„Most people are simply afraid to really go for it in life,“ says Libor Podmol in the film, answering the question of why people do not chase their dreams. The X Games freestyle motocross winner is certainly not afraid — nor are the eight other Czech athletes who fight gravity every day.
Gravitation is not a typical documentary. Building on the appeal of online motivational videos, its ninety-nine minutes deliver energy wrapped in the stories of athletes who did not have it easy and whose sports are far from the most popular in the Czech Republic.
What unites them is the fight against gravity, and each has their own answer to it. Alongside Libor Podmol the film features the best Czech BMX rider Michael Beran, the freerunners Jim Dohnal and Tomáš Zonyga, the street workout advocates — rapper Marcus Revolta and Adam Raw — the all-rounder of extreme sports Jan Kaňůrek, stunt rider Martin Krátký and skydiver Jakub Pavlíček. It is the feature debut of Petr Špetla and Denisa Gumbírová, with music by composer Karel Antonín, co-produced with Patrik Semlbauer of GripTV.
Filmed in
The Czech Republic, Slovakia, the USA, China, South Korea, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Spain and France.
Awards
Third place and the Czech Tourism prize at the International Festival of Outdoor Films.
Distribution
The film screened in over forty single-screen cinemas as part of evening programmes and at the Premiere Cinemas multiplex, with a further twelve cinemas through the International Festival of Outdoor Films. The broadcast licence for the Czech Republic was bought by Prima Zoom, which aired it in prime time on its fourth anniversary.
Reception
Around fifty articles appeared in the media, with reviews scoring 70–100 %. The film holds positive ratings on the Czech-Slovak Film Database.