Film Programme 20 October 2022 - Evening

How can we inhabit our space differently at a time when climatic upheavals are no longer merely to be feared but in full swing? Can we reflect differently upon our relationship with what surrounds us? The makers of this film believe that art is instrumental in opening up new spaces of thought, experimentation and imagination and that it has a key role to play in this regard.

Leaving old paths, discovering new ones. “More than a Route” accompanies ecologist and top climber Lena Müller on her Ecopoint tour. Together with her friend Judith, she covers 217 miles (350 km) of distance and 16,732 ft (5,100 m) of altitude gain by gravel bike so as to climb two stellar trad routes. Not bringing a car proves a great bonus: “Our time, the spaces traversed, the people, everything gains in importance.”

Anna Hadzelek, Antonia Schlosser and Katharina Kestler – co-hosts of the popular Bayern 2 podcast “Bergfreundinnen” (Mountain Girlfriends) – traverse the Alps on their very own route and in the footsteps of the first female alpinists. Their route takes them on foot from Oberstdorf to Lake Como. Their community is constantly plugged in live via podcast and Instagram.

Back to the roots – on the slackline at Mount Wendelstein. In 2020, eight years after the first successful highline at Mount Wendelstein, a new route is born with a length of almost 1,640 ft (500 m) – making it Germany’s longest highline. Even after all this time, Mount Wendelstein, the Inntal Slackliner’s local mountain, presents new challenges.

Valentin Rapp received the Otto Guggenbichler Prize for a Junior Film Maker in 2021 for his film “Alpine Highlines – Dolomites”.

On a cold and snowy winter night, a young veterinarian must fight against the unexpected adversities of life to prove to herself and to a rugged old mountain farmer that she is capable of doing her job well. Obstetrics performed for Bufera, the lead cow in the stable, turns into a battle between life and death.

In 1994, on the occasion of Schließler’s 65th birthday, the “Bergauf-Bergab” mountaineering TV programme screened a portrait of this artistic all-rounder. The film observes Schließler working on a bust of Anderl Heckmair, accompanies him on a trip to the foot of Mount Alpspitze and grants many insights into a fascinating personality.

In 1972/73, Munich-based mountain guide Günter Sturm set off on a miniature expedition to Patagonia. Together with Argentinian friends, he aimed for the first ascent of a three-thousander towering above the inland ice. Schließler joined the effort and created a travel film about Patagonia and this undertaking.

Otto Guggenbichler and Martin Schließler crossed paths for the first time in 1958, when Guggenbichler was shooting a film about Mounts Zermatt and Matterhorn. Guggenbichler hired the climbing legend and cameraman from Baden-Baden specifically for shooting the ascent along the Hörnligrat Ridge to the summit of the “Horu”.

1,413 horizontal miles (2,274 km) and 151,522 vertical feet (46,184 m) by mountain bike. Mighty rock faces. Two first ascents. After numerous expeditions, climbing and adventure pro Stefan Glowacz and his tour partner Philipp Hans look for adventure at their doorstep. They cannot yet imagine the tribulations this sustainability-oriented ultra-transalpine quest holds in store for them.

In 2004, the director received the Prize in the Landscape category for “Die Alpen – Eine Reise durch Bayrisch-Afrika“ (The Alps – A Journey across Bavarian Africa) and in 2011 an Honourable Jury Mention for “Das zweite Leben des Tal Niv“ (The Second Life of Tal Niv).

In 1984, Zoltán Demján climbed two eight-thousanders without supplementary oxygen. First, he conquered the south face of Lhotse Shar, then the south pillar of Mount Everest, where the weather turned his descent into a dramatic experience. His first attempt at Dhaulagiri teaches him the lesson of a lifetime. What awaits him at its vertical southwest pillar is not only top difficulty climbing but also a life-changing realisation.

Pavol Barabáš’s film “Metamorphoses of the Tatra Mountains” received an Honourable Mention by the Jury in 2006.

Two women, the same mountain peaks, the same passion: to discover paths that no one has ever walked before. In 1901, British mountaineer Gertrude Bell succeeded with a spectacular first ascent in the Engelhörner Mountains, a traditional limestone climbing area in the northern Bernese Alps. In the film, Monika Romang from the Bernese Oberland completes the sport climbing route “Queen of Desert” on Gertrudspitze’s west face, which she opened with Daniel Anker in 2015. Their tours take both women into the past and to their limits.

For “Schwerelos – Das Leben, ein Pfeifen” (Weightless – Life is Whistling), the director received an Honourable Mention by the Jury in 2021.

Shahnaz, the eldest daughter of a nomadic family, loves writing and her stories are inspired by her lifestyle. Her father wants to marry her off to improve the family’s situation, but Shahnaz wishes to pursue bigger dreams.

Shahnaz, the eldest daughter of a nomadic family, loves writing and her stories are inspired by her lifestyle. Her father wants to marry her off to improve the family’s situation, but Shahnaz wishes to pursue bigger dreams.

Old military trails and perfect single trails in the back country of Finale Ligure, Italy: a dreamscape to ride across by mountain bike. The landscape is characterized by ancient towns with narrow streets and sprawling mountains and hills. With Harald Philipp, Stefan Eberharter, Sonja Sanwald and Mathias Marschner, we experience a region where time seems to have been suspended.

In antiquity, Monte Viso was considered the highest mountain of the Alps – seen from the Po Valley, it looks like the mountain of all mountains. It presents an attraction not only for alpinists: the Po River’s source is legendary throughout northern Italy, and the special culture of the Piedmont only adds to that. For the “Bergauf-Bergab” TV show, Georg Bayerle scales Monte Viso and dives deep into the history and stories surrounding one of the most striking Alpine peaks.

Georg Bayerle’s film “Expedition in den Bayerischen Urwald” (Expedition into the Bavarian Jungle) received an Honourable Mention by the Jury in 2006.

On a cold and snowy winter night, a young veterinarian must fight against the unexpected adversities of life to prove to herself and to a rugged old mountain farmer that she is capable of doing her job well. Obstetrics performed for Bufera, the lead cow in the stable, turns into a battle between life and death.

Due to the Islamic Revolution, Puria Ravahi’s family had to leave Iran in 1980. 36 years later, two trips with a friend take him back there: in 2016 to Puria’s birthplace Tehran and with skis to Mount Damavand (18,605 ft / 5,671 m). In 2022, they explore the Zagros Mountains by means of ski touring, including many four-thousanders, and they travel on to Shiraz. Puria hopes to visit his father there.

In 2017, Puria Ravahi received the German Alpine Club’s Award for the Best Film in the category Mountain Experience for “Last Exit”.

Trude Dissertori, born in 1932 in Tramin, has probably stood on every single South Tyrolean peak. She affectionately calls them “knotten”. No Sunday succeeded in keeping her captive at home. She hiked, climbed, travelled far. If you were to count the miles, she would have circumnavigated the world on cross-country skis.

Poncione d’Alnasca is a wild mountain overlooking the Verzasca Valley in the Swiss Canton of Ticino. In 2016, Matteo Della Bordella, together with friends, opened a new route on the 2,000-foot-high (600 m), dizzying south face, meeting a high degree of difficulty. He returns in 2020 with his climbing partner Alessandro Zeni. Within a few days, they manage to free climb the entire route. Certain jumps into the void to make the next foot hold are veritable leaps of faith.

Fulvio Mariani received an Honourable Mention by the Jury for his film “Afghan Winter” in 2016.

Alpinist Caro North always feels called – by the mountains, towards the wall, high up, no matter on which continent. At the age of 16, she already summits on Mount Aconcagua (22,837 ft / 6,961 m) in Argentina. Her expeditions to Patagonia, Alaska, Iran and the Himalayas shape the young alpinist, but also her experiences as a mountain guide in the local Swiss mountains. In this cinematic portrait, we follow her right there: up to the icy heights where Caro North feels most at home.

Jochen Schmoll’s films have already received numerous awards in Tegernsee.

Pete Whittaker, known for his world-class crack climbing and roped solo ascents, opens a new chapter on the Kjerag Big Wall (3,549 ft / 1,082 m) in Norway: He hopes to succeed with his first free solo ascent as well as his first big wall ascent without the protection of a rope. The camera zooms in close as he climbs the increasingly difficult and highly exposed line, grip by grip.

In 2010, Alastair Lee received the German Alpine Club Award in the category Mountain Adventure for “The Asgard Project”.