Stronger Than Ever

Rock climber Maciek "Pastor" Kubera, 52, takes a tragic fall while climbing, breaking his arm, leg, pelvis, heel and 4 vertebrae in his spine. From his hospital bed, he vows to come back stronger than ever. His goal is to send the hardest climb of his life – a super steep route called Andromeda on the Greek island of Kalimnos.

The film paints an intense portrait of a man of passion and dedication who imposes a draconian training regime on himself, with his entire life governed by the schedule in his training logbook.

But to his own surprise, he finds that his needs stretch far beyond physical strength – he is now limited by his psyche. Fear had taken over his climbing, and he doesn't know how to fight it very well. Through therapy with a psychologist and climbing in Spain, England, Greece and at home in Poland, he tries to tame this previously unknown beast.

Along the way, he discovers old poems he wrote in his training notebook (about climbing, of course) and works on rapping them at the noisy concert. Then he feels ready to face his great challenge and lifelong climbing dream. Will he emerge victorious from his vertical duel with the limestone and with himself? And what will he learn along the way?

  • Marcin Jamkowski
    Director
    River of Treasures, Against the Sands of Time
  • Marcin Jamkowski
    Writer
    River of Treasures
  • Marcin Jamkowski
    Producer
    Against the Sands of Time
  • Maciej Kubera
    Key Cast
    "Pastor"
  • Ewa Kubera
    Key Cast
    "Bibi"
  • Marcin Gala
    Key Cast
  • Tom Randall
    Key Cast
  • Adam Pracownik
    Key Cast
  • Marzena Hmielewicz
    Cinematography
    River of Treasures
  • Adam Suzin
    Cinematography
    Over the Limits, Crocodile, Broad Peak
  • Marcin Jamkowski
    Cinematography
    River of Treasures, Against the Sands of Time
  • Natalia Jacheć
    Editing
    Krzyk: Loosing Control, Different Paths to Holiness, How to Swim and not to Drown
  • Maciej Pawliński
    Editing
    Over the Limit, Broad Peak, Fucking Bornholm
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 12 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    January 1, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    150,000 EUR
  • Country of Origin:
    Poland
  • Country of Filming:
    Greece, Poland, Spain, United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English, Polish
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Distribution Information
  • Adventure Pictures, Marcin Jamkowski
    Sales Agent
    Country: Worldwide
    Rights: All Rights
  • Canal+
    Distributor
    Country: Poland
    Rights: Paid TV
Director Biography - Marcin Jamkowski

Filmmaker and writer. Passionate rock climber and scuba diver. Marcin studied chemistry in Warsaw, Poland, and after graduation did research with lasers and organic dyes at the color science laboratory. In his mid-20s, he changed his career path and became a science writer for the science section of the largest newspaper in Central Europe. He penned about a thousand articles and shot his first two documentaries before being hired as editor-in-chief of National Geographic magazine in Poland. After five years in that desk job, he went freelance, wrote six books, and followed his passion by studying filmmaking at Harvard and MIT.
Marcin's favorite subjects have always been expeditions, exploration and popular science stories. He has participated in or organized more than a dozen expeditions to five continents with exploratory, archaeological or scientific goals. He has been a TED speaker and a recipient of a scholarship from the Polish Ministry of Culture. Marcin is a Fellow of The Explorers Club and is currently serving his second term as Vice Chairman of the Polish Chapter of the Club.
"Stronger Than Ever" is his second feature-length documentary.

FILMOGRAPHY
2000 "Higher than Geckoes" - short documentary on big wall climbing expedition in Mali
2001 "Higher than Lemurs" - 25' long doc on big wall expedition to Madagascar
2010 "No One Left Behind" - 25' documentary about the last battle of the Vietnam War
2019 "River of Treasures", feature-length documentary about the underwater exploration of the 350-year-old treasure of the Polish king.
2022 "Against the Sands of Time", 40' documentary about the archaeological excavations.
2024 "Stronger Than Ever", feature-length documentary about the recovery of a rock climber and his quest to send the life-long dream climb.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

The main character is a good friend of mine. I was standing next to him when the accident happened. Being a witness to such a dramatic event, when someone almost loses his life, makes you think about the tragic situation he was in and the choices he had to make.

My initial thought was, "Will he break down and accept his fate? Or will he find the strength to fight back"? Fortunately, he found the courage and will to struggle and live a fully satisfying life.

That really impressed me.

That's why I made this movie – about crisis and second chance.