different generations of the finest free climbing artists of the time: Patrick Edlinger, Catherine Destivelle, Lucien Bérardini, Jean Pierre Bouvier, and Bertrand Roche 'Zébulon'.

The Thief of Bagdad

When Prince Ahmad is blinded and cast out of Bagdad by the nefarious Jaffar, he joins forces with the scrappy thief Abu to win back his royal place, as well as the heart of a beautiful princess.

Back to the light

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Fine Lines

For nearly three years, director Dina Khreino interviewed world-class mountain climbing athletes, listening to what compels them to leave behind families, friends, and everyday comforts to risk everything for a fleeting glimpse into the unknown. What she found was a tribe, a diverse group of professional adventurers and amateur philosophers forged by the ultimate test of body, mind, and spirit. In the face of shifting winds, sheer granite cliffs, and impossible odds, they climb. Each for their own reason, but every one connected by the vertical world. In this rarefied air, these athletes are fundamentally changed, not just as climbers, but as human beings.

Core

CORE goes to the heart of climbing. Join an international cast of the sport's most dedicated athletes as they stick it when it matters most. Shot in 35mm Ultra High Definition, get ready to see every detail of some of the nastiest pieces of rock ever climbed. CORE exposes the contrast in landscape and lifestyle that defines the sport. A close examination of each character offers perspective beyond just their achievements on the stone.

Reel Rock 8

The latest groundbreaking films from Big Up Productions and Sender Films. Featuring Yuji Harayama, Daniel Woods, Hazel Findlay, Emily Harrington, Ueli Steck, Simone Moro, Melissa Arnot, Adam Ondra, and Chris Sharma. Action, humor, controversy, and inspiration in some of the most breathtaking places on Earth, including the mysterious spires of Borneo, the towering faces of Morocco, and the thin air of Mt. Everest.

Reel Rock 5

From death-defying speed link-ups of the wildest faces in the Alps, to Olympian displays of strength and tenacity on the hardest boulders ever climbed, Reel Rock 2010 features a breathtaking journey through the vertical realm with the heroes of rock and snow.

Reel Rock 6

The complete 2011 REEL ROCK Film Tour: Six astounding short films covering every style of climbing on the planet. Starring Tommy Caldwell, Dean Potter, "Sketchy" Andy Lewis, Ashima Shiraishi, Will Gadd, Kevin Jorgeson, Corey Richards, Obe Carrion, Sean Leary, Tim Emmett, Simone Moro, Denis Urubko, Hans Florine, The Huber Brothers, and more.

Des Blocs En Valais

Boulders in Valais presents the canton of Valais in Switzerland, its bouldering climbing spots and some of its historical and current actors and driving forces including Lucien Abbet, Benoît Dorsaz, Fred Nicole, Dave Graham... Frédéric and François Nicole gives us spectacular demonstrations of this sport, showing us routes like "Radja", the world's first 8b+. A topo-video part contains 28 climbing sites with a geographical map, and more than 160 video sequences for as many chosen blocks... more than 2h30 of climbing.

Åland - Baltic Sea Bouldering

In late summer 2003, climbers from Britain, Sweden, and Finland descended upon the sleepy archipelago of Aland in the Baltic Sea to discover for themselves, its combination of spectacularly beautiful scenery and array of climbing problems. Baltic Sea Bouldering presents an insight into how climbers tackle this fresh and exciting bouldering destination. What we receive is a fascinating look at how some of Europe's best climbers tackle an unclimbed highball project that stretches mental strength to the limits.

The Eiger Sanction

A classical art professor and collector, who doubles as a professional assassin, is coerced out of retirement to avenge the murder of an old friend.

Action Directe

French powerhouse climber Mélissa Le Nevé tries to become the first woman to traverse Action Directe, one of the most revered and challenging routes in the sport.

Masters of Stone VI - Breakthrough

Once again, Masters of Stone breaks through to the cutting edge of the sport. Harder, Faster, Bolder, Newer, and more...six points of breakthrough in all.... where human edges toward the superhuman. This is the Super Bowl, Olympics, and Boston Marathon of rock climbing, all rolled into one. More than any other sport, rock climbing continually redefines its rules and resets its limits. Yesterday's impossible becomes today's warm-up as advances in mental and physical mastery combine to break new ground. Every few years the Masters of Stone series delivers a new episode that captures these breakthroughs in a tasty mix of music, character, commentary, and above all, visual action.

Winter on the Blade

A team of intrepid adventurers attempt to scale one of Australia’s most dangerous climbing routes, Blade Ridge on Federation Peak. They are tested to their wits end by a combination of the Southwest Wilderness and the wettest winter ever recorded in Tasmania.

China Jam

In their infinite quest for virgin big walls, adventurers Sean Villanueva O’Driscoll, Nicolas Favresse, Stephane Hanssens and Evrard Wendenbaum, head in September 2013 to a remote valley in the westernmost region of China. There, they found a fantastic 1200m vertical pillar, culminating at 5842m. They spent 14 days on the wall facing snow storms and harsh conditions to finally achieve this amazing ascent with some frost bites but never forgetting to have a lot of fun and to play unreal musical sessions.

The Lappnor Project

In the Finnish forests was an unclimbed route called the Lappnor project. It was considered to be the hardest climbing route in the world and perhaps impossible for a human. Nalle Hukkataival, a strong Finnish climber took up the challenge. It required almost four years of total commitment and his efforts were followed by hundreds of thousands of climbers around the world. When Nalle finally succeeded, it blew away the whole climbing world like nothing before. The first 9A boulder was climbed! The documentary follows Nalle's journey from the very beginning, all the way to the first ascent almost half a decade later. It captures the incredible dedication that was needed to deal with all the variables and to take that last step to open the next level of climbing.

Expédition Hoggar 79

TSR documentary on the 1979 expedition to Algeria in the Atakor massif (Hoggar desert), organized by Geneva mountaineer Michel Vaucher and Jean-Blaise Fellay. The climbers make a dozen ascents including the famous summit of Adaouda (which means "finger" in Tamasheq, the Tuareg dialect), by several routes. Then a new route on the peaks of the southern Tezoulegs. They discover the volcanic geological characteristics of the Atakor massif and meet the nomadic inhabitants of the region, the Tuaregs, who are increasingly settling in the town of Tamanrasset.

The Fanatic Search

After a nice and slow start with some gorgeous deep water soloing footage from Mallorca, the movie slowly increases in tempo with footage of Sharma on what is now the potential 9b ‘ Golpe De Estado’ in Siurana, Dani Andrada linking most of the moves on some the craziest routes in the Ali Baba cave in Rodellar and other inspirational footage of routes being sent in Spain (Siurana, Santa de Linya, Rodellar).

Pure

PURE is 19 extraordinary climbers in six countries on three continents; Nalle Hukkataival: This young climber from Finland spent his time on the World Cup circuit and now focuses on climbing some of the toughest rocks on the planet. Kevin Jorgeson: Exclusive footage of his first solo ascents in California. A unique perspective on the mental control needed to solo and the re-education needed when making a mistake. Kilian Fischhuber: Winner of the 2008 Men's Bouldering World Cup. Anna Stoehr: Aged 20, she won the 2008 Women's Bouldering World Cup. Fred Nicole: The legend of bouldering, author of achievements in hardest boulders in the world. The leader and grandmaster of the sport. Cody Roth: Enthusiastic about climbing just about anything, he achieves breathtaking first ascents here from Rocklands to Europe.

Bachar: Man, Myth, Legend

In every sport there are men, myths and legends. In the world of rock climbing, there is only one name -- John Bachar. Controversial and uncompromising, Bachar pushed the boundaries of what was possible and raised the world's standards at a time when climbers merely pursued the physical in climbing. A true rock star, he soloed 5.11 when 5.12 didn't exist, created the first 5.12 in Yosemite Valley, bouldered harder, climbed stronger, and refused to compromise his ethics along the way. Then, at the height of his fame, he disappeared. This is his story. This is the latest climbing DVD release from director/producer Michael Reardon. This is a first hand account of John Bachar and his free soloing (no rope) mastery during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Featuring interviews with Royal Robbins, Peter Croft, John Long and John Gill, the film contains footage of Bachar soloing some of the hardest climbs of their time in Germany, Spain, and his home stomping grounds of Yosemite Valley.

The Core

“The Core” features climber Dean Potter during one of his greatest feats: the one-day ascent of El Capitan and Half Dome, two of the world’s most famous rock faces, in Yosemite. Throughout the documentary, Potter describes what drives him to undertake such epic, perilous, and daring projects, which have made him one of the most renowned climbers. “The Core” captures not only Potter’s profound reflections, but also the iconic beauty of the national treasure that is Yosemite.

Statement of Youth

At the start of the 80’s sport climbing was in its embryonic stages. Bolted routes were beginning to make a regular appearance, indoor climbing walls as we know them nowadays had not yet been invented and there was no such thing as being a pro athlete. During that period standards rose exponentially, from 7b+ as the cutting edge to 9a becoming the new world standard at the end of the ’80’s. In such a short period the sport changed beyond recognition and, in Britain, was fuelled by a small group of climbers who would do anything to climb full-time: sleeping in sheds underneath crags, shoplifting for food and clothes, and living off unemployment benefits. As illustrated in this film directed by Nick Brown, these climbers were living outside the rest of society and went on to become the most influential figures in the history of British sport climbing.

Stone Love

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The Circuit

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Deep Roots

Lonnie Kauk’s personal journey to honor his indigenous Yosemite roots, and to connect with his legendary father by repeating his iconic climbs.

First Ascent / Last Ascent

Best friends Hazel Findlay and Maddy Cope journey to the rocky outer reaches of Mongolia, on a quixotic search for new trad routes.

Lincoln Lake Giants

Lincoln Lake Giants is a story about climbing in the high country of Colorado. Mt. Evans is a world renowned bouldering destination and the newest development has been at Lincoln Lake near the summit of the 14,000ft Mountain. Chapter 1: our heroes brave the rugged tundra of Mt. Evans to clash heatedly with the most inspiring blocks of granite they can find. Unbeknownst to them, large, ill-spirited residents of the lake lurk nearby. Chapter 2: our heroes seek boulders to conquer, mauling their skin and spilling blood on the way to their noble achievements! Chapter 3 portrays our heroes slaying yet more classic boulders! Sadly, the slayers become the slain, as a Giant begins terrorizing them. Much blood is shed from our heroes’ toned bodies. Their deaths arrive awash in honor, ridden with glory. In Chapter 4, our two remaining climbers experience a massive resurgence of psych, even in the wake of their friends’ atrocious murders. The surrounding boulders are simply too enticing.

One More Piton

Georges Livanos. A name that hardly evokes anything, or not much, even in the heart of Chamonix, the Mecca of mountaineering. And yet, the one nicknamed “the Greek” in the 1950s, because of his paternal ancestry, was undoubtedly one of the most important French mountaineers of his time. High mountain guide, Yann Borgnet, is also passionate about the history of mountaineering. “The Greek” is one of the “old ones” who particularly marked him. Yann wants to follow in Georges’ footsteps. So the young guide imagines an alpine journey, designed to visit the great routes opened by Livanos. A dive into the heart of an immense vertical heritage, to meet a great, almost forgotten, figure of mountaineering and his heritage.

È Pericoloso Sporgersi

È Pericoloso Sporgersi is Robert Nicod's first short film, shot in 1985, featuring four young climbers, two women, Catherine Destivelle and Monique Dalmasso, and two men, Alain Bultel and Marc Lecomte-Durouil, in the Verdon Gorges. In a natural setting of cliffs, rivers, sinkholes and vertical waterfalls, Catherine Destivelle and Monique Dalmasso climb the Bombé de Pichenibule. This progression, filmed as a female climbing adventure, represents a successful first 7b+ ascent for the French champion. The film received the Genziana D'Argento for best sports film at the Trento Film Festival in 1986.

Here to Climb

Follow professional climber Sasha DiGiulian as she rises from child prodigy to a champion sport climber, and ultimately makes her mark by taking her talents to the biggest walls on the planet with a series of bold, first female ascents. Confronting both physical and mental obstacles head on, Sasha charts her own course in a sport where a path didn’t exist, enabling her passion to become a viable profession.

Siyinqaba

Nalle Hukkataival and Jimmy Webb recently traveled to Swaziland in search of new boulders and found an unforgettable country with amazing people and fascinating culture. But finding boulder problems isn't as easy as it sounds, you might end up walking through fields and forest for hours and find nothing. Or you might find a gem, something that could possibly be THE next hard line, maybe even the African Star...

Depth Charge

In 2004 X1 Sports took a band of intrepid climbers to Croatia . Their mission was to find some of the best and unknown rock in the Europe ; the reason, well to see if they could Deep Water Solo off it of course. With some of the best climbers in the world, Chris Sharma, Steve McClure, Leo Holding, Depth Charge charts their progress and antics as they look to challenge their limits each and every day. Depth Charge is an on the wall documentary of their every move and allows the viewer to see exactly what makes a climber tick.

L'Escalade libérée

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Edlinger, la liberté au bout des doigts

In the 1980s, Patrick Edlinger, nicknamed "Le Blond", painted with the grace of a poet the first chapter in the world history of free climbing. In his hands, marginal exercise has become a real lifestyle, carrying a message of freedom. His famous solos, beyond the proven feat they represent, bear witness to this. Life at Your Fingertips, the first internationally known climbing film, touched and inspired by generations of climbers; Edlinger was one of the meteors that shone light on the cliffs of the world by following the trajectory of a single idea: to be free to live only by "climbing". Yet the man capable of concessions in the face of the necessities of life (competitions, advertisements) and pressure from the media, his public and the desires he aroused.

Paragot By Paragot

Robert Paragot, a mountaineering legend, was also a great Bleausard. In addition to his far-flung alpine-style expeditions (the south face of Aconcagua, Tour de Mustagh, Jannu), he is the very image of the modest city dweller who devoted himself passionately to high-level mountaineering. Like any good Parisian climber, Robert Paragot began his climbing career in the Fontainebleau forest. A true rock school where he would open several boulders. His son, Christophe Paragot, paid tribute to him, a year after his death, by climbing all the boulders opened by his father in Fontainebleau in the same day. He tells us about an era, a spirit, an emblematic place through his memories and some delightful anecdotes. Far from spectacular images and sporting exploits, this film speaks of a passion, a story of climbing that was made accessible to all. In memory of a great name in mountaineering who, from the modest blocks of the forest, climbed to the highest peaks in the world.

Legend of the Spider-Man

Alain Robert - aka the “French Spiderman” – climbs all kind of skyscraper (to the great joy of the public and the despair of the police) with a weakness for the highest ones like the Sears Towers in Chicago, the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur or Taipei 101 in Taiwan. With his short frame and at almost 50, Alain is a physical phenomenon capable of hoisting his body with only one finger despite a major disability due to a fall in 1982. Paradoxically, it is after that accident that he developed his style of climbing using only his bare hands and without any security. Today, with more than 100 towers climbed, as many arrests and several stays in prison, Alain is a legend. But who’s the man behind the climber? What motivates him? Find out in this portrait full of breathtaking footage.