Precious

Directed by Paris-based filmmaker Joaquim Bayle, PRECIOUS builds on Carhartt WIP’s last full-length skate project INSIDE OUT, which was released in 2022. The name of the project derives from the delicate yet gruelling process of shooting tricks on film. “Now that I understand skateboarding a little more, I wanted to pay tribute to its subversive form, its poetic form,” says Bayle of the feature, describing a “precious feeling I had when I started skateboarding and which, as I have gotten older, I've tended to forget.” In encapsulating this, he employs a multi-sensory approach. Warm, gauzy footage is punctuated by shutter clicks and black and white photography. Quiet moments of reflection are interrupted by the sound of wheels on concrete. Softly spoken word drifts in and out of a soundtrack of sludge metal and synthwave.

Directed by Joaquim Bayle, Precious leans on a strong ensemble — Notis Aggelis, Ewing Ayala, Guy Azulay — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about documentary titles of 2024.