Featured Film: The Parkinsons Project

This documentary follows climber and teacher, Chris Hamper, as he navigates his diagnosis of Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease has forced him to redefine his passion for climbing. His tremor makes tying knots and clipping gear difficult; his lack of dopamine reduces the reward and motivation process, forcing Chris to find new ways to stay inspired. And yet, once he is on the rock, climbing appears to be one of the very few activities that minimise his symptoms.

Now, eight years after his diagnosis, Chris is potentially coming to the end of the “honeymoon” period of his Parkinson’s. This means he could start to see the effects of the disease more acutely, including the impact it may have on his ability to continue climbing. Knowing this, Chris has taken early retirement from teaching to climb as much as possible around his home in Norway and with friends in Sheffield.

"there's more to climbing than climbing rocks" and "as soon as you've conceived that it's possible, you're kind of won anyway" - two quotes that will stay with me from the film. A beautiful film that shows the reality and optimism of living a climbing life with progressive Parkinson's disease, with a storytelling finesse that meant I didn't take my eyes off the screen once whilst watching" - Frit Tam  

We spoke to Jess about how he feels having his film shown at ShAFF this year - "SHAFF’s outdoor focus beautifully reflects the community it calls home, making it a truly special event. As someone from this community, it’s especially rewarding to have my film featured this year. I’m really looking forward to enjoying the diverse films on offer, and connecting with the many inspiring people who make the festival so unique."

To see the trailer for 'The Parkinson Project' please visit the link here: https://www.jessjames.uk/the-parkinson-project

To buy tickets to the screening visit here: https://shaff.co.uk/shaff25/the-parkinson-project

Production: Leading Edge 


Director: Jess James
 

 Producer: Ellen Logan 

 Edit: Will Cole 
 

 DOP: Jess James 
 

 Sound: We are Audio 

 Colour: Escape Hatch Studio