Film program – 26 November
Film program
26 November, Sunday
Big Hall
11:00 / 11:52 – Yukon, Un Rêve Blanc / A White Dream, 2021, France, Mathieu Le Lay, 52` – original language French with Bulgarian subtitles
Dreamer of images and in love with the cold, wildlife photographer Jérémie Villet travels alone through the white deserts of the northern hemisphere with his pulka and telephoto lens, in search of animals living in the cold. On his next expedition to the Canadian Far North, Jérémie sets out to explore the wild and extreme region of the Yukon, with the main objective of photographing the iconic mountain goat. The difficulty of accessing the mountain territories in which this animal evolves and the freezing temperatures will make its task difficult. Driven by adventures and unique human and animal encounters, the documentary allows you to enter the photographer’s intimacy and delicately approach this changing world.
11:52 / 12:08 – Aiguille du Midi Operation Electric Avenue, 2023, Bulgaria, Georgi Kerezov, Stoil Dimitrov, 16` – original language English with Bulgarian subtitles
Right next to the Aiguille du Midi peak, situated in a sea of mountains at an altitude of 3842m, stands proudly the legendary 50m high granite monolith Gendarme des Cosmiques. For the past 30 years it hosted only 2 climbing routes, Digital Crack (8a) and Arête des Cosmiques (8a), but this changed on the 10th of August 2022!
12:08 / 12:21 – A Baffin Vacation, 2022, Canada, Erik Boomer, Sarah McNair-Landry, 13` – original language English with Bulgarian subtitles
Erik Boomer and Sarah McNair-Landry set off on a bold multi-sport 45 day expedition traveling through the remote landscape of Baffin Island in search of stunning cliffs to climb and unexplored rivers to whitewater kayak.
12:21 / 13:00 – break
13:00 / 14:10 – See presentations program at Big Hall
14:10 / 15:40 – Wild Waters, 2022, France, David Arnaud, 89` – original language French and English with Bulgarian subtitles
Adventurer, competitor, daughter, friend, pioneer, hero, and badass human are all words used to describe French kayaker, Nouria Newman. In Wild Waters, we follow Nouria as she prepares to become the first female to run a 100ft (30m) waterfall; we watch her grow from a young, keen Olympic hopeful to one of the greatest kayakers of all times – male or female. However, running some of the world’s hardest whitewater isn’t Nouria’s biggest life challenge. Realizing that the expectations placed upon her as both an athlete and as a woman weigh heavily on her decisions and ambitions, she pushes back to make her own path. It is this central aspect of her life— this refusal to conform to others’ expectations— where Nouria is able to use kayaking as a way to transform into her truest self, and become a once-in-a-generation kayaker.
15:40 / 16:27 – Ephemeral, 2022, United Kingdom, Alastair Lee, 53` – original language English with Bulgarian subtitles
Ephemeral is a brand new production for 2022 by adventure filmmaker Alastair Lee. The Scottish winter climbing scene is something Alastair has always looked at with admiration and this season Alastair could no longer resist the challenge of making a production that captured the unique spirit and stunning environment of Scottish winter climbing.The results are now in and after one of the toughest projects he has ever undertaken the feeling amongst all the crew and climbers is that there is something pretty special in the can.The film follows top climbers Guy Robertson and Greg Boswell in their quest to seek out and climb new winter lines. As is well documented the 2021/22 season has been one of the worst/strangest in recent times. This has only added to the wild drama and resulted in some formations, that have acquired an almost mythical status, being bagged. Greg and Guy make first ascents of truly extraordinary features in some of the most impressive climbing arenas; An Teallach, Glen Coe, Ben Nevis, Craig Meagaidh, and the Cairngorms.The film tells the story from both sides of the lens and delivers a production value as yet unseen for Scottish winter climbing. Accompanying the multi-layered narrative and gripping action are interviews with Simon Richardson and Helen Rennard. The expert analysis delves into the rich climbing history, reflects on recent losses and gives the world stage context of what makes the Scottish winter so special.
Visitor Information Centre Hall
11:30 / 12:26 – Cap sur El Cap / Captains On El Cap, 2023, France, Brian Mathé, Morgan Monchaud, 54` – original language French with Bulgarian subtitles
Seb Berthe dreams of climbing the Dawn Wall, the most difficult route in the world. To get to the foot of El Capitan, in the United States, Seb has no intention of taking a plane! Quickly, a team of 6 climbers, 2 sailors and a dog forms to take up a challenge and realize a dream: to reach the Americas on a sailboat to climb the legendary walls of Yosemite! It is by experiencing the long pace of sailing that they cross the Atlantic, then on board a dubious Mexican jalopy van that they learn to know each other. When they arrived at the foot of El Capitan, the team supports Seb in his extraordinary challenge. His push on the Dawn Wall becomes a collective climb. At the same time, everyone prepares to take up his own challenge and the feat takes place where no one is looking. The commitment and authenticity of a team that barely knows each other is reminiscent of the atmosphere of the first epic stories of vertical exploration.
12:26 / 13:28 – The Curse of the Mountain. In the Footsteps of the First Polish Himalayan Climbers, 2023, Poland, Dariusz Zaluski, 62` – original language Polish with English and Bulgarian subtitles
The film tells the story of a Polish expedition to Nanda Devi East in July 1939, whose participants were outstanding mountain climbers. All four of them died in unexplained or tragic circumstances. Some believe that they were reached by the “curse of the goddess Nanda”. The film uses archival footage from 1939 and 2019 expeditions to Nanda Devi East. One of its participants was Jan Lenczowski, the grandson of Jakub Bujak, who dreamed of repeating his grandfather’s success from 1939.
13:28 / 14:02 – #shadesofwinter ALIGNED, Between The Sea And The Sky, 34` – original language English with Bulgarian subtitles
ALIGNED, Between The Sea And The Sky is a visually stunning and emotionally charged documentary that takes the audience on an awe-inspiring ski touring adventure in the majestic Lyngen Alps, high above the Arctic Circle. Amidst the pristine wilderness, Austrians freeride skier and filmmaker Sandra Lahnsteiner-Wagner and fellow skier and mountain guide David Widauer set forth on an extraordinary quest: skiing under Northern Lights.The film beautifully captures the raw and authentic journey of the two friends and ski guides, navigating the challenges and unpredictability of the Arctic weather in this remote and untouched landscape. Facing moments of failure, their resilience is put to the test, transforming ALIGNED into a heartfelt homage to the unwavering human spirit and the relentless pursuit of dreams.Set against the backdrop of the Lyngen Alps’ breathtaking beauty, the documentary celebrates the profound connection between nature and human ambition, igniting a sense of wonder and inspiration in the hearts of viewers. Sandra’s immersive, authentic, and lively voiceover effortlessly draws the audience into the adventure, blending determination, humor and passion for the mountains and skiing. ALIGNED, Between The Sea And The Sky is a great fusion of adventure, artfully encapsulating the essence of being aligned with one’s dreams, nature, and the magical allure of the Northern Lights. Through triumphs and setbacks, Sandra and David’s journey exemplifies the strength of human will and the serenity that awaits those who dare to venture Between The Sea And The Sky.
14:02 / 16:00 – Il ragno della patagonia / Тhe patagonia spider, 2022, Switzerland, Fulvio Mariani, 115` – original language Italian with English subtitles
Very tall towers, mirrored on a sea of ice under a sky often upset by storms. Such is the challenge of Patagonian mountaineering only the international elite can respond to. Among its pioneers, Casimiro Ferrari stands out: he left his mark on the rock, ice and legends of Patagonia with his climbing group Ragni di Lecco (Spiders from Lecco).; Many years later, filmmaker Fulvio Mariani, an expert on those mountains since 1985, follows the young leading mountaineer Matteo della Bordella and his companions as they attempt to retrace Casimiro’s steps, repeating or opening new itineraries in a clean, light and futuristic style, and confirming that climbing in these places is a game with extremely strict rules.; Presenting a rich selection of period films, sometimes unpublished, the film places two generations of mountaineers face to face: on the Cerro Torre, Cerro Murallón, Riso Patrón and on the East wall of Cerro Fitz Roy, young people are still enthralled by the charisma of the mythological “”Ragno della Patagonia” (Patagonian Spider), a man whose determination and exploratory intuition they discover wall after wall.; But unfortunately, the road is not free from danger and the loss of close companions always lurks around the corner
16:00 / 16:55 – Speed Expeditions, 2023, Italy, Dario Tubaldo, 55` – original language English with Bulgarian subtitles
From Iran to Turkye, and finally to Nepal. Benedikt Boehm, speed mountaineering and WWF Ambassador, and his new nepalese adventure partner, Prakash Sherpa, take us to discover the biodiversity of Nepal. From the oppressive heat of the jungle, among rhinos, tigers and hippos, to the highest peaks in the world, this new speed challenge against time leads us to discover a wonderful people and an unexpected wild life.
Turzestvena Hall
11:00 / 12:52 – African Territory, 2022, Julian Azulay & Joaquin Azulay, 112` – original language Spanish and English with English and Bulgarian subtitles
A 22 months anthropological expedition in the African Continent. Two brothers; travel in a 1985 former military ambulance from Spain to South Africa.; The aims to encourage horizontal human relationships through an; unprecedented surf exploration and exchange of cultures in this diverse; and endless continent.; The scars left by colonies, civil wars and contemporary social inequality,; political instability and exploitation of resources make the continent one of; the most intense in the world.; From now on, Africa will set the rules.
12:52 / 13:44 – On a marché sous la terre / We walked under the earth, 2022, France, Alex Lopez, 52` – original language French with Bulgarian subtitles
Explorers under the earth” follows the attempt of cave explorers Cédric Lachat and David Parrot to try and link the Gouffre de la Fromagère with the legendary Gouffre Berger, in the Vercors massif. Through rare and captivating underground footage, the film invites us to share the passion of a whole generation of speleologists and questions this “quest for the useless”, this insatiable need for discovery that pushes all explorers, always further, always higher, ever deeper…
13:44 / 15:15 – Jacques, 2023, Canada, Lysandre Leduc-Boudreau, 90` – original language French with English and Bulgarian subtitles
Jacques Duhoux, expedition pioneer in northern Quebec, has long lived independently in the Groulx Mountains. Now at 85, he continues to live off the grid. Jacques pays tribute to a great man of the North, exposing the delicate balance between nature, aging and the search for freedom.
15:15 / 16:06 – La huella de Karim /Karim’s footsteps, 2022, Spain, Javier Álvaro, 51` – original langauge Spanish with English and Bulgarian subtitles
Abdul Karim is the most famous porter in the Karakorum. He was born in Hushé, a small village in northern Pakistan, where the only way to get some money to survive through the harsh winters is by working on expeditions to the great mountains of the country. Karim would soon stand out from the rest. He was the best and that allowed him to climb with the greatest climbers of the moment: Reinhold Messner, Jerzy Kukuczka, Chris Bonnington… Anyone would have taken advantage of this fame for his personal benefit, but Karim only wanted one thing: to change the life of his town, which seemed stuck in the Middle Ages. With the help of some successful mountaineering friends who started a cooperation project in Hushé 20 years ago. Today the town is different, but Karim has never settled. His latest project has been perhaps the most ambitious and revolutionary of all: he has created, with three of his granddaughters, the first women’s mountaineering team in Baltistan, in a country where women rarely can decide what to do with their lives.
