Programme - (19 October 2024 - Day)

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.

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.