“Geeft nooit op” (Never give up) is a documentary of the Alpe d’HuZes event on the Alpe d’Huez in Southern France.

This unique sporting event aims to raise as much money as possible for cancer research and to improve the quality of life for people living with cancer. On a single day, 5,000 participants cycle, run, or walk up the Alpe d’Huez up to six times, all under the motto “giving up is not an option.”

In 2014, I joined CRH/BMN Bouwmaterialen to create a documentary about their team participating in the event. This was my graduation project for my Audiovisual Design degree. Alongside another cameraman, we filmed the entire event. I also directed and conducted interviews.

The focus was more on the storytelling aspects of documentary filmmaking instead of the best camera or color correction techniques. Together with carefully selected music, I aimed to tell a compelling story about the preparation, the night of reflection, the actual cycling (and walking) during the event with all it’s ups and downs, and the final finish line, highlighting the total amount of money raised.