Finding flow in the Fight
Follow Mattia, an Italian boulderer, as he embarks on a new chapter of his climbing life in Germany. After moving just a year ago, Mattia discovers his passion for outdoor sport climbing — embracing the challenges, the fear, and the beauty of finding flow on the rock and simply being outdoors. This short climbing documentary explores the transition from indoor bouldering to outdoor sport climbing, as well as the mental and physical challenges of pushing limits on real rock.
The first day of filming took place near Immenstadt, in the Allgäu region of Germany, at a crag called Jesuswandl — a striking cliff known for its collection of hard sport climbing routes. This is where Mattia set out to test his limits by attempting the hardest grade he had ever tried on a sport climb: 8a/+. We started by checking out the crack and planning our angles, followed by capturing wide drone shots and plenty of B-roll — everything from the impressive surroundings to Mattia’s preparations before the climb. Manu, a friend of mine, who’s also a videographer, helped with filming during the day, which was a huge help. One of the most exciting and challenging parts of the day was my first time ascending the rope to film close-up shots of the holds on the route. It was an intense experience — a mix of adrenaline and moments where I felt a little uneasy hanging up there — but the gear I chose worked perfectly, and I was able to focus on getting the shots we wanted. The two-camera interview we filmed that day became an important part of the edit later. Although Mattia made several strong attempts, he didn’t manage to complete the route on this first day, so we planned to return.
One week later, we returned for the second shoot, this time with Mattia and his belayer. On this day, Mattia successfully climbed the route, and we captured the decisive moments on camera. The filming wrapped up with a short reflection from him about the experience and how the climb felt. The atmosphere was focused yet celebratory as everything came together.
Across both days, the project became more than just filming a climb — it turned into a valuable learning experience for me as well. Handling the camera gear while hanging on the rope taught me a lot about working in challenging conditions, and gave me confidence for future shoots. The whole process, from figuring out technical setups to working alongside Manu and witnessing Mattia’s determination, made for a memorable journey. Being out on the rock, surrounded by nature, added to the sense of adventure that defined the shoot.
