The Gunks Climbing Film Festival at GunksFest 2025

Best Things

William Moss has done the FA of Best Things in Life Are Free (9a) in the Trapps, and it comes with an R as it is trad/mixed ascent with a risk of injury. This is the first 9a mixed route in the world and, some would consider it as a contender for the hardest trad route in the world. Who says the Gunks are tapped out?

The filmmakers will stick around for a special fireside chat following the film, introduced by Movement Climbing Gym.

Directors: Henry Fernberger and Gregory Berg (27m)

Parallel World

After his daughter’s birth a tectonic shift in priorities casts an alpinist into the safer realm of high grade Dry Tooling. Seeking to reconcile fatherhood and high athletic pursuit he ends up in the shadow of one of the biggest rock roofs in the climbing world.

Above him, the unending sky of limestone shelters one of the hardest lines of our times – Parallel World.

An upside down universe of itself it requires nothing less than everything.

Director: Aleksandar Valchev (21m)

Keep Going

What’s the secret to discovering gems hidden in plain sight? Join climbers Josh Levin, Sierra Knott, and Ryan Lieberman as they explore the boulders of the Upper Red Springs area of Red Rocks in search of first ascents.

Directors: Miguel Villegas, Josh Levin (16m)

La Rubia

In this all-female production, 32-year-old Canadian climber Bronwyn Hodgins faces a burnout from Big Wall expeditions and decides to shift her focus to sport climbing. Little does she know that this new curiosity for training and performance will plunge her into the most intense mental undertaking of her life… as she pours herself into La Rubia, a 5.14c (8c+).

Directors: Bronwyn Hodgins, Julia Cassou (30m)

Five Dot Fun 

Chad is a climber in the Shawangunk Mountains with a mission of sharing his love of climbing and contributing to a positive and safe climbing community.

Director: Eric Bates (5m)

First Rush 

First Rush is about rediscovering strength and embracing vulnerability—proving that fear isn’t the end of the journey, but the beginning of something greater.

It tells the story of Marina’s journey from fear to courage after surviving a life-changing lightning strike. Once an adventurous soul, the strike left her questioning everything—her mind, her body, and her sense of self.

With no experience and uncertain of her abilities, Marina faces sea cliff climbing with the weight of fear on her shoulders.

Director: Marina Xena (16m)

Mollo 

Mollo is an introspective story about Michelle, a climber who pursues a dream imagined during a psychiatric hospitalization—one that proves far more dangerous than expected. As she confronts the physical and emotional toll of her ambition, the film explores mental health, recovery, and what happens when the thing that once saved you nearly breaks you. Unexpectedly funny and deeply personal, Mollo is a reflection on the delicate balance between healing and harm, and the cost of chasing meaning in the mountains.

Director: Thibaut Lampe (20m)

Guerraras 

In a “Maloca” (House of Thoughts) at the base of a rock, seven women climbers gather around a fire to share their stories of struggle and triumph. Facilitated by Alejandra, the talking circle becomes a safe space where courage is ignited by the flames. Each woman recounts her journey—confronting fears, breaking barriers, and finding strength in the face of adversity. This intimate documentary captures their collective resilience and the transformative power of community.

Directors: Timothée Callec, Thomas Palmer (25m)

Ice 

After 15 years of competing at the highest level worldwide, taking them to the top of the podium, Tristan and Louna Ladevant are exploring and developing a more artistic approach to their discipline: ice climbing.

With dance as the backdrop to their artistic expression and the waterfall lit up in the middle of the night like the stage of a theatre, the performance can begin.

Director: Thibault Gachet (20m)