Strength to Weight
Ethan Pringle is at the peak of his climbing career when he is blind-sided by his father’s severe stroke. Torn between two realities, at home in San Francisco taking care of his dad and the pressure of being a professional athlete, he eventually has to break open emotionally to rise to the challenge in this masculine and vulnerable father-son story.
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Jon GlassbergDirectorGirl Climber, Dear Mother, Deep Water, Mad For it
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Jessica GlassbergWriterGirl Climber
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Anya MillerProducerMountain Hardwear
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Ethan PringleKey Cast"Main Character"
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Project Type:Documentary, Feature
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Genres:Adventure, Climbing, high performance, Father Son, Greif, Feature, Heartfelt, Professional Climbing
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Runtime:48 minutes 17 seconds
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Completion Date:January 1, 2026
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Country of Origin:United States
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Country of Filming:France, Spain, United States
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Language:English
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Shooting Format:Digital, 4k
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Aspect Ratio:16:9
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:No
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Digital Cinema Package:Unavailable
Distribution Information
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Monkeywrench FilmsDistributorCountry: WorldwideRights: All Rights, Internet, Video on Demand, Pay Per View, Hotel, Airline, Ship, Theatrical, Video / Disc, Free TV, Paid TV, Console / Handheld Device
Jon Glassberg is an American documentary and adventure filmmaker. He works as a director, cinematographer, and producer. Starting from his roots as a professional climber, Jon has ventured globally to capture historical moments in outdoor sports with the industry's biggest names. His production company, Louder Than 11, documents authentic stories in extreme environments around the world.
I was drawn to Ethan Pringle not just for his incredible achievements as one of America’s greatest climbers, but for the way he approaches life with ambition and heart. As a climber, son and filmmaker, I was deeply moved by his relationship with his father, a perspective on masculinity, family, and humility that we rarely see in adventure sports films.
Following Ethan through this period of his life, I was inspired by how he navigates the tension between performance and vulnerability, strength and grief. Strength to Weight became a story about the courage to feel, to grieve, and to open oneself to love. Watching him care for his father while pursuing the biggest climbing achievements of his career revealed that true strength is not just physical, but emotional. It captures the quiet, powerful ways love emerges through loss and transforms a person.