The Art of Recreation

Nanook of the North(en)

This pioneering documentary film depicts the lives of the indigenous Inuit people of Canada's northern Quebec region. Although the production contains some fictional elements, it vividly shows how its resourceful subjects survive in such a harsh climate, revealing how they construct their igloo homes and find food by hunting and fishing. The film also captures the beautiful, if unforgiving, frozen landscape of the Great White North, far removed from conventional civilization.

Winter(bg)

During another snowless winter, a famous freeride skier has a chance encounter with two kids on the street, which prompts him to dig through his grandfather's old family albums, capturing the snowy winters of the past. Immersing himself in the photos, the young man is transported to the parallel world of the winter mountains. Is winter irretrievably lost?

Snow Motion(en)

Snow dancing and spectacular skiing stunts are showcased in this lively video program hosted by star skiers Suzy Chaffee and John Eaves. The antics are backed by the music of Alan Parsons, Harold Faltermaier, Gary Wright and John Denver. Much of the footage comes from the ski film Fire and Ice.

Snow Animals(en)

Liz Bonnin introduces a cast of charismatic animals to reveal the remarkable strategies they use to survive, and even thrive, through the winter.

Warren Miller: Ticket to Ride(en)

A ticket can get you anywhere in the world, from the chairlift at your local ski area to the top of Talgar Peak in Kazakhstan. It can put your heart in your throat as you fly over a knoll faster than you have all year, and it can put your mind at ease when you find yourself alone in a snow-covered Aspen grove with clear blue sky above and crisp cold air all around. A ticket is the end of reality and the beginning of a journey. And we've got one for you.

The Shelter(fr)

It is winter at an emergency shelter for the homeless in Lausanne. Every night at the door of this little-known basement facility the same entry ritual takes place, resulting in confrontations which can sometimes turn violent. Those on duty at the shelter have the difficult task of “triaging the poor”: the women and children first, then the men. Although the total capacity at the shelter is 100, only 50 “chosen ones” will be admitted inside and granted a warm meal and a bed. The others know it will be a long night.

Highway to the Arctic(de)

Every winter for decades, the Northwest Territories, in the Canadian Far North, changes its face. While the landscape is covered with snow and lakes of a thick layer of ice, blocking land transport, ice roads are converted to frozen expanses as far as the eye can see.

March of the Penguins(fr)

Every year, thousands of Antarctica's emperor penguins make an astonishing journey to breed their young. They walk, marching day and night in single file 70 miles into the darkest, driest and coldest continent on Earth. This amazing, true-life tale is touched with humour and alive with thrills. Breathtaking photography captures the transcendent beauty and staggering drama of devoted parent penguins who, in the fierce polar winter, take turns guarding their egg and trekking to the ocean in search of food. Predators hunt them, storms lash them. But the safety of their adorable chicks makes it all worthwhile. So follow the leader... to adventure!!

Under an Arctic Sky(en)

Six fearless surfers travel to the north coast of Iceland to ride waves unlike anything they've ever experienced, captured with high-tech cameras.

Magic Hour(en)

For 27 years, Teton Gravity Research has been searching for the right place with the right crew at the perfect time to experience life at its fullest. Between the thrill of the hunt and the peace of floating down a mountain, the sum of our experiences becoming greater than its parts is what we seek. If you ask us, our annual snow film Magic Hour is just that.

Happening in Weiß(de)

Film about skiing and other winter sports.

Snows of Grenoble(fr)

Film about the 10th Olympic Games in Grenoble in 1968. Using a subjective camera, Ertaud and Languepin take the pulse of the Games, cutting out the eyes and slowing down the movement when necessary. The dominant figure at the Grenoble Winter Games is Frenchman Jean-Claude Killy, whose three gold medals matched Toni Sailer's 1956 feat. The filmmakers bet on his winning streak, and include commentary from him as he prepares for each race. Another athlete, Marielle Goitschel, is treated insightfully on screen and wins the women's slalom. Ice dancing fans will appreciate the coverage of winner Oleg Protopopov and his partner Ludmila Belousova. President Charles De Gaulle was present for the spectacular Opening Ceremony.

Nature's fairy - always connected(sv)

A poetic film about a young woman's life and dreams. A woman who had the courage to change her life and realize her dreams. A movie about Jonna Jinton. Blogger, photographer and artist and nature lover.

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!

Steep(en)

Steep traces the legacy of extreme skiing from its early pioneers to the daredevils of today.

Esperanto(en)

Esperanto is TGR’s latest action-packed mountain bike film with an added twist. Mixing the rock stars of the sport with a cast of unknown and up-and-coming heroes, the film explores how we share our dreams through a universal two-wheeled language no matter what our native tongue may be. The sacred ritual of the ride might sound different all across the world – whether it’s a full-face getting pulled down to drop into a big jump line or wheeling a beat-up bike out of a mud hut to pedal to school – but it’s a universal process no matter what language we speak. There are more than 7000 languages spoken on Earth. In 1887 a Polish-Jewish doctor named L.L. Zamenhof created a new one, a universal second language based on a combination of existing widely-spoken European languages. Its goal, to help bring people together from different ideologies, beliefs, and nations and ultimately to help end war. The language was called Esperanto. Translated into English it means ‘one who hopes.’

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.

Draw(en)

More(en)

Once again Absinthe Films raises the bar to bring you 'More'. This title marks the beginning of a new era for Absinthe Films as they have broadened their scope to include and properly represent urban riding while still keeping the overall blend fresh and un-repetitive.

Snowflakes at the End of the World(fr)

Snowflakes at the End of the World offers a meditation on the beauty and ugliness of Montreal winter, and invites critical reflection on the relationship between humans and nature.