“I push further than my limits,” says skater Clément Zannini. “I know them, but I don’t care about them.”
Zannini has a birth defect which leaves him without most of his right leg. His struggle and determination to keep on skating is the subject of Hurdle, the latest venture from German skater and filmmaker Felix Loechel.
Loechel’s documentary portrait is as short and intense as it is inspiring, with its dark introduction and Zannini’s voiceover giving way to a more dynamic style awash with tricks.
Zannini’s kickflips and grinds are of a calibre many people would struggle to achieve, even without a prosthetic leg.
For explanation, we can point to Zannini’s attitude: “I am 100% about skateboarding. I don’t give a fuck about anything else.”
Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
Latest on Huck
Petition to save the Prince Charles Cinema signed by over 100,000 people in a day
PCC forever — The Soho institution has claimed its landlord, Zedwell LSQ Ltd, is demanding the insertion of a break clause that would leave it “under permanent threat of closure”.
Written by: Isaac Muk
Remembering Taboo, the party that reshaped ’80s London nightlife
Glitter on the floor — Curators Martin Green and NJ Stevenson revisit Leigh Bowery’s legendary night, a space for wild expression that reimagined partying and fashion.
Written by: Cyna Mirzai
A timeless, dynamic view of the Highland Games
Long Walk Home — Robbie Lawrence travelled to the historic sporting events across Scotland and the USA, hoping to learn about cultural nationalism. He ended up capturing a wholesome, analogue experience rarely found in the modern age.
Written by: Isaac Muk
The rave salvaging toilets for London’s queers
Happy Endings — Public bathrooms have long been contested spaces for LGBTQ+ communities, and rising transphobia is seeing them come under scrutiny. With the infamous rave-in-a-bog at an east London institution, its party-goers are claiming them for their own.
Written by: Ben Smoke
Baghdad’s first skatepark set to open next week
Make Life Skate Life — Opening to the public on February 1, it will be located at the Ministry of Youth and Sports in the city centre and free-of-charge to use.
Written by: Isaac Muk
Nydia Blas explores Black power and pride via family portraits
Love, You Came from Greatness — For her first major monograph, the photographer and educator returned to her hometown of Ithaca, New York, to create a layered, intergenerational portrait of its African American families and community.
Written by: Miss Rosen