News

Labor Day weekend in Telluride marks the annual Film Festival. This year, the lineup featured a new documentary from National Geographic profiling the base jumping community. 

Much of the film, Fly, was shot in Moab, Utah. 

Filmmakers Christina Clusiau and Shaul Schwarz spoke with KOTO News about the extreme athletes pioneering the sport, and what it’s been like to debut the new work.

Schwarz: When we went out, people told us maybe we should meet Jimmy and Marta, these two legendary figures [in base-jumping] who are kind of the ‘mom-and-pop’ of the world. And they introduced us to the community. I think as we progressed in the film, we’ve zoomed in on the idea of love stories, [profiling] three couples because – inherently – the most basic thing you wanna do with your partner in life is protect them. But when you’re on a journey like BASE jumpers, you also understand your partner like normal society doesn’t in many ways, and you want to push them while keeping them safe. 

Clusiau: When you jump, from my understanding, and I’ve been in this world for a while, it’s totally you. There’s no one and nothing else. Everything is laser-focused and everything else falls away. It’s only about you. You’re the only person in the world at that moment.  And to have somebody else that you love standing on the cliff behind you, or waiting for you at the landing, or flying with you, it’s like you’re together but you’re not. 

Schwarz: We initially actually met Jimmy in Norway and then we traveled to see them teach in Twin Falls, Idaho. And then we spent a lot of time in Moab with them. 

We’ve shown this film at different places and I’ve heard people walk out and say: ‘damn, maybe I should leave this job or leave the relationship I’m not happy with.’ So I don’t think we tried to make a film that’s niche only to an outdoor, base jumping or risk taking community. It’s an equal push and pull in a way: to do something and follow your dreams, which we all kind of say we do and are educated to do. But then life happens and we take paths that are more mainstream. 

Clusiau: I don’t imagine audience members that view this film are gonna pick up a skydive rig and go BASE jumping.Or a BASE jumping rig and go BASE jumping. But they may say, ‘you know what, am I really living the fullest life that I want to live?’

Schwarz: When we started filming, I would go up and shoot these guys jumping and just be amazed. And as I grew closer and became friends with them, I remember this ‘Jewish mom quality’ of being like, ‘are you sure you want to do this?’ I obviously had to shut it up and be an observer and let it go. And with time I started trusting them, but we also saw a lot of accidents.  So I think that question of what’s worth it, and survival, and when to push and when to say ‘not today,’ it’s always present. 

Clusiau: You know, like what’s the limit? Another question to think about is how far can humans go with flight? And celebrating it. And how far can humans go with their dreams? I don’t know. I think that’s an individual question for everybody.