Film tannery creates emotional documentary "Aiming High"
In collaboration with Mysports and with support from Sunrise, Filmgerberei produced «Aiming High.» The documentary offers an emotional look behind the scenes of the «Matterhorn Cervino Speed Opening» ski race.
The 90-minute documentary followed the local organizing committee from summer 2022 onwards as they organized the "Matterhorn Cervino Speed Opening". For the first time, a ski race was to be held in two countries and at an altitude of 3,800 meters.
The film shows footage of the Valais mountain landscape and provides a rare glimpse behind the scenes. Viewers are taken on an emotional journey with many highs and lows and experience first-hand how the initiators and organizers are often close to tears - because while the race in the 2022/2023 season had to be cancelled due to a lack of snow, it fell victim to strong winds in the 2023/2024 season.
The leading World Cup athletes also have their say. Marco Odermatt, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, Lara Gut-Behrami, Corinne Suter and Jasmine Flury are in the spotlight during their preparations for the races, at public appearances, in private or in encounters with their fans. The moving story of Mauro Caviezel also takes center stage. The film shows his path to an attempted comeback after he suffered a severe concussion during training. After falling again in November 2022, Caviezel subsequently announced his retirement from top-level sport.
Crime thriller in front of and behind the camera
"The race was a powerful undertaking, characterized by emotions of euphoria, uncertainty and powerlessness," says co-director Alun Meyerhans, describing the dramaturgical realization of the film. "The proximity to the protagonists allowed us to create a captivating narrative, supported by impressive images and effective music."
Logistically, the realization was a high-wire act. "Documentaries require constant preparedness for the unpredictable," explains co-director Flavio Gerber. "This was particularly challenging here, because we didn't know until the very last second whether the race would take place: So where do we place our teams to be there for the decisions and capture the emotions? Especially in bad weather, a quick change of location is not possible in such a high mountain area."
The documentary will be screened for the first time at the Zurich Film Festival on October 4, 2024 and will be shown three times in total.
Documentary film: Alun Meyerhans, Flavio Gerber (Director, Screenplay); Flavio Gerber, Toby Stüssi (Executive Producers); Susanne Bucher (Producer); Tom Gibbons, Jan Mettler, Silvio Gerber (DoP); Christoph Gripentrog, Lea Filadoro (Edit); Diego Baldenweg, Nora Baldenweg, Lionel Baldenweg (Music); Denis Elmaci (Sound Design). Athletes: Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, Corinne Suter, Jasmine Flury, Lara Gut-Behrami, Marco Odermatt, Mauro Caviezel.
