 Following its world premiere in Basel, Taming the Beast travelled to Liechtenstein for a special premiere screening at the historic Altes Kino Vaduz — and once again, the evening proved that Eddie Hall’s story reaches far beyond the world of strength sports. The audience in Vaduz reflected exactly what we have always believed about this film: Taming the Beast is not made for one particular demographic. Among the guests were athletes, artists, musicians, business leaders, representatives of the Liechtenstein government, members of the local film and cultural community, and several representatives connected with the Liechtenstein Media Fund, a new film fund created to finance ambitious international feature productions. A well-known dancer sat alongside entrepreneurs. A musician watched the film next to government representatives. Film professionals shared the room with people who had never followed strongman competition in their lives. And yet, once the lights went down, everyone was watching the same human story. Another Audience, the Same Emotional ResponseThe Liechtenstein press had already recognised before the screening that Taming the Beast was not a conventional sports documentary. The Liechtensteiner Vaterland described the film as the story of a man celebrated as the strongest in the world who nevertheless had to confront depression, psychological pressure and the emptiness that followed achieving his ultimate goal. It highlighted the fact that the true strength of the documentary lies not in sport itself, but in Eddie’s willingness to speak openly about his mental-health struggles. That became immediately apparent during the screening. As in Basel, there were moments when the room was completely silent. Eddie’s victories impressed people, of course, but it was his vulnerability, his family, his relationship with his past and his struggle to understand what comes after reaching the top that seemed to connect most strongly with the audience. Local coverage following the premiere described the evening as one filled with both international glamour and deep human emotion, calling the documentary an intimate portrait of a man who risked everything for his dream and nearly broke under the weight of it. Download the Articles
A Q&A That Became a ConversationJust as in Basel, the evening did not end when the credits rolled. The Q&A became one of the highlights of the night, with Lead Executive Producer Guido Baechler and Director Josias Tschanz taking questions from the audience and sharing stories from a production journey that stretched across almost a decade. The discussion naturally returned to some of the film's deeper subjects. Why had the documentary taken so many years to complete? How did COVID change the production? When did everyone realise that this was no longer simply a film about the World's Strongest Man? And why did mental health ultimately become the emotional heart of Taming the Beast? The local press later highlighted the audience discussion as one of the memorable parts of the evening, particularly the stories about the pandemic years and filming Eddie in Switzerland. But not everything was serious. At one point, Guido introduced a behind-the-scenes clip featuring a familiar face in Liechtenstein: DJ Alan, the well-known local cosplayer and entertainer famous for his uncanny incarnation of Alan from The Hangover films. Alan had already attended the world premiere in Basel and came to Vaduz for a second helping—this time accompanied by his entourage. There was a good reason for showing the clip. Back in April 2022, only about a month after Switzerland had lifted its pandemic restrictions, the Taming the Beast team was finally able to return to filming. One of those shoots took place in Weggis, on Lake Lucerne, where Guido temporarily exchanged his Line Producer and Executive Producer hats for a director's hat. The purpose of the shoot was a very personal segment between Eddie Hall and Chris Fretwell, the film's second director. After everything the production had been through during COVID, it was an important moment: cameras were rolling again, Eddie was back in Switzerland, and Taming the Beast was moving forward.
A Special Connection to LiechtensteinBringing Taming the Beast to Vaduz also had a personal significance for Lead Executive Producer Guido Baechler. Over the years, Liechtenstein has increasingly become a second professional home for him. His connection to the country now extends well beyond Taming the Beast: as the founder of the LXF SICAV - LMF Liechtenstein Media Fund, he has become closely involved in building a new film-financing platform based in the Principality, designed to participate in the development and production of ambitious international motion pictures. That made the Vaduz premiere feel particularly special. Among the audience were several representatives connected to LXF, alongside representatives from the Liechtenstein government, the arts, music, business and the local cultural community. It created an unusual mix of people in one cinema—established filmmakers sitting alongside people involved in what we hope will become part of the next generation of international filmmaking connected to Liechtenstein. Taming the Beast itself also has Liechtenstein connections. Patrick Heeb of Vaduz and other Liechtenstein-based supporters are credited among the film's Executive Producers, something the Liechtensteiner Vaterland highlighted in its coverage surrounding the Vaduz screening. But perhaps the more interesting connection is what the evening represented looking forward. Taming the Beast was an international production that crossed borders repeatedly during its long journey—from Britain and Switzerland to Austria, the United States, Canada and beyond. Now, as Guido's own filmmaking activities become increasingly connected with Liechtenstein through LXF, presenting the finished film in Vaduz felt like one journey arriving home just as another one is beginning. A Film That Keeps Crossing BoundariesWhat became clear again in Vaduz is that Eddie Hall’s story does not belong exclusively to strongman fans. You do not have to understand deadlifting. You do not have to know who won World’s Strongest Man in 2017. You do not have to follow bodybuilding, boxing or fitness culture. You only have to understand what it feels like to pursue something with everything you have, finally achieve it — and then discover that success has not answered every question. That is where Taming the Beast becomes universal. The Vaduz audience came from completely different worlds, but during the Q&A many of the conversations returned to the same subjects: purpose, family, pressure, vulnerability, resilience and the expectations we place upon ourselves. That is why these premiere evenings have become so important to us. They allow us to see the film through the eyes of the audience. Thank You, VaduzBasel gave Taming the Beast an unforgettable world premiere.  Vaduz gave us something different, but equally special: an intimate evening where filmmakers, government representatives, artists, financiers, athletes and moviegoers could sit together, watch Eddie’s journey and then talk about what it meant to them.
For a documentary that ultimately asks us to reconsider what strength really means, there could hardly have been a better audience. Thank you to everyone who joined us at Altes Kino Vaduz, to those who participated in the discussion, and to everyone in Liechtenstein who helped make the evening possible. The journey of Taming the Beast continues — and Vaduz will remain a very special chapter in it.
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