A Thousand Words, the film about Vittorio Sella, the unconventional explorer. Sharman: "Today, there are too many shortcuts; he chose the most difficult path"

"What is your summit? What path – difficult, arduous, real – are you willing to choose to reach it?" The answer is not written anywhere. It lies in the next image you decide to capture, in the next wonder you choose to pursue, and in the next adventure you dare to experience. The same courage that made Vittorio Sella a man who could stop the sky and a visionary capable of starting anew. Let's proceed with order. London, the Alpine Club's underground archive. Two men, an artificial light, and the smell of paper that has travelled through centuries. An image emerges like a breath held for too long. A large-format photograph of mountains carved like sculptures, beneath a sky that seems suspended, waiting for someone to truly appreciate it. In the corner of a yellowed paper, a signature reads: Vittorio Sella, 1899. It is in that moment, in that room, that the film A Thousand Words is born.

For Matt Sharman – photographer, filmmaker, director, explorer, and Himalayan mountain guide – the image is not just a picture, but a call to action. That print, the first to showcase Everest to the world, does more than tell a story: it beckons. In this landscape lies not only the highest mountain, but a man driven to capture it, to reveal what others had never seen. Vittorio Sella embodied all this: he was not content to climb, he wanted to see, and help others see as well. Sharman is inspired; his eyes light up, his mind races. A desire forms within him: retracing Sella’s footsteps after 125 years, finding the exact spot where Sella’s tripod touched the sky and captured the same majesty. The same vertigo. Sella chose the hardest path, and this difficulty is what lends it beauty. Stories, however, are not created alone. So, Matt involves his friend and co-director, Dom Bush. Pietro Sella, CEO of the Sella group and custodian of that Alpine legacy, joins them. Because true heritage is not just about memories, but a bridge to stories yet untold.

November 2025. The documentary film debuts at the Kendal Mountain Festival. However, reaching this point has been a long, hard, and necessary journey. Ten days of trekking, heavy backpacks, large-format cameras never used before, cold nights and fatigue that becomes prayer. Then a question echoes in Sharman's head: why do we explore? 'Our species has a deep desire: to go beyond. 'Don't photograph what you see. Photograph what you feel." This mantra appears in the film as a secret key. A way of saying that truth does not lie in sharpness. It lies in dedication. For Vittorio Sella, beauty was effort: it passed through matter to become emotion. Thus, "A Thousand Words" becomes a counter-current gesture: slowing down to restore meaning. And then there is another element pulsing through the film: responsibility. Flying to the Himalayas means leaving a trace. Yet if awareness of the impact becomes a message, if the images convey care, then this impact evolves into a form of planet defence. A story that invites us to protect what we admire.

How did the idea of following in Vittorio Sella's footsteps and recreating his historic photograph of Everest after 125 years come about?
'My co-director, Dom Bush, and I were working on a historical documentary about the first expeditions to Everest in the 1920s. While filming in the archives of the Alpine Club in London, Dom came across an extraordinary panorama by Vittorio Sella taken in 1899 somewhere on the slopes of Kangchenjunga in Nepal. It was the first image ever captured showing the highest mountain on Earth. That image is both beautiful and inspirational. As filmmakers, we both realized that it could be the beginning of a powerful story."

What struck you most about Sella during your research in the archives and places he explored?
"So many things are impressive about Vittorio Sella! The beauty, clarity and intensity of his images are truly special: despite more than a century of technological advances, his photographs still retain extraordinary power. I realized how much Vittorio knew how to blend passion and expertise with energy and dedication: as Pietro Sella mentions in the film, 'It's a way of experiencing photography, a way of experiencing the mountains."

The film combines geographical exploration and existential reflection: what is the real focus of the journey?
"The focus of the story is Vittorio Sella. I hope his presence is felt throughout the film. It is as if he is guiding us on a physical and intellectual journey: his unique approach to creating images, his passion for exploration. A true pioneer, both geographically and artistically. Today, too many people opt for shortcuts. He always chose the most difficult path, and his work is better for this reason."

In the age of instantaneity, what is the value of a slow photograph, constructed with effort and film?
Learning to use a large-format camera to honor Vittorio Sella's process taught me how important it is to slow down. Slowing down forces you to notice, to be truly present. It fosters deeper connections with what you photograph and the world. Today, speed makes this deep connection more difficult.

Was there a moment when you felt you encountered Sella, beyond time?
"When we arrived in the village of Ghunsa after ten days of trekking, our paths finally crossed: we were coming from the south, Vittorio Sella from the north, 125 years earlier. Looking for the exact location of his shot, I spotted an exposed rock platform: I instantly understood that this was where he would have placed his camera. Time and space disappeared for a moment."

How did you interpret the dialogue between nineteenth-century photography and contemporary digital perspective?
"It's a matter of care and attention. Vittorio Sella earned his images through exploration, imagination, physical effort and mental dedication. He paid real attention. With digital photography, we often take shortcuts. And with AI, images don't even have to be real! The journey is what gives meaning to photography: don't photograph what you see, photograph what you feel."

How important is the balance between the physical and spiritual dimensions of exploration today?
Human beings have an innate desire to explore. It is a way of learning, of broadening our understanding of the world. When both the physical and spiritual dimensions come together in the act of exploration, interesting and exciting things happen.

The project conveys environmental awareness. How has sustainability influenced production choices?
"The climate crisis is the great challenge of our time. We have tried to minimize our impact wherever possible and have donated to reforestation organizations in the United Kingdom. Of course, we flew. But I hope that the images of extraordinary landscapes will encourage people to protect them."

Which image or moment best sums up the film?
"Vittorio's view: an invitation to adventure 125 years ago, and the same for me today. When I saw that horizon line with my own eyes, exactly from the point where he took the photo, I knew we had found the right place."