The Secret of the Secret(2000)

Rainier: The Mountain(en)

In this retrospective tribute, acclaimed filmmaker Jean Walkinshaw hails the 100th anniversary of Mount Rainier National Park in Washington by talking to those who know it best: the scientists, naturalists, mountain climbers and artists whose lives have been touched by the peak's far-reaching shadow. The result is a harmonious blend of archival material and high-definition footage celebrating an icon of the Pacific Northwest.

Premiers à l’Everest(fr)

In 1924, British climber George Mallory and his partner Andrew Irvine attempted to conquer Everest for the third time. They never returned. Could they have been the first to successfully climb the mountain before meeting their deaths? In 1999, German geologist Jochen Hemmleb discovered Mallory's body just below the summit, reigniting speculation. In 2010, he organized a new expedition to follow up on this sensational discovery. His goal: to find the base camp from which Mallory and Irvine set out to conquer the summit.

Sachamama(de)

Sachamama is a retreat lodge in Peruvian Amazonia. There, Francisco Montes leads ayahuasca ceremonies for tourists seeking insight and healing.

Morana(sl)

A group of nine friends go to the mountains of Triglav in seek of Morana, goddess of death. And end up being killed one by one.

Derib, une vie dessinée(fr)

The Story of the Weeping Camel(mn)

When a Mongolian nomadic family's newest camel colt is rejected by its mother, a musician is needed for a ritual to change her mind.

Anna Goldin, the Last Witch(de)

A native of Sennwald, Anna Göldi arrived in Glarus in 1765. For seventeen years, she worked as a maidservant for Johann Jakob Tschudi, a physician. Tschudi reported her for having put needles in the bread and milk of one of his daughters, apparently through supernatural means. Göldi at first escaped arrest, but the authorities of the Canton of Glarus advertised a reward for her capture in the Zürcher Zeitung on February 9, 1782. Göldi was arrested and under torture, admitted to entering in a pact with the Devil, who had appeared to her as a black dog. She withdrew her confession after the torture ended, but was sentenced on June 18, 1782 to execution by decapitation. The charges were officially of "poisoning" rather than witchcraft, even though the law at the time did not impose the death penalty for non-lethal poisoning.

The Hateful Eight(en)

Bounty hunters seek shelter from a raging blizzard and get caught up in a plot of betrayal and deception.

Chamonix - Mont Blanc, Une histoire de conquêtes(fr)

Khaïma(ar)

Silbergeier(fr)

Silbergeier is a long pitch route (8b+ max) built by Pietro del Pra in 1993 and organized by Beat Kammerlander. In this film, Nina Caprez achieves the first female ascent with her then partner Cédric Lachat. A beautiful production by Vladimir Cellier, carried by essential music.

Eagle Boy(en)

A fearless horse bonds two men to each other and to the traditions that define their community.

White Winter(de)

In southern Germany, winter can still be admired in all its glory every year. With its white coat of snow and icicles and myriads of small crystals that look like geometric works of art. In the valleys and on the slopes the snow is still so thick every year that the alpine huts are snowed in up to the windows. Cows and dairymen are safe in their farms at lower altitudes. But not the wild creatures of the mountains! They need strategies to survive the cold season and to defy snow masses, cold and ice. And some seem to do it so easily that they even raise their young in the middle of winter. But how do animals, plants and fungi cope with the annually recurring ice age, which from our perspective is a time of need? The many adaptations in nature prove that winter is an integral part of the natural cycle of the year and the living environment of species. They are adapted to cold and frost. That is why the animals and plants at the edge of the Alps suffer particularly from climate change!

When Night Falls in Late December, Everything That Was is Left Behind(en)

A series of vignettes captured in Brevard, North Carolina at the end of December.

Black Scarves(sh)

Postwar life of eight remaining inhabitants of Strmec, a village located in the very corner of Slovenian Alps near Italian border. When local partisans killed a German officer, the Nazi occupiers shot all males in the village as an act of revenge; those who remained are seven women of different age who traditionally wear black scarves, and young boy who hasn't any friends to play with.

Lines(en)

The documentary follows a crew of snowboarders for six weeks in the Chugach mountains, and showcases what it takes to ride these unique Alaskan mountains: the waiting, the stress, the dangers, everything that goes into it and is usually never shown. It also retraces some of the history of this unknown discipline and pays tribute to the pioneers. But the film really focuses on the human aspect and why these people do what they do.

A Tainha e a Onda(pt)

Heaven Earth(en)

This documentary examines ayahuasca shamanism near Iquitos (a metropolis in the Peruvian Amazon), and the tourism it has attracted. The filmmakers talk with two ayahuasqueros, Percy Garcia and Ron Wheelock, as well as ayuahuasca tourists and local people connected with the ayahuasca industry.

The Last Mountain(en)

The compelling story of 30-year-old climber Tom Ballard who disappeared on one of the Himalayas' most deadly mountains, Nanga Parbat, in February 2019. Tom was the son of mountaineer Alison Hargreaves, who perished on K2 in 1995. Mother and son, two of the greatest climbers of all time, died at almost the same age in neighbouring mountain ranges, both doing what they loved best. They now lie forever encased in the ice of two of the world’s highest mountains. Left behind to cope with the enduring tragedy are Tom’s sister, Kate, and their father, Jim.

Qigong: Ancient Chinese Healing for the 21st Century(en)

This documentary introduces viewers to qigong, a 5,000-year-old method of cultivating and circulating the life energy called qi. It relates some of the history of qigong, as well as scientific evidence of efficacy. We also see qigong used in various contexts in modern China, and hear from Chinese doctors and qigong practitioners. The film was originally produced for the Public Broadcasting Service in the United States.