Winter Essentials(2005)

Reel Rock 14(en)

In a battle for El Cap’s coveted Nose speed record, rock legends Tommy Caldwell and Alex Honnold go head to head with Yosemite dirtbags Jim Reynolds and Brad Gobright. Highball bouldering ace Nina Williams flexes her guns and tests her nerves well into the no-fall zone. In rural Utah, conservative Mormon coal miners collide with an influx of out-of-town climbers - with surprising results. And two adventurous Brits, Hazel Findlay and Maddy Cope, pursue first ascents in wild and remote Mongolia.

Stars at Noon(fr)

Les Etoiles de Midi is an engaging docudrama about some of the more spectacular exploits of French mountain climbers over the last several decades. In one re-enacted story, there is a wartime escape through the mountains, and in another, a daring rescue of a pair of climbers who had been missing. The actors themselves are adept at the sport of climbing, and they give the scenes an immediacy and real daring that brings the stories alive. A combination of their acrobatics and skill and the outstanding episodes in the history of French climbing creates a winning 78 minutes.

Uapishka(fr)

North of the 51st parallel, where the dense boreal forest opens onto an arctic islet, the snow-capped peaks of the Uapishka Mountains watch over the Nitassinan of Pessamit. In the heart of winter, a group of Innu and non-Innu adventurers attempt to cross this vast mountain range on snowshoes, completely independently. Faced with the vastness of the territory, the rigors of the northern climate and the impetuous breath of the tundra, they discover each other in a different way, form friendships and unite to better chart their course. Over the kilometres, the adventure reveals a space for meeting, sharing and reconciliation.

Elephant Whisperer(en)

Sangduen Chailert, or Lek, as she is generally known, has already rescued over 200 elephants. She has dedicated her life to saving the Asian elephant and founded a special camp, The Elephant Nature Park to protect them. We follow this winner of Time Magazine’s “Asian Hero of the Year” Award in her work. Lek is on a mission to save the Asian elephant in her native Thailand. This film looks at the plight of the Asian elephant, as it goes from being a widely used domestic animal, to becoming a burden on modernizing communities. With experts predicting its extinction within four decades, Lek’s work is needed now more than ever and she has gathered a large group of supporters and volunteers in her quest for a better future for the Asian elephant. This moving film demonstrates Lek’s natural understanding of and rapport with these huge animals and will stir the viewers emotions as it highlights the often desperate state some elephants are kept in.

To the Limit(de)

At the Limit is a documentary about extreme climbing. In this sports documentary, Pepe Danquart shows brothers Thomas and Alexander Huber climbing in Patagonia and on the granite rock "El Capitan" in Yosemite Valley (USA). A key part of the film is their attempt at a speed ascent of the 1,000-meter-high route "The Nose," in which the two athletes aim to break the then speed record of 2:48:30 hours, set by Hans Florine and Yuji Hirayama in September 2002.

Winter Sessions(en)

Winter Sessions provides a playful yet compelling bouldering film about the unique and intense world of peak gritstone bouldering. From the many colourful and interesting players in this game to the magical landscapes of the Peak District National Park, this film portrays the essence of a scene which is often bewildering, frustrating and satisfying all rolled into one. Using footage gathered over two winters it includes a diverse range of stories set to an awesome soundtrack. Highlights include Ben Moon's first ascent of Voyager (8b) followed by fifteen year old protege Tyler Landman's second ascent. Also featuring Sam Whittaker, Jerry Moffatt, Jon Fullwood, Ben Bransby, Adam Long and many more.. Winter Sessions is a feast for the eyes and ears as these climbers set about repeating old classics (The Ace, The Joker, Deliverance to name but a few) and establishing new instant classics.

Memento - A Boulder Life Line(en)

What happens when a crazy filmmaker meets a crazy boulder and they decide to make a film together? It could be called pre-programmed chaos or the beginning of a common vision. After nearly two years of work, the film is finished, pure soul has come out! Camera and direction show boulders in a unique style. The philsophy and climbing art of Bernd Zangerl set the crown on the film. The locations were Ticino, Magic Wood and the mountains of the Silvretta. Each area has its own character, its own style and ambience. 'Every centimeter has its meaning. As with Humbold's natural vision, thought and feeling merge, and here the symbiosis of man and rock, man's stone, humanized petrified. " The film shows Bernd Zangerl, Barbara Zangerl and Thomas "Steini" Steinbrugger during bouldering at Magic Wood, Silvretta and Ticino. The best and most beautiful first visits by Bernd Zangerl are documented as well as spectacular highballs and low water soloing.

Welsh Connections(en)

A cocktail of diverse climbing, from hard trad onsights and first ascents, to intense limestone sport, slate, bouldering and deep water soloing. Historic routes like Jerry Moffatt's Liquid Ambar and Johnny's The Quarryman as well as the new generation of test pieces. Line up of climbers includes Pete Robins, Tim Emmett, James McHaffie, Johnny Dawes, Pete Whtitaker, Nick bullock and Paul Pritchard.

Alpine Essentials(en)

Alpine Essentials is a training film which shows the essential skills and techniques necessary for Alpine mountaineering and climbing. It follows two mountaineers on a multi day trip in the Swiss Alps. See how they cope with their environment and what steps they take to both enjoy the experience and return safely. Filmed in Switzerland in the Summer of 2006 the skills covered are appropriate to all glaciated terrain.

Rock Queen(en)

Catherine Destivelle has deservedly become the most famous female climber in the world. She rose to prominence with historic climbs, such as the free ascent of the Nameless Tower in Pakistan, and solo winter ascents of the classic north faces of the Matterhorn and the Eiger, climbs that have never been repeated by any woman. She also made history in sport climbing by winning the world championship title. In 1997, this time in Scotland, on the iconic Old Man of Hoy route, opened by Bonington, Patey & Baillie, Martin Belderson crowned Destivelle Queen of the Rock. She was four months pregnant when she made this 137-meter ascent, which was not difficult but on tricky rock.

Die Huberbuam - Close Call with Mount Asgard(de)

The climbing brothers Thomas and Alexander Huber (Germany) attempt to conquer free the infamous "Bavarian Direttissima" (upper tenth degree of difficulty) on the iconic Mt. Asgard on the Arctic Baffin Island (Canada). A 40 days expedition with polar bears, frostbite and climbing at the peril of their lifes.

China Jam(en)

In their infinite quest for virgin big walls, adventurers Sean Villanueva O’Driscoll, Nicolas Favresse, Stephane Hanssens and Evrard Wendenbaum, head in September 2013 to a remote valley in the westernmost region of China. There, they found a fantastic 1200m vertical pillar, culminating at 5842m. They spent 14 days on the wall facing snow storms and harsh conditions to finally achieve this amazing ascent with some frost bites but never forgetting to have a lot of fun and to play unreal musical sessions.

Anatomy of a First(fr)

In February 1966, Pierre Mazeaud and Lucien Berardini traveled to the Atakor massif, in the Hoggar mountain range of the Sahara in southern Algeria. There, they attempted a challenging first ascent: the Takouba spur, one of the peaks adjacent to Garet El Djenoun, a legendary mountain in the Hoggar massif, first climbed by Roger Frison-Roche and Raymond Coche in 1935. The documentary, superbly filmed by Jacques Ertaud, won the Grand Prize at the Trento International Mountain Film Festival in 1966.

La Grande Cordée(fr)

Aventure à Bleau(fr)

Adventure in Bleau is a documentary about bouldering that takes place in Fontainebleau. Directed by Jean-Paul Janssen in 1980 and produced by Antenne 2, it is part of the series "Les Carnets de l'Aventure" and broadcast on the same television channel. It features different generations of the finest free climbing artists of the time: Patrick Edlinger, Catherine Destivelle, Lucien Bérardini, Jean Pierre Bouvier, and Bertrand Roche 'Zébulon'.

Blindsight(en)

Six blind Tibetan teenagers climb the Lhakpa-Ri peak of Mount Everest, led by seven-summit blind mountain-climber Erik Weihenmayer.

En Solo : L'ivresse des sommets(fr)

E11(en)

The story of the first ascent of Rhapsody at Dumbarton Rock, the world's first E11 and hardest traditional rock climb. Huge falls, injuries, tears and eventually success!

Everest(en)

An international team of climbers ascends Mt. Everest in the spring of 1996. The film depicts their lengthy preparations for the climb, their trek to the summit, and their successful return to Base Camp. It also shows many of the challenges the group faced, including avalanches, lack of oxygen, treacherous ice walls, and a deadly blizzard.

Fine Lines(en)

For nearly three years, director Dina Khreino interviewed world-class mountain climbing athletes, listening to what compels them to leave behind families, friends, and everyday comforts to risk everything for a fleeting glimpse into the unknown. What she found was a tribe, a diverse group of professional adventurers and amateur philosophers forged by the ultimate test of body, mind, and spirit. In the face of shifting winds, sheer granite cliffs, and impossible odds, they climb. Each for their own reason, but every one connected by the vertical world. In this rarefied air, these athletes are fundamentally changed, not just as climbers, but as human beings.