Programme - Thursday 20. October 2022 - during the day

Certain parrots are completely different from their peers. They love snow as well as the cold, harsh mountain climate of New Zealand. With great curiosity and ingenuity, they break into houses and rubbish bins, open locks and rob tools. These odd and oddly crafty birds even make new discoveries on ski slopes.

If you want to survive in the high mountains, you need really thick skin. Because on ice-covered peaks and dangerously steep slopes, the air can quickly become thin. This environment is not suitable for every kind of animal, nor for every plant. But it’s the perfect setting for Pia’s latest adventures!

Diego is the second eldest of five children. His father died last year. Since then, he has had to do the field work together with his older brother. But he also goes to school, unlike his parents and grandparents. Diego adores his young teacher, who is his role model, because Diego also wants to become a teacher.

Nature and adventure photographer Rafael Duarte embarks on a journey through the city of Rio de Janeiro. He hopes to gain exclusive perspectives from the vantage points of five individuals who foster a special relationship to the city’s diverse landscapes. The film shows how their connection to nature in the city influences their lives and their view of the world.

Ein Jahr lang begleitet der Film die Familie Schnydrig und ihre 50 Schwarznasenschafe im Schweizer Kanton Wallis. Im Frühjahr sind die Schafe noch im Stall, die Lämmer werden geboren. Den Sommer verbringen sie im Hochgebirge auf der Alm. Hier haben die Züchter der Gegend gemeinsam einen Hirten engagiert, der bei den Schafen bleibt, um sie vor Wölfen zu schützen. Im Herbst steht der Höhepunkt des Jahres bevor: der Schwarznasen-Schönheitswettbewerb. Wer wird diesmal das schönste Schaf im Wallis?

Although they were artificially created, they are considered the pearls of the Alps: the Tyrolean reservoir lakes. With impressive footage, the documentary explores the most spectacular, but also the quiet and almost obscure reservoirs. At the same time, it tells the stories of the people who live around these lakes. Historical footage and photos grant fascinating insights into the reservoirs’ architectural history.

Kurt Diemberger, the only surviving first ascender of two eight-thousanders, turned ninety on 16 March 2022. The life of the mountaineer, film maker and author is marked by unique successes and an unbelievable tragedy on K2 in the black summer of 1986.

In 2010, the film’s director received the Grand Prize of the City of Tegernsee for “Mount St. Elias”.

In times of change, cultural specificities are quickly erased. The production of a hand-knotted carpet for the furnishing of a Kyrgyz yurt is one of the traditional cultural techniques which, due to a more sedentary life, become obsolete. Only the elders still master this artistry.

Over the past year, 257 animals were taken in Switzerland by the wolf. That is why sheep breeder Mario Alig went along with the offer and recommendation of the breeders’ association and bought two dogs for herd protection: Amy and Akira. The reportage documents the necessary process of shepherd and hounds getting comfortable with each other.

The north face of Mount Lalider is one of the most important and highest walls in the Alps – and one of the most brittle. Permanent bolts are the very rare exception; all climbing projects on this wall are wild and adventurous. If you climb here, you have to know what you are doing. Two mountain guides have been familiar with it since the “hot days” of the 70s and 80s: Reiner Pickl and Helmut Schmidt.

The Alps are not only a spectacular natural landscape in the heart of Europe, but also a living space for 13 million people across eight countries, whose multitude of languages, dialects and ways of life reflect the cultural diversity of this unique region.

The film tells of people whose life perspectives between economy and ecology could not be more contrastive – and who, despite difficult circumstances, are deeply connected to their homeland.

At 1,863 feet (568 m) of elevation, Mount Battert is probably the most popular destination around Baden-Baden, Germany. Its eye-catcher is a structure of walls and towers called Battertfelsen, which was discovered for climbing as early as 1885. Here, Martin Schließler learned to climb and developed into a supreme expert. In this 1953 film directed by television pioneer Wolfgang Brobeil, Martin Schließler made his cinematic debut as a lead actor.

Martin Schließler gathered first expedition filming experiences in the Karakoram as renowned documentary film maker Eugen Schuhmacher’s second cameraman. In 1955, Schließler undertook a journey of several months through South America with his rope partner of the time, Dolf Meyer. The film focuses on the encounter with people and their cultures, yet culminates in the challenging conquest of a six-thousander.

At the 1956 German Movie Awards (Deutscher Filmpreis), the film was awarded the silver “Filmband”.

Andreas Prielmaier and Guiseppe Barbagallo intend to mountain e-bike on Europes’s three most famous volcanoes: Vesuvius, Etna and Vulcan. They get to know the people who live with the ever-present danger of an outbreak. They fight storms, new snow and freezing temperatures and learn to surf through lava sand. In order to reach the island of Vulcan, Prielmaier paddles an inflatable standup paddleboard with a bike mounted on top of it across almost 24 miles of open sea.

Edward James has been to the foot of Mount Roraima more often than most indigenous Akawaios living in the Amazon rainforest. There, however, his expeditions also ended. A group of British mountaineers finally climbed the world’s highest table mountain in 1973. Expedition leader and world-class climber Leo Houlding assembles a team including Cumbrian climber Anna Taylor and jungle expert Waldo Etherington, to embark on a big wall expedition of “modern ethics” – this time, together with the Akawaios.

Toni Arbones ist der Pate von Siurana, einem der größten Klettergebiete der Welt. Aufgewachsen in Katalonien hat er die Berge früh für sich entdeckt. Der Film erzählt die Geschichte seiner Leidenschaft für die Erschließung von Klettergebieten, zunächst in Spanien, dann in Marokko, China und darüber hinaus. Ursprünglich träumte er davon, Astronaut zu werden, doch seine Begeisterung für das Klettern ist eine Konstante in seinem sich verändernden Universum.

The film describes the recovery of alpinist and speed climber Quinn Brett, who experienced one of the most traumatic accidents in the history of climbing at the height of her sporting career. Until recently, she was one of the strongest and most successful athletes in North America – the film provides insights into her new life with a significant impairment.

In the summer of 2020, Belgian professional climbers Nicolas Favresse and Sébastien Berthe cycle through Europe to tackle the Alpine trilogy – three of the most difficult multi-pitch routes in the Alps. Their dogs Kroux and Bintje travel with them. In addition to having a bunch of fun, the two also achieve climbing success. The film accompanies the crazy troupe on their climbing trip.

“Salve” is about an extraordinary and thrilling expedition. Both the colour pink and a leg amputation play key roles. Can Jaqueline Fritz fulfil her dream of hiking on old paths through the Val Grande National Park, aided only by crutches, and of adding a high tour through the Monte Rosa massif at above 13,000 ft (4,000 m)?