How ‘Up Again’ Director Captured the Rise of a Teenage Figure Skating Champion: ‘The Technical Conditions Were Extremely Challenging’

Czech documentary *Up Again* follows figure skater Barbora Vrankova’s rise from national champion at 15 as she pursues elite training abroad. Director Eliska Cilkova Andrsova filmed her over three years, showing the personal and family pressures behind a career in which brief performances require years of discipline.

Andrsova’s own competitive skating experience helped her understand the sport and film Vrankova closely, including skating alongside her on the ice. Filming was difficult: training rinks were often closed to outsiders, and crowded sessions, loud music and coaches’ shouts made recording challenging. The film uses skate sounds and other rink noises to suggest Vrankova’s inner world.