Paul Diffley

Directing

Paul Diffley

Paul Diffley is a documentary filmmaker and cameraman based in Edinburgh, Scotland. His work is rooted in long-term access, trust, and lived experience, often in environments where judgement, relationships, and responsibility matter as much as technical skill. He has spent over two decades working across outdoor and expedition environments, intimate observational documentaries, and sensitive real…

Known For

OdysseyOdyssey · 2012
Odyssey
2012
MovieAdventureDocumentary
‘Odyssey’ is a road movie that celebrates the best of British trad climbing. From the bold Northumberland sandstone to the raging sea cliffs of Gogarth, four World-class climbers (James Pearson, Hazel Findlay, Hansjorg Auer and Caroline Ciavaldini) embark on a road-trip to attempt some of the most fierce and inspiring routes in the UK. Cinematic filmmaking, cutting edge traditional climbing and a 7.5 ton converted truck – the Odyssey begins!
TransitionTransition · 2015
Transition
2015
MovieAdventureDocumentary
Natalie Berry is one of the UK’s leading female sport and competition climbers. Despite having lived in Scotland all her life, home to some of the best traditional and winter climbing in the world, she has yet to venture into the mountains so close to home. ‘Transition’ follows Natalie over the course of a year as she takes her first exploratory steps into a new world, closely following the highs and lows of the pursuit of a life in the mountains.
Slate MonkeysSlate Monkeys · 2009
Slate Monkeys
2009
MovieDocumentary
SERIES | Monkey see monkey do (1/4) Set in the post-industrial landscape of a disused Welsh slate quarry, this films follows three very different climbers as they battle their way up some unusual climbing. Matt Segal, a professional climber from the U.S.; Hazel Findlay, a young student from England; and Johnny Dawes, the British climbing legend from the 1980s, take it in turn to crimp, squirm and wriggle their way up the esoteric route "Gin Palace".
E11E11 · 2006
E11
2006
MovieAdventureDocumentary
Multi-award winning E11 tells the story behind the first ascent of Rhapsody, a route considered to be the hardest traditional rock climb in the world. Told in an offbeat dramadoc style the film attempts to understand what it takes to climb a route of this standard and strives to get inside the head of its first ascentionist, the understated yet quite remarkable Dave MacLeod.
Wide BoyzWide Boyz · 2012
Wide Boyz
★ 10.02012
MovieAdventureDocumentary
From acclaimed directors Paul Diffley and Chris Alstrin comes a wild journey through the strange sub-culture of offwidth crack climbing. Join two brave British lads, Pete Whittaker and Tom Randall, as they take on the decidedly American sport of climbing bloody, painful and often dangerous cracks that require wedging body parts into places they weren't meant to be. Randall and Whittaker's ultimate goal is to make the first ascent of a renowned offwidth test-piece known as Century Crack, which looms above the forgotten lands deep in the Utah desert. If they can achieve this unlikely climb from under the noses of the competitive Americans, it will be a coup for these young up-starts, but the odds are stacked against them.
Free FlowFree Flow · 2019
Free Flow
2019
MovieDocumentary
SERIES | Brit Rock Film Tour 2018 (4/5) Hazel Findlay enjoys an epic day of mountain running and solo climbing in the Welsh mountains of Snowdonia. Stunning shots combine with a considered soundtrack underpinned by a subtle environmental message. This is the first version of the film, which toured with the Brit Rock Film Tour 2018, and with the first version of the script. Sometime later, Paul Diffley together with Hazel Findlay revised the script and wrote an alternative version, which ended up being the final piece, which can be seen free on youtube and vimeo.
DistilledDistilled · 2013
Distilled
2013
MovieAdventureDocumentary
Scotland in winter is an arena where mountaineers pit their skills against exacting climbs often in ferocious conditions. It is respected by climbers around the world. Distilled examines what makes the climbing here so potent. Andy Cave first climbed in Scotland as a teenager. This was the start of a lifelong journey for Andy, which took him from the depths of a Yorkshire coal mine to the peaks of the Himalayas. As the story unfolds we see dramatic footage of Andy climbing some of Scotland’s classic and most challenging winter routes in the full spectrum of conditions that Scotland’s mountains can conjure. Distilled is a celebration of Scottish winter climbing and a poignant profile of a life spent in the mountains.
CommittedCommitted · 2007
Committed
2007
MovieAdventureDocumentary
Featuring Britain's best rock climbers, plus top overseas visitors, Committed packs in over 200 'E' points of action: The hardest and most dangerous ascents that have been grabbing the climbing headlines everywhere. It examines the diversity of climbing style and location that together, make the British Trad scene unique and respected right around the world. The featured climbs include numerous hard first ascents, audacious repeats and bold solos. From the sea cliffs of Scotland, to the gritstone test pieces of Enlgand, to the mountains in Ireland and Wales...

Filmography

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Wide BoyzWide Boyz · 2012
Wide Boyz
★ 10.02012
MovieAdventureDocumentary
From acclaimed directors Paul Diffley and Chris Alstrin comes a wild journey through the strange sub-culture of offwidth crack climbing. Join two brave British lads, Pete Whittaker and Tom Randall, as they take on the decidedly American sport of climbing bloody, painful and often dangerous cracks that require wedging body parts into places they weren't meant to be. Randall and Whittaker's ultimate goal is to make the first ascent of a renowned offwidth test-piece known as Century Crack, which looms above the forgotten lands deep in the Utah desert. If they can achieve this unlikely climb from under the noses of the competitive Americans, it will be a coup for these young up-starts, but the odds are stacked against them.

Director

Wide Boyz II – Slender GentlemenWide Boyz II – Slender Gentlemen · 2014
Wide Boyz II – Slender Gentlemen
2014
MovieAdventureDocumentary
After their success climbing the world’s hardest offwidth, the Wide Boyz, Pete Whittaker and Tom Randall, embark on their next crack climbing mission. This time their sights are set on the thinner end of the crack climbing spectrum. Their goal is the mighty Cobra Crack in Squamish BC, considered to be the hardest finger crack in the world. First climbed by Canadian ‘rock star’ Sonnie Trotter after battling it out with Didier Berthod, the route hit the media spotlight in the film First Ascent. With no local hard cracks to train on, the Wide Boyz refit their underground training dungeon and commit to a year of torturous finger training. With only a short trip to Canada planned, the Boyz face their biggest challenge yet against the sharp granite bite of the mighty Cobra Crack!

Director

The Long HopeThe Long Hope · 2011
The Long Hope
2011
MovieDocumentary
St John’s head on the Island of Hoy is a wild and remote 1150 foot sea cliff. It was first climbed in 1970 by climber and poet Ed Drummond together with Oliver Hill. They took 7 days to climb the cliff, sleeping on ledges and in hammocks along the way. Now, 40 years later, one of the World’s top climbers, Dave MacLeod, sets out to climb the cliff in a single day, finishing with a new desperately hard final pitch up the headwall.Macleod’s historic new climb, The Longhope Route Direct (E11), is captured close-up with the latest HD cameras and contrasted with the challenges of Drummond’s first ascent through interviews and archive material. The film also follows Drummond, now in his late sixties and suffering from Parkinson’s disease, as he makes a pilgrimage back to St John’s Head to look upon the route one last time.

Director