A Few Frozen Seconds is an 8-and-a-half-minute short documentary made in Germany and directed by Edward Knowles and Timo Bruun. It follows Ghanaian athlete Akwasi Frimpong during the IBSF World Championships, one of skeleton's most demanding competitions, a winter sport combining speed, technique and extreme control.
The documentary focuses on the crucial moment in Frimpong's career as he faces an extraordinarily intense physical and mental test: hurtling at more than 130 km/h down an icy track, he must retain focus and composure to avoid any mistake, knowing that one error could compromise years of work and his Olympic goal.
Frimpong is portrayed not only in action during the competition but also on his more human side: his mother's presence in the audience, for the first time, adds an emotional dimension to the sporting experience. The film explores the relationship between athletic commitment and family responsibilities, showing how time and pressure affect both performance and personal life.
Its central message is resilience and determination: Frimpong fights to improve his times for the 2026 Olympics while also seeking to make his mother proud and reconcile his sporting career with family life.
The documentary was completed on 5 January 2025. It is neither a student project nor a debut work. Shot in Germany with Sony FX6/3 cameras, it offers a dynamic immersion in the speed and tension of the sport.
Film Details
Title: A Few Frozen Seconds
Original title: A Few Frozen Seconds
Director: Edward Knowles, Timo Bruun
Production: Florian Gebbert, Tobias Abt, Maren Rickert
Country: Germany
Language: English
Running time: 8 minutes 29 seconds
Genre: Documentary
Sport featured: Skeleton
Protagonist(s): Akwasi Frimpong
Completion date: 5 January 2025
Premiere: [Not available]
Distributor: [Not available]
Shooting format: Sony FX6/3, 16:9, colour
Director's first film: No
Student project: No