8:00 pm | Barocksaal
For the 100th Birthday of Sir Edmund Hillary
For the 100th Birthday of Sir Edmund Hillary

On the occasion of Edmund Hillary’s 100th birthday on 20 July of this year, the Mountain Film Festival’s retrospective is dedicated to the first ascender of Mount Everest who died in 2008.

The Ascent of Everest

Antonello Padovano | Thyangboche Productions | Great Britain | 57 min. | English/German subtitles

The Ascent of Everest

Antonello Padovano | Thyangboche Productions | Great Britain | 57 min. | English/German subtitles

This is the story of two men who left in May 1953 to become the first people to reach the highest peak in the world: Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay. In a kind of documentary remake, the director combines excerpts from the original 1953 expedition film with later accounts of the adventures by Edmund Hillary. It narrates previously unknown details and thus grants unexpected and surprising insights.

Beyond Everest

Michael Dillon, Bavarian Broadcast | Germany | 25 min. | German

Beyond Everest

Michael Dillon, Bavarian Broadcast | Germany | 25 min. | German

The famous New Zealander who died on 10 January 2008 might have entered the history books due to his pioneering achievement on the world’s highest mountain. But he certainly conquered the hearts of the Himalayan people through his humanitarian and social commitment.
Whenever Hillary travelled to Nepal, the children greeted him with the Edmund Hillary song. He never tired of building schools, hospitals and other features that made life easier for people in the region. A few years ago, Michael Dillon accompanied the then 80-year-old climbing legend on a trip to Solu Khumbu.

Added features: other films and discussions with interesting guests.

 

8:00 pm | Ludwig-Thoma-Saal
Bayern 2-Evening
Bayern 2-Evening

Discoveries in the Mountains

Wenn der Berg spricht (When the Mountain Speaks)

Puria Ravahi | Beechstudios | Germany | 4 min. | German

Wenn der Berg spricht (When the Mountain Speaks)

Puria Ravahi | Beechstudios | Germany | 4 min. | German

In May 2019, Martina departs for the eighth time to serve as a dairymaid on an alpine pasture in the Spitzing region in the Bavarian Prealps. There she is surrounded by mountains – who not only possess a consciousness but also a voice. In poetic words they question the development of humanity …
World premiere of the new film by Puriah Ravahi, who in 2017 received the Prize by the German Alpine Club for the Best Alpine Film “Last Exit”.

Shaolin a Tschlin – Corsin Biert und die Kunst zu kämpfen (Shaolin a Tschlin - Corsin Biert and the Art of Fighting)

Susanna Fanzun | Pisoc Pictures | Switzerland | 26 min. | Romansh/German subtitles

Shaolin a Tschlin – Corsin Biert und die Kunst zu kämpfen (Shaolin a Tschlin - Corsin Biert and the Art of Fighting)

Susanna Fanzun | Pisoc Pictures | Switzerland | 26 min. | Romansh/German subtitles

The crisis hits unexpectedly. Corsin Biert from the Lower Engadine works in the hospitality industry until he falls into a sort of limbo. To regain his balance, he travels to a Shaolin Monastery in China where Master Yu and Master Liu help him. Back in Switzerland, he opens the Center da Bainesser in Tschlin. He encounters resistance, but his Shaolin dreams prove worth fighting for.
Susanna Fanzun got the Audience Prize for her film “Kühe, Käse und 3 Kinder” in 2015.

 

Frauen am Berg (Women on the Mountain)

Caroline Fink | Mirapix | Switzerland | 51 min. | German

Frauen am Berg (Women on the Mountain)

Caroline Fink | Mirapix | Switzerland | 51 min. | German

Around 1,300 mountain guides are currently working in Switzerland, three dozen of them are women. They assert themselves in a masculine world – from day one. They advance with passion, fail, push through limits and grow beyond themselves. Just like the female pioneers of 150 years ago, they overcome conventions. They tell stories of courage, anger and the freedom to discard outdated gender roles.

Iceberg Nations (Repeat)

Fernando Martín Borlán | Spain | 4 min. | English

Iceberg Nations (Repeat)

Fernando Martín Borlán | Spain | 4 min. | English

Nations come and go – but what does a country really look like? Are not boundaries just stupid? Because no one can own a land, the earth belongs to no one. Or who would come up with the idea of claiming an iceberg for themselves?

8:00 pm | Medius
So long, Gravity!
So long, Gravity!

Fabian Buhl – Vom Boulderer zum Bergsteiger (Fabian Buhl - From Boulderer to Mountaineer)

Alexander Freuding | Bavarian Broadcast | Germany | 20 min. | German

Fabian Buhl – Vom Boulderer zum Bergsteiger (Fabian Buhl - From Boulderer to Mountaineer)

Alexander Freuding | Bavarian Broadcast | Germany | 20 min. | German

Until very recently, Fabian Buhl’s great passion was bouldering. But an injury triggers an amazing development: Fabian Buhl becomes more and more enthusiastic about demanding, longer tours in the mountains. Alexander Huber acts as his mentor and rope partner. TV series Bergauf-Bergab accompanies the 28-year-old native of the Allgäu during his progression from boulderer to mountaineer.

Od palice k vrtu (Im tschechischen Sandstein – Mit Hammer und Bohrmaschine) (On Czech Sandstone - With Hammer and Drill)

Jan Simanek | Direct Alpine | Czech Republic | 30 min. | Czech/German subtitles

Od palice k vrtu (Im tschechischen Sandstein – Mit Hammer und Bohrmaschine) (On Czech Sandstone - With Hammer and Drill)

Jan Simanek | Direct Alpine | Czech Republic | 30 min. | Czech/German subtitles

Petr “Spek” Slanina is a legend: he started climbing in the Czech sandstone when he was eight years old. By now, he has opened more than 1,470 classic routes and is thus inextricably linked to the climbing history of this region.

Furchtlos, wild und jung – Adrian Mattern in seinem Wildwasserelement (Fearless, Wild and Young - Adrian Mattern in hin Whitewater Element)

Olaf Obsommer | Big-O-Productions | Germany | 23 min. | German

Furchtlos, wild und jung – Adrian Mattern in seinem Wildwasserelement (Fearless, Wild and Young - Adrian Mattern in hin Whitewater Element)

Olaf Obsommer | Big-O-Productions | Germany | 23 min. | German

Adrian “Atte” Mattern is the shooting star of the German whitewater scene. Hardly anyone impresses the international paddling world the way he does with his achievements. But how did he get into the sport? How does he earn a living? And above all, what makes a person plunge down ever higher waterfalls in his kayak?

Weightless

Jean-Baptiste Chandelier | France | 6 min. | No spoken words

Weightless

Jean-Baptiste Chandelier | France | 6 min. | No spoken words

A breath-taking paragliding trip from the French Alps to the coast of South America, from the Azores to Brazil. Feel the wind on your face and be inspired by cloud towers and fascinating landscapes – which otherwise only birds get to see. Simply sit back and enjoy!

8:00 pm | Schalthaus
Across the Mountains
Across the Mountains

Drahtseilakt (Tightrope Act)

Marcus Ott, Bianca Scali, Esra Laske | Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg | Germany | 4 min. | German

Drahtseilakt (Tightrope Act)

Marcus Ott, Bianca Scali, Esra Laske | Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg | Germany | 4 min. | German

During a romantic cable car ride almost everything goes wrong – including a marriage proposal. The events at lofty heights leave their mark on the couple in the gondola.

Ani, le monache di Yaqen gar (Ani, the Nuns of Yaqen Gar)

Eloïse Barbieri | SD Cinematografica | Italy | 35 min. | Italian/German subtitles

Ani, le monache di Yaqen gar (Ani, the Nuns of Yaqen Gar)

Eloïse Barbieri | SD Cinematografica | Italy | 35 min. | Italian/German subtitles

More and more pilgrims, monks and nuns keep following a Buddhist monk to meditate on a lonely plateau in Tibet. 20,000 people, two-thirds of them women, live there in disastrous conditions in barracks and shacks. But for them it is a holy place. What unites everyone is their deep faith and desire for equal status. The Chinese authorities have never approved the settlement; according to latest reports, they have started clearing and destroying the shelters in early summer.

Agassizhorn – Berg der Schande (Mt Agassizhorn - Mountain of Shame)

David Henzen | Switzerland | 28 min. | German

Agassizhorn – Berg der Schande (Mt Agassizhorn - Mountain of Shame)

David Henzen | Switzerland | 28 min. | German

The glaciologist Louis Agassiz (1807-1873), after whom a mountain in the Bernese Alps is named, spent days and nights on glaciers to elicit their secrets. Eventually, however, Agassiz turned away from the perpetual ice and started to spawn hair-raising racial theories as a naturalist in America. That is why the committee “Demonter Louis Agassiz” now wants the mountain renamed.

Mountainbiken über Reschenpass und Vinschgau (Mountain Biking on the Reschen Pass and in the Vinschgau)

Michael Düchs | Bavarian Broadcast | Germany | 26 min. | German

Mountainbiken über Reschenpass und Vinschgau (Mountain Biking on the Reschen Pass and in the Vinschgau)

Michael Düchs | Bavarian Broadcast | Germany | 26 min. | German

This four-day action-packed mountain bike tour from Austria into Italy starts in Glurns. The perfectly laid trails in Nauders are followed by a steep climb through the dark Uina Gorge, a snack with South Tyrolean bacon on the Sesvenna Shard and an epic descent in the soft evening light on old military roads to Bormio. The film shows how differently the regions approach the controversial topic of mountain biking.

8:00 pm | Quirinal
Haute Route Symbol Indktive Höranlage
Symbol Indktive Höranlage
Haute Route

Abenteuer Alpen – Die Skitour des Lebens (Alpine Adventure - The Greatest Ski Tour of All Times)

Frank Senn, Jacqueline Schwerzmann | Arolla Film | Switzerland | 92 min. | German

Abenteuer Alpen – Die Skitour des Lebens (Alpine Adventure - The Greatest Ski Tour of All Times)

Frank Senn, Jacqueline Schwerzmann | Arolla Film | Switzerland | 92 min. | German

The Haute Route from Chamonix to Zermatt is one of the hardest high alpine ski tours – and one of the most fascinating. 50 miles in the snow, 23,000 ft of altitude in the steep high Alps. Former Swiss ski racer and Olympic champion Dominique Gisin embarks on this unique adventure together with a former colleague and five other tour partners.

8:00 pm | Sporthalle
Dreams
Dreams

Allein (Alone)

Frank Kretschmann | Franz Walter | Germany | 11 min. | German

Allein (Alone)

Frank Kretschmann | Franz Walter | Germany | 11 min. | German

Extreme mountaineer Robert Jasper is a minimalist who masters delicate situations calmly. On his 50th birthday he treats himself to a special gift: an expedition – all alone. In a sea kayak, he leaves the village of Kulusuk on the east coast of Greenland. After twelve days of paddling and towing, he will build his base camp at the foot of the Molar Spire. Solo, he starts climbing a rock wall that towers at almost 1,640 ft. He faces not only climbing difficulties and an enormous effort, but also the oppressive burden of loneliness.

Dreamland – Maciej Berbeka

Stanislaw Berbeka | Yak-Yak Stanislaw Berbeka  | Poland | 86 min. | Polish/German subtitles

Dreamland – Maciej Berbeka

Stanislaw Berbeka | Yak-Yak Stanislaw Berbeka  | Poland | 86 min. | Polish/German subtitles

This homage to Maciej Berbeka, the filmmaker’s father, grants insights into the life of a great Polish mountaineer. His most important expeditions are on view as well as everyday life with the family. However, the film’s focus is on the fateful 2013 winter expedition to Broad Peak: Maciej fulfilled his big dream and made it to the summit. However, he was not meant to return.