Programme 2024

Daniela and Robert Jasper have been in a relationship for 30 years and are still a powerful mountaineering couple. Especially on the Eiger North Face, the two have mastered spectacularly difficult routes. “A typical mountaineering relationship,” says Daniela, “a constant up and down.” The film accompanies the couple on the first free ascent of their route Nordwestpassage on the Eiger North Face and sheds light on stages of their marriage: serious accidents, crises, disputes and top alpine performances.

The louder the glacier, the stronger the melt. Crackling, snapping and splashing: that is the voice of transience. Sound artist Ludwig Berger demonstrates how important it is to hear the world around us. The film accompanies him on one of his numerous visits to the Morteratsch Glacier in the Swiss Alps, where he collects fascinating sounds that might disappear forever.

Food, medicine, weapons and ammunition: During the Second World War, 17-year-old Antonietta transports these goods to her partisan group in the mountains – at night and at great risk. Antonietta also guides Jewish families from Milan to Verbania and sometimes to the Swiss border, saving their lives. In this film, she breaks her silence about that time because she fears that her memories of the Resistance will die with her.

The Swiss capital of Bern prides itself in an active underground bouldering scene. “Let it Bärn” invites you to discover a unique movement that aims to playfully reconquer the streets and playgrounds of the city. Banksy ghosts and bouldering guide authors Dr. Bäri and Dr. Bomb thus continue the longstanding tradition of “buildering” – a climbing practice performed in Cambridge as early as the 19th century. Today, it lives on in activities like parkour and freerunning.

Adrien Costa gave up his career in professional cycling to pursue his passion for climbing. However, his life took a dramatic turn when a mountain accident resulted in having to wear a prosthetic leg. The film depicts Adrien’s journey from the depths of rehabilitation to the top of para climbing. He works with renowned mountain guide Mark Allen. Their journey culminates in an awe-inspiring adventure in Washington State’s North Cascades.

For Basti Gmeinwieser and Markus Meitinger, it is their most demanding highline in the mountains: after months of preparation, they rig the 60 meter long line between the third east ridge tower on Blankenstein and the summit climb. A story about the value of friendship in a breathtaking setting. Emotional and genuine, reflected and close to people, between heaven and earth, 450 meters high above the ground in the Tegernsee mountains.

Picture the Austrian Alps; a father played by renowned crime actor Simon Schwarz; a son played by Nils Hohenhövel, famous for his role in the popular German police drama “Tatort”. They embark on a hike and attempt to scale the summit of their emotional world. “Should I talk to Dad about my separation?” Paul asks his mother. “Open up. Talk to each other. Listen carefully.” More easily said than done. But because mountains open up people, father and son manage to get intimate between campfire, schnapps tasting and sunscreen massacres.

For the duration of two summers, professional alpinist Michi Wohlleben makes the pilgrimage to the Western Trinity of the Swiss Alpstein Massif. Time and again, he attempts to free solo the route he previously opened: “Bodhichitta” – meaning the Buddhist striving for enlightenment. He almost despairs over the steep and featureless limestone, but Michi remains stubbornly true to his rigid climbing ethics. Not least because he finds a soul mate in the dairymaid Agnes Gmünder. She spends the summer months on the Rheintaler Sämtis pasture, and although her relationship to the mountain is of a more spiritual nature, she observes Michi’s vertical efforts with respect and admiration.

What are the mountains? An adventure playground, amphitheatre, business model – home? Every year, larger tourist crowds flock to the hostile region above 10,000 feet. Meanwhile, the rock crumbles under our hiking boots. Ski slopes are expanding, glaciers are retreating. Will a critical rethink happen before it’s too late? Scientists, ski lift operators, philosophers, artists and mountaineers dedicate themselves in various ways to the question of the Alpine region’s future. One thing is certain: The mountains would do fine if it weren’t for humans.

As a musician, mountaineer and skier, Maurice Baquet (1911-2005) was always on the move. His life revolved around two things: the cello and the mountains. He once described himself as a “cello skier”, the only one in this category, which prompted world champion skier James Couttet to remark: “Of all the skiers I know, he is the best cellist.” André Navarra, professor at the Conservatoire National Supérieur, topped this: “Of all the cellists I know, he is the best skier.”

At first glance, the Hahnenkamm cable car is just a transport facility in one of the world’s most famous ski resorts. But closer inspection reveals an exciting historical background packed with extraordinary incidents and fascinating people. The film shows the history of the cable car’s origins in an era marked by the urge for modernity and by new departures in architecture, art, design and marketing. The contemporary document portrays multifaceted characters and casts a glance at the future.

The Karakoram is the world’s wildest mountain range. One of the most spectacular mountains around the Baltoro Glacier is the Trango Tower, better known as the “Nameless Tower”. Edu Marín, together with his brother Alex and his father Novato, attempts the second free ascent of the Eternal Flame route – 33 years after the first ascent by Wolfgang Güllich and Kurt Albert and 13 years after the first free ascent by Alex and Thomas Huber. Novato is already 74 years old …

Alex Luger spent five years exploring his multi-pitch climbing limits on the Seventh Direction route in the Rätikon. As he nears completion of his psychotherapy degree, Alex reflects on his priorities and wonders what drives him to face these extreme difficulties and dangers. Together with his mentor Johannes Rauch, he embarks on an intimate journey to explore the complex relationship between his psyche and extreme climbing.

Climbing icon Nina Caprez embarks on the most exciting adventure of her life. Together with her partner extreme sports photographer Jérémy Bernard and her daughter Lia she boards their bus named Andrea, journeying to Morocco for a highly personal project. They wish to get to know the local culture and climbing scene. This journey through North Africa and the unforeseen twists and turns of life grant access to their joys, fears and, last but not least, their personalities.

A film about developing and ascending a completely new climbing route. In the Bavarian mountains, brothers Groggi (20) and Elias (18) discover an untouched wall – which presents a perfect line! After prepping it, Groggi sets out on a free solo ascent. But it is harder than expected. While it remains unclear if the boys have taken on too much, they ask themselves what this is really about. Spoiler: more than you think …

Fay Manners and Line van den Berg have conquered massive Alpine walls together. Now, the two travel to Ben Nevis, the Scottish home of mixed climbing. The goals are ambitious, and the winter climbing weather is dauntingly changeable, which puts the endurance of the all-female team to the test. The film pays tribute to Line van den Berg, who died in an accident after filming was completed.

Two mountaineers explore the jagged Giants of Montserrat near Barcelona with the aim of climbing across all peaks of this mountain range in a single push. Abseiling, bivouacking and a long phase of concentration are necessary to successfully execute this project on the sandstone formations high above Barcelona. After more than a year of preparation, they set out to climb each of Montserrat’s 107 peaks in one week.

Alpinist Caro North and skipper Marta Guemes discover a shared passion for great adventures. Together with an all-female team, they mean to sail from France through the rough Arctic Sea to Greenland in order to attempt the first ascent of a big wall there. With a pinch of humour, the film tells of patience, determination, trust, strong cohesion and extraordinary achievements.

The mountain beckons – and people flock to it. The Alps have been experiencing a tourism boom since the 1950s. The post-war era spurred wanderlust in people’s hearts. By now, they could afford modest vacations and longed for an experience. The Alpine region boasts nature immersion, relaxation and micro-doses of adventure – all without major language barriers. An irresistible mix of “home” and “far away”. Many families travelled to the Alps for the first time. They left behind everyday life, Mount Großglockner looming ahead. Back in the day, adventure came first, comfort last.

Barbara Passrugger’s cinematic work begins when she calls a radio station that made a public appeal: A TV show is interested in purely personal memories and does not expect them to become bestsellers. At that moment, a journey through memories begins, interviews with companions and the next generation follow as well as re-enactments of remembered scenes. Gradually, a picture emerges in which Barbara Passrugger’s alpine ambitions leave deep impressions.

Mount Boy was born with disabilities in his feet and hands. One of his legs is recovering after several surgeries, but doctors are unable to restore the second leg. A climbing programme changes his life. Today he is one of Iran’s foremost climbing and canyoning instructors.

In a small town in the Abruzzo mountains, a unique competition has been taking place for centuries: Every year, men in Pacentro run barefoot from a rocky shoulder over scree slopes into the valley and beyond, then back up into the village. Whoever reaches the church first wins the so-called Corsa degli Zingari. It is an ancient custom, the origin of which is unknown, and which reflects the indissoluble relationship between people and nature.

The old Kurdish carpenter Hussein Mahmood tirelessly collects and bends wood to make prosthetic legs for victims of landmine explosions. In his remote Iranian mountain region, under the watchful eyes of squirrels, he trudges through the snow, looking for the best wood for prostheses. In an area littered with landmines, his meticulous work brings help to the victims of the insidious weapons of war. Hussein’s work aligns with nature and is an inspiring example of care and connection.

Swiss mountain guide Thomas Ulrich is known as an adventurer, expedition traveller, mountaineer and paraglider. But his heart also beats for hunting, because it makes him feel free and at one with nature. His experiences in the mountains and in the air help Thomas to develop a wide range of skills. He needs these to hunt at the foot of Mount Jungfrau in the Bernese Oberland – an area that is not suitable for just any hunter.

21 September 2024 marked the 100th anniversary of Hermann Buhl’s birth. Honouring this occasion, the film paints a portrait of the exceptional Tyrolean mountaineer that goes beyond his mountaineering achievements. Hermann Buhl was not only a rock climber, alpinist and ascendant of eight-thousanders, but also the father of three daughters. The surviving sisters Kriemhild and Silvia as well as Simon Messner and Martin Sieberer – who repeat an early first ascent of Buhl’s – are looking for answers to the question: What is it like to live with a father who is famous for extremes and also extremely absent?

Two young mountain guides, Benjamin Védrines and Nicolas Jean, tackle their first eight-thousander: Broad Peak in the Karakoram. Instead of pitching the usual high camps, they plan to complete the ascent from base camp to summit in one day and without interruption. To put the icing on the cake, Benjamin intends to break the speed record for climbing an eight-thousander and to descend from its peak by paraglider! However, once they reach the death zone, not everything goes according to plan …

Australia’s highest mountain is not located on the fifth continent itself, but on remote Heard Island in the Southern Ocean, close to Antarctica. There, a snow-covered and still active volcanic massif rises from the sea to 9,000 feet – like a large white whale. Five attempts to climb the whale hump fail. Then, in the mid-1960s, a bunch of seaworthy and mountain-skilled, fearless and humorous Australians make a new attempt to climb Mawson Peak. On a simple schooner they fight their way through choppy wave crests to the island and indeed reach the summit on the second attempt. The eminent Australian documentary filmmaker Michael Dillon tells the story of this great adventure with original footage and touching memories of the daring men themselves – one even sings them, as befits such an epic saga.

20 Years ago, Japanese mountaineer Kazuya Hiraide, three-time winner of the Piolet d’Or, discovered a magnificent line on the north face of Tirich Mir (25,288 ft). Several teams have climbed the highest peak of the Hindu Kush since the first ascent by a Norwegian expedition in 1950. But no one has ever dared to climb its north face. At the end of 2022, Hiraide sets off with Kenro Nakajima. After immense effort and six days and nights, the two climbers reach the summit. Great triumphs are succeeded by tragedy in 2024: At the end of July, Kazuya and Kenro endure a fatal accident while trying to climb the western flank of K2 in alpine style.

On 21 September 2023, Frenchmen Vivian Bruchez, Aurélien Lardy and Jules Socié succeeded with the second ski descent on the Whillans-Cochrane Route on Mount Aguja Poincenot in Patagonia. However, “skiing” is an inadequate term to describe this feat: The route runs along a ramp that is over 50 degrees steep and cuts through Poincenot’s east face. Below it loom 3,000 ft high vertical rock falls. An extreme achievement, embedded in an alpine wonderland. “Painting the Mountains” portrays all this in a visually stunning way.

In 1963, Otto Guggenbichler visited the Schmirntal Valley in Tyrol – a side valley of the Wipptal Valley – and filmed the farmers at work there. He was particularly interested in the laborious process of mowing hay on the steep slopes. However, bringing in the hay from above the tree line was not only laborious, but in some cases also extremely dangerous: A sixty-year-old farmer climbed steep walls with a 150-pound hay bale on his head: walking upright and without rope protection! Only a few years after the shoot, this type of hay harvest was already history.

The construction of the Sylvenstein Reservoir in the 1950s was seen as a controversial project in the Bavarian Oberland and especially in the Isarwinkel region. The changes in the landscape in the Upper Isar Valley were massive, the old village of Fall was submerged in the lake and rebuilt elsewhere. In this film, Otto Guggenbichler not only documents the construction work, he also lets the affected people have their say. If you never knew its history and cast your eyes on the Sylvenstein Reservoir in the Bavarian Prealps today, you’d only see a turquoise gem. Since its construction, the people of Munich have been spared from devastating floods.

In this film from 1966, Otto Guggenbichler portrays the people and culture of the Brandenberg Valley, which is located between Kufstein and Tegernsee. He also captures the very last log drive on celluloid. During a log drive, trees felled in the mountain forest are brought down to the valley by water. Today, trucks do it. A great historical document.

The documentary takes viewers to the unknown North of Albania. This part of the country is so foreign even to most Albanians in the lowlands that some call it “Bjeshkët e Nemuna”, the “enchanted mountains.” In the rugged beauty of these mountains, the camera team spent several weeks observing people whose lives are still shaped by centuries-old traditions.

A great adventure full of surprises: A research team embarks to one of Venezuela’s imposing table mountains and penetrates deep into its interior. At the Auyan Tepui, the researchers discover a mysterious cave system with “living rocks”, colonies of primeval microbes. How did they survive here? Could they provide clues to life on other planets? This adventure shows that fantastic new worlds can also be found underground.

In the Himalayas, in the remote and desert-like mountain valley of Zanskar, the local population has always depended on the glaciers, which melt in spring and provide the amount of water necessary for agriculture and life. Today, in an unequal fight against climate change, the Ladakhis are building artificial glaciers so as to counteract spring water shortages and to replenish underground water reservoirs.

During the pandemic, Walter Velásquez, a rural school teacher who has been interested in science and technology for years, builds a robot from computer scraps and calls it Kipi. Most of Walter’s students have left school because of the COVID-19 pandemic and have returned to their villages. Kipi becomes the teacher’s assistant and accompanies him henceforth. Together, they bring learning to people’s homes who otherwise would not have access to education due to the scattered settlement of the region.

Nasim Eshqi is the only woman in Iran who is opening up new climbing routes. For her passion she has to overcome physical, mental and cultural boundaries and defy the arbitrary rules imposed by a totalitarian system. She climbs in India, Turkey and Armenia, and in between she teaches Iranian women how to climb. With their cinematic work, this extraordinary athlete and the filmmaker Francesca Borghetti wish to overcome limitations and fight for human rights. The film is running outside the competition.

Protagonist Nasim Eshqi will try to attend the screening.

The empire of Sultan Mohammad is located on a mountain. Living with him are two wives, Iran and Sara, eleven children and his flock of sheep. Like all patriarchs, he’s anxious to preserve his power and wealth. But the task and duty of maintaining his reputation in the village rest mainly on the shoulders of his wives. To further strengthen his importance, Muhammad intends to marry a third time.

Director Marjan Khosravi won the Otto Guggenbichler Young Talent Award in 2022 and will attend the screening.

A deeply personal and inspiring story about Danny Giovale, a passionate mountaineer who discovers a critical safety flaw in his equipment during an accident in the Dolomites. He then develops new types of Grödel crampons and learns a lot about himself in the process. Three decades later, he returns with the product he invented to complete the climb that almost cost his life.

Paraglider Guillaume has a big dream: a complete traverse of the Alps on foot and by glider. En route, he wants to climb in the Drei Zinnen (Tre Cime di Lavaredo) as well as scaling Mont Blanc, Matterhorn and Monte Viso. He can only do this with the help of his friends, who accompany him on his 870-mile journey. He flies solo, but he is never really alone. Together with his friends, Guillaume demonstrates that extraordinary challenges can only be mastered by a team.

100 Years ago, clever tourism marketers in Oberhof, Thuringia, didn’t stick too closely to the truth: They advertised Mount Schneekopf with the magic height of 1,000 meters (3,280 ft) – not quite correctly, but understandably. To turn the 978 meters into Thuringia’s only one-thousander, tourism politicians considered a mere few years ago to raise Mt Schneekopf up to 1,000 meters. Mt Schneekopf however needs none of that, as enough exciting stories abound about this mountain.

As the Director of the Red Taiga National Park in Mongolia, Tumursukh’s job is to protect natural spaces and wildlife. His effective subterfuge is to turn former poachers into gamekeepers. Tumursukh’s strategy seems to be working. But the gradual alignment of diverse ways of life, traditions and demands is endangered when a bear family invades a village.

The documentary accompanies a team of seven adventurers during a 40-day expedition. They traverse the Norwegian archipelago Svalbard from south to north, battling extreme weather conditions and treacherous terrain as well as their physical and mental limits. With a mixture of captivating narration, breath-taking footage and a pinch of humour, the film captures the Arctic wilderness, its wildlife and the protagonists’ triumphs and tragedies.

Nathan Paulin might have racked up the highest number of runs of any highliner, and he has turned his passion into a profession. Despite the apparent ease with which he balances over deep abysses on a one-inch band, every highline is a special challenge. For more than a year, the camera accompanies his preparations for one of the world’s longest lines: across more than 7,000 feet from the seashore to the mythical Mont Saint-Michel.

The poetry of moving images: Two friends take time for friendship and cover 370 miles on foot across Austria’s familiar foreignness. One to walk to his homeland, the other to celebrate being twosome. Their shared path welds the two men together. In the rhythm of their walking, in the rhythm of the days, with each new sky, a photographer and a knifemaker experience the festival of friendship.

The history of snowboard culture, told from a Swiss perspective. About the pioneers, tinkerers and outlaws who brought skateboard culture to the ski slopes in the late 1980s. About the great hype and the blossoming of a global youth culture in the 1990s. Up until the fight against commercialisation and the takeover of snowboarding by the International Ski Federation FIS – Swiss people always shaped the international snowboard scene.

He builds skis. And he has been working on this persistently for quite a while. His work is his passion, and yet his passion is more than just skiing. After 15 years at the Graubünden ski company ZAI and a short attempt with his own company, Simon Jacomet chose a new path. Today, he makes his skis without investors in his small studio in Rabius. Any ski bearing his initials is created according to his highest ideals, without compromise. Jacomet’s philosophy is a mixture of art and drive.

Among the three Zermatt brothers Simon, Samuel and Martin Anthamatten, Samuel is probably the best skier: Even in the steepest terrain, the state-certified mountain and ski guide stands on his freeride slats as if he were one with them. Samuel is an instinctive skier who combines exceptional talent with vast alpine experience. In this portrait, he explains why, despite the great dangers associated with big mountain skiing, he would not choose a different life.

Mountain and trail running enthusiasts Susann Lehmann and Magdalena Kalus are close friends. Together, they face the Eiger Ultra Trail: a distance of 155 miles and 65,616 feet (20,000 m) of altitude with a time limit of 100 hours. This film follows the competition without script and without the possibility of any re-takes, documenting the problems and obstacles that (almost) force the women to fail. But Susi and Maggy don’t give up so easily. A story of ultra running, of losing and winning – and of lucky peaches!

The film accompanies Alex, Sarah and Lea on an ambitious tour across the Alps. Within six days, the three friends want to ride their mountain bikes across 40,000 ft of altitude and a 211-mile distance from Bavarian Garmisch-Partenkirchen to Lake Garda in Italy. However, from the get-go, the tour does not go as planned: The weather does not cooperate, a bridge is washed away. On the third day, Lea has to abandon the tour after a serious fall with a broken arm. Sarah and Alex struggle over steep climbs to Lake Garda, where they hope to reunite with Lea.

2,500 solo kilometres by paraglider through Tajikistan, Pakistan, India and Nepal. François Ragolski is not only a world champion in paragliding, but also an experienced adventurer with a generous sense of humour. He masters amazing challenges in the most remote places on earth: “It took me 60 days and gave me more memories than I could have ever dreamed of. Up and down all the time …” XXL exploration and adventure!

In 1982, at the age of 30, Pius Walder was shot dead while poaching. The Austrian judiciary viewed this as intentional bodily injury with a fatal outcome. In the larger history of East Tyrol, the fate of the poacher Pius is a sad side-story. In his hometown of Villgraten, on the other hand, local families are divided to this day. The documentary presents the history of the Walder brothers and contrasts their mystification into “Alpine Robin Hoods” against newly gained insights and facts.

As a musician, mountaineer and skier, Maurice Baquet (1911-2005) was always on the move. His life revolved around two things: the cello and the mountains. He once described himself as a “cello skier”, the only one in this category, which prompted world champion skier James Couttet to remark: “Of all the skiers I know, he is the best cellist.” André Navarra, professor at the Conservatoire National Supérieur, topped this: “Of all the cellists I know, he is the best skier.”

Six young climbers make up the German Alpine Club’s 2020–2022 women’s expedition squad. In the wilderness of Greenland, they have to face physical and mental challenges, because mountain sports are not merely a matter of muscle, but above all of the mind. The ambitious project requires strength, stamina, trust in one’s rope partners and the ability to turn back. During training, the women have to grow together as a team, because they can only achieve their goal together.

The film tells the story of the 1924 Everest Expedition by means of historical footage and interviews with Everest scientists and mountaineers. Central question is what the mountain means for mountaineers and locals 100 years after this famous expedition.

Dhanraj Barkote, a young Nepalese filmmaker living in Spain, decides to return to his birthplace in the Humla Mountains. After losing his parents and becoming an orphan, he did not visit his homeland for 20 years. Spurred on by the hope of bringing his memories to life with the help of the medium of film, Barkote sets off homeward …

US filmmaker Renan Ozturk tells the story of a very special journey: In 2019, he accompanied an expedition to the north side of Mount Everest as a photographer. The objective was to find the body of mountaineer Andy Irvine, who disappeared in 1924. As part of the expedition, Ozturk also managed to climb to the summit of Mount Everest, although he did not access the highest point out of respect for the faith of the Sherpas accompanying him. The International Alliance for Mountain Film, of which the Tegernsee Mountain Film Festival is a member, awarded Renan Ozturk the IAMF Grand Prize in 2024 in recognition of his life’s work.

The louder the glacier, the stronger the melt. Crackling, snapping and splashing: that is the voice of transience. Sound artist Ludwig Berger demonstrates how important it is to hear the world around us. The film accompanies him on one of his numerous visits to the Morteratsch Glacier in the Swiss Alps, where he collects fascinating sounds that might disappear forever.

In the Afghan province of Bamyan, young villagers build makeshift skis and meet for a thrilling mountain race that demands intense camaraderie and resilience – lessons they must fall back on after the shocking Taliban takeover of their country. Alisha Farhang, whose passion for skiing almost allows him to participate in the Olympics, has to flee from his homeland head over heels.

Swiss mountain guide Thomas Ulrich is known as an adventurer, expedition traveller, mountaineer and paraglider. But his heart also beats for hunting, because it makes him feel free and at one with nature. His experiences in the mountains and in the air help Thomas to develop a wide range of skills. He needs these to hunt at the foot of Mount Jungfrau in the Bernese Oberland – an area that is not suitable for just any hunter.

As the Director of the Red Taiga National Park in Mongolia, Tumursukh’s job is to protect natural spaces and wildlife. His effective subterfuge is to turn former poachers into gamekeepers. Tumursukh’s strategy seems to be working. But the gradual alignment of diverse ways of life, traditions and demands is endangered when a bear family invades a village.

The Julian Alps tend to be associated with Slovenia and the Slovenian national symbol, Mount Triglav. But this particularly striking and bizarre mountain range stretches further west to the River Tagliamento in Friuli, Italy. And there stands a counterpart, a huge mountain massif that commands attention: the 9,000 ft Jôf di Montasio. Its ascent becomes a journey of discovery into the unknown mountains of Friuli with their unique stories and people.

The glaciers are melting – but the tourism show must go on. Ski resorts in the Alps build their mountains on demand. As early as August, glacier remnants are removed and replanted elsewhere, rubble and debris are dredged away, tons of artificial snow are poured on top. Mountain railway operators are planning new lifts in the middle of nature reserves, although glaciers are strictly protected. But there is also resistance, be it in Tyrol or on Mount Zugspitze.

Climate change threatens the mountains with catastrophic consequences for people, nature and landscapes: Below the 9,757 ft Mount Spitzer Stein in the Bernese Alps, there is a lot of rumbling. Measuring devices are in place so as to predict as accurately as possible when and how much rock will fall from the mountain into the valley. In the worst case, the residents of Kandersteg village have 48 hours to evacuate. A fight against time in more ways than one.

The brutal war over Nagorno-Karabakh ended in 2020 with a ceasefire brokered by Russia, forcing Armenia to cede territories previously under its control to Azerbaijan. As a result, thousands of Armenians living in these areas had to leave their homeland. A few days before the handover date, a group of volunteers risk their lives to search for beautiful ancient and sacred Armenian stone inscriptions in the Lachin region, the so-called “khachkars”, and to save them from destruction.

Sadpara is a journey into the heart of Pakistan’s mountains. It traces the origin of a name that today denotes an entire population. In search of the bond that connects them to the highlands, the simple routine of a small community with a strong and traditional character is revealed in the middle of the vast landscape of the Karakoram.

The film tells the story of two men in the Enns Valley and grants insights into their unusual lives. Mountain farmer Markus Rainer has not only lived one life, but three! As a successful carpenter, as a horse breeder and a third after a coma of several months. Michael Windberger is not a farmer, but a maverick without real estate. Yet, he runs one of Austria’s highest-altitude vegetable farms, in Schladming. Overcoming resistance, making dreams come true, never giving up – this is what connects these two seemingly very different characters.

The South Tyrolean mountaineer Tamara Lunger travels with her father through the wintry landscape of Iceland to go ski touring. She talks about her remarkable mountaineering career, her resilience and her determination to conquer difficult peaks. Physical tribulations, emotional and psychological aspects as well as unpredictable weather conditions become challenging. Tamara learns to appreciate travel for itself, in the spirit of the Icelandic motto for life: “Þetta reddast” – everything will be fine.

What goes on in the mind of professional climber and alpinist Martin Feistl? The protagonist himself and filmmaker Lukas Neugebauer explore this question in an impressive portrait. Many questions remain unanswered and will unfortunately remain so forever: While the film is still being completed, the 27-year-old top mountaineer from Dießen at Lake Ammersee perishes in a fatal accident during a solo ascent of the Spitzenstätter-Führe on the south face of Mount Scharnitzspitze.

The documentary tells the story of Toni Gobbi (1914-1970), a well-known Italian mountaineer and mountain guide from Vicenza, who, after studying law, decided to turn his passion for the mountains into a profession. He celebrated mountaineering successes worldwide – from the Alps to the Andes and the Karakoram. Much more importantly, however, Gobbi revolutionised the mountain guide profession by reconciling urban and mountain culture and thus broadening the horizon of both.

25 years ago, bears were reintroduced in the Italian Trentino. Nowhere else in the world do predators and humans live in such close proximity. After a deadly bear attack on jogger Andrea Papi in 2023, “problem bear” Gaia (JJ4) becomes the target of a feverish search. Meanwhile, the dispute over how to deal with the animal escalates. Grimme Award winner Andreas Pichler accompanies the Forest Guard’s special bear unit through the Trentino and reveals the fierce conflict between animal rights activists and the local population.

Filmmaker Veronica Ciceri follows the traces of the longest known movement of any wolf across Europe. “Emme” migrates from Switzerland to Hungary, covering 1,200 miles. While the filmmaker follows her protagonist, her external journey becomes an internal one. In her documentary, Ciceri describes her experience as an immersion into the intermediate world of human and wild animal.

Veronica Ciceri received the Otto Guggenbichler Award for a Junior Filmmaker last year.

Australia’s highest mountain is not located on the fifth continent itself, but on remote Heard Island in the Southern Ocean, close to Antarctica. There, a snow-covered and still active volcanic massif rises from the sea to 9,000 feet – like a large white whale. Five attempts to climb the whale hump fail. Then, in the mid-1960s, a bunch of seaworthy and mountain-skilled, fearless and humorous Australians make a new attempt to climb Mawson Peak. On a simple schooner they fight their way through choppy wave crests to the island and indeed reach the summit on the second attempt. The eminent Australian documentary filmmaker Michael Dillon tells the story of this great adventure with original footage and touching memories of the daring men themselves – one even sings them, as befits such an epic saga.

Climbing icon Nina Caprez embarks on the most exciting adventure of her life. Together with her partner extreme sports photographer Jérémy Bernard and her daughter Lia she boards their bus named Andrea, journeying to Morocco for a highly personal project. They wish to get to know the local culture and climbing scene. This journey through North Africa and the unforeseen twists and turns of life grant access to their joys, fears and, last but not least, their personalities.

Hannes Dornach is only eleven years old and already a junior dairy herdsman. The Hochried dairy pasture is located on Mount Mittagberg in the Allgäu, above Immenstadt. Here, Hannes helps the Zweng family with the cattle, cheesemaking and with looking after the guests. He’s not interested in jetting off on a holiday and relaxing in the sun. He just wants to hang with the animals. He knows each cow and calf by name as well as their characters, and he doesn’t mind early mornings and hard work – on the contrary, he’d like to help even more.

The mountain rescue service is deployed whenever no one else can make it to the scene of an accident. The emergency services search for missing persons, venture onto steep rock faces and into dark caves. Together with mountain rescuer Andi from the Ruhpolding Mountain Rescue, Marina checks out a piste rescue, and she is part of a search operation with search dog Juna. Finally, in the mountain rescue training hall, Marina learns about the process of a rescue by helicopter.

In this film, Tobi checks out life at a mountain hut. In summer, he visits the dairymaid Josefa on her alpine pasture. He learns how a dairymaid works and helps Josefa take care of her young cattle. In winter, Tobi visits the innkeeper family of the Priener Hütte in the Chiemgau Alps. He helps serve the guests and figures out everyday life of a family in a mountain hut. Tobi is even allowed to spend the night!

Alpinists and mountain guides Michi Wohlleben and Lukas Hinterberger are taking on a special alpine challenge. They mean to complete the first uninterrupted winter traverse of the three ridges of Mount Salbitschijen in the Uri Alps. With this enchainment, they are in for a breezy and crisply cold adventure at an altitude of almost 10,000 ft.

Magical first ascents in three countries along the Silk Road: The documentary accompanies climbing legend Stefan Glowacz and his team of three, including for the first time his son Tim, on a journey to Turkey, Iran and Tajikistan. Together with local climbers, they are trying to execute three first ascents in three months. The film is a climbing road movie with great landscape impressions, intriguing protagonists and gripping climbing footage.

The latest adventure of Leo “Poke” Martínez, a pioneer of para alpine skiing in Argentina: Accompanied by over 20 friends, he sets off to descend on a monoski from the steep summit of Lanín Volcano. “Resiliente” is a moving tribute to the strength of human willpower and the meaning of our dreams, an ode to friendship and the love of skiing.

For the duration of two summers, professional alpinist Michi Wohlleben makes the pilgrimage to the Western Trinity of the Swiss Alpstein Massif. Time and again, he attempts to free solo the route he previously opened: “Bodhichitta” – meaning the Buddhist striving for enlightenment. He almost despairs over the steep and featureless limestone, but Michi remains stubbornly true to his rigid climbing ethics. Not least because he finds a soul mate in the dairymaid Agnes Gmünder. She spends the summer months on the Rheintaler Sämtis pasture, and although her relationship to the mountain is of a more spiritual nature, she observes Michi’s vertical efforts with respect and admiration.

On 21 September 2023, Frenchmen Vivian Bruchez, Aurélien Lardy and Jules Socié succeeded with the second ski descent on the Whillans-Cochrane Route on Mount Aguja Poincenot in Patagonia. However, “skiing” is an inadequate term to describe this feat: The route runs along a ramp that is over 50 degrees steep and cuts through Poincenot’s east face. Below it loom 3,000 ft high vertical rock falls. An extreme achievement, embedded in an alpine wonderland. “Painting the Mountains” portrays all this in a visually stunning way.

Deep in the French Alps, far from civilization, Felix tends to his herd. For months on end, he lives in a minimalist and inaccessible world where an invisible creature roams: the wolf. Solitude defines his days in the mountains, which are filled with care for the lambs, fencing and poetry. Louis Hanquet’s debut film was the winner of the Trento Film Festival in 2024.

From pristine tundra to the mysterious Arctic islands, this documentary presents a deep and wild journey into the lives of the animals of the last Ice Age. It takes us to Scandinavia, where time stands still and only the voice of nature counts.

In a small town in the Abruzzo mountains, a unique competition has been taking place for centuries: Every year, men in Pacentro run barefoot from a rocky shoulder over scree slopes into the valley and beyond, then back up into the village. Whoever reaches the church first wins the so-called Corsa degli Zingari. It is an ancient custom, the origin of which is unknown, and which reflects the indissoluble relationship between people and nature.

From Briançon to Pigna in Liguria in five days – by mountain bike. The travel companions are deeply impressed by the vastness and loneliness of the landscape. Guides Stefan and Eric present wild and beautiful trails, hospitable people, and arresting places: For example, in the tiny village of Paraloup in the Val Stura Valley, which was a retreat for partisans at the time of the Second World War.

Antoine Girard is a passionate paraglider and explorer. He loves to fly routes no one has flown before. In Peru, he starts out on a new trip with his friend Henri Riton, another experienced paraglider pilot. Together, they will embark on an unprecedented 745-mile expedition from north to south, along the legendary peaks of the Andes. A lively and moving journey that involves great risks – and ends tragically.

Adrien Costa gave up his career in professional cycling to pursue his passion for climbing. However, his life took a dramatic turn when a mountain accident resulted in having to wear a prosthetic leg. The film depicts Adrien’s journey from the depths of rehabilitation to the top of para climbing. He works with renowned mountain guide Mark Allen. Their journey culminates in an awe-inspiring adventure in Washington State’s North Cascades.

Reini Scherer is a veteran of the German climbing scene. The CEO of Kletterzentrum Innsbruck looks back at a long climbing life, having performed first lead climbs on around 1,500 pitches. Even in his mid-50s he does not tire of looking for new territories on undeveloped rocks. He became known for the successes of others: He discovered and trained David Lama, Anna Stöhr and Jakob Schubert – his athletes won over twenty medals at world championships and the Olympic Games.

In the West Bank, climbing means much more to a colourful medley of people than just a sport: For Palestinian climbers, every minute on the rock means much-needed respite from the burden of the Israeli occupation. American writer and climber Andrew Bisharat visits the West Bank to find his own roots and rediscover the power of climbing.

Nasim Eshqi is the only woman in Iran who is opening up new climbing routes. For her passion she has to overcome physical, mental and cultural boundaries and defy the arbitrary rules imposed by a totalitarian system. She climbs in India, Turkey and Armenia, and in between she teaches Iranian women how to climb. With their cinematic work, this extraordinary athlete and the filmmaker Francesca Borghetti wish to overcome limitations and fight for human rights. The film is running outside the competition.

The Swiss capital of Bern prides itself in an active underground bouldering scene. “Let it Bärn” invites you to discover a unique movement that aims to playfully reconquer the streets and playgrounds of the city. Banksy ghosts and bouldering guide authors Dr. Bäri and Dr. Bomb thus continue the longstanding tradition of “buildering” – a climbing practice performed in Cambridge as early as the 19th century. Today, it lives on in activities like parkour and freerunning.

Eighty years of Reinhold Messner: a life like a myth. He made history as a mountaineer, but as a person he has remained a mystery to many. This film portrait sheds light on the legendary mountaineer from the perspective of his closest companions and shows his unique life with rare archive footage. As a man, he experienced the magic of countless horizons, but also tragic abysses. The film tells the story of the alpinist and man Reinhold Messner and his unique path from the Villnöss Valley to the mountains of the world.

“There would have been flatter land for the field,” says mountain farmer Valentin, but with produce, it’s the same as with a concert: “Standing on the tribune, you don’t have anyone in front of you, and on the slope, the plants get more sun.” The film tells of the balancing act between the simple life of a self-sufficient farmer and that of a supplier to star-studded kitchens. It celebrates the spot above the dung heap as the most beautiful place for sunsets. Everything on the organic farm has its philosophy, because “a farm is much bigger than what we can see with our eyes.”

Absolutely unclimbable: The film documents the first ascent of a new route through the south face of Nuptse in Nepal by three French mountaineers. It is supremely dangerous and has only been climbed three times before. This feat is extreme in two respects: Not only do the climbers overcome great difficulties and dangers, they also let the viewer participate in their adventure up-close.

The film accompanies five protagonists from Switzerland, Austria, Bolivia and Peru. Skiing down steep walls in the Andes at almost 20,000 ft takes the group to its limits. During the first descent on 19,927 ft high Mount Chachacomani in Bolivia, the altitude is a difficult hurdle to overcome. The film explores the question why mountains play such an important role in the lives of many people.

When Egger arrives in the valley that is to contain his whole life, he is four years old. Under difficult circumstances, he grows up to be a seasoned farm hand, and as a young man, he joins a work gang that builds mountain railways. Then comes the day when Egger faces the love of his life for the first time. Many years later, when Egger embarks on his last journey, he looks with amazement at the years that lie behind him.

15-year-old Marlon lives in a small village in the Allgäu region and spends a lot of his free time in the mountains and in nature – until he is attacked and falls into a vegetative state. Trapped in his motionless body, his thoughts and emotions whirl uncontrollably. Reality, memories and illusions mingle as he struggles to escape his powerless state. In the process, he must detach himself from a painful event in his past and overcome the invisible barrier to his mother.

In the last remaining high mountain sanctuaries of the Alps, this film offers us the privilege of following at close range chamois, eagles, wolves and other creatures with shared territories. From one autumn to the next, we encounter wild animals in mountains where snow and ice prevail for several months of the year. The animals balance on the tightrope of life, come across each other, hunt, redouble their ingenuity and listen to their instincts to master the greatest of all challenges: life.

Leonhard Habersetzer is a police mountain guide. Within the Alpine Task Force, he works on exposed, fall-prone terrain, usually out of sight of normal hikers, where someone has had a fatal accident. Leonhard’s territory is the mountainous region around Germany’s highest peak, Mount Zugspitze. Searching for missing persons, investigating criminal offences and resolving mountain accidents with serious injuries or deaths are his core tasks. But one task goes far beyond compulsory service …

Without the forest, most roads would be impassable, and many villages would be uninhabitable. Two thirds of the Graubünden Forest are protected. A healthy forest is therefore the basis of our existence. But how is the Graubünden Forest doing? The programme Cuntrasts visits three forest areas and examines their condition.

Janis McDavid was born without arms and legs. Nevertheless, he does not want to accept limitation. His goal is to climb Mt Kilimanjaro: “If I’m missing arms and legs, I’ll borrow some.” His friends Sven and Torsten carry Janis, who weighs around 30 kilograms, in a backpack. Kilimanjaro will be a special challenge: During the ascent to an altitude of about 19,340 ft, oxygen becomes scarcer and the burden on everyone increases. But would giving up be an option? Hardly.