Llanberis is the diamond at the heart of the rugged North Wales scenery. A village hunkered down below Yr Wyddfa and Elidir Fawr, it’s the epicentre of adventurous climbing in the UK.
This small village and its surroundings have shaped the lives of many, and a climbing culture as historic and iconic as to rival Chamonix or Yosemite has grown from the mountains, quarries, and sea cliffs that harbour some of the best traditional rock climbing in the world.
Local climbers Zoe Wood and Lewis Perrin-Williams take us on a nostalgic journey, exploring how this place has impacted the lives of those who have lived, worked, and played in this beautiful corner of Cymru over the last century. Featuring interviews and archives from some of the most prolific and colourful characters of UK climbing, Adra gently gifts us a sense of home, community, and belonging, and how the mountains of Cymru have conjured up the spirit of ‘hiraeth.’
A beautiful piece of rock history and thoughtful celebration of community resilience, this film goes beyond the pump and clip of sport narratives into the heart of climbing culture. A tribute to Llanberis, North Wales, led by local climbers Zoe Wood and Lewis Perrin Williams, Adra explores how this iconic landscape has shaped generations of climbers. Emma Crome’s careful attention to historical context and cultural preservation weaves a rich story around the deep connection between climbers and their home crag, offering a powerful reflection on identity, unity, and belonging. For its emotional depth and nuanced portrayal of climbing’s heart and soul, this film is a resounding choice for this year’s VIMFF Best Climbing Film Award.
– Chelsea Jolly, VIMFF 2025 Jury
Emma is an award winning filmmaker and Creative Director at Coldhouse Collective, with fifteen years experience working in the documentary film and outdoor sectors. Her passion and work is rooted in storytelling around the natural world, in particular our human connection to the land in Britain. Emma has extensive experience working on documentaries and films and for international brands, specialising in editorial, narrative-led documentaries, concepting and managing projects from end to end. Her latest film ‘Adra’ has won numerous awards at multiple international festivals, and her documentary ‘The Last English Poacher’ won the Community and Culture Award at Kendal Mountain Festival and was selected for the BAFTA qualifying Norwich Film Festival.
Menna Wakeford is an award-winning documentary editor with over a decade of experience in film production. Originally from a traditional arts background, she has since taken on diverse roles, from camera operator to producer and director – but discovered her true passion in editing, where she finds joy in both the creative expression and the nurturing process of collaboration. She views editing as a dialogue between the director and editor, aiming to elevate the film beyond the sum of its parts – so it can be experienced rather than just seen.
Menna is an advocate of the arts becoming more accessible and has spent the last few years learning from industry experts regarding access features (audio description, captions, sign language and grading). She is hugely excited about the creative possibilities that can arise when these features are considered an integral part of the process and believes we can move towards decentralising sight from the filmmaking process in order to foster a whole body approach and response.
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