Press Release – 2023-09-07 – Programme is available

20th Tegernsee International Mountain Film Festival – 18 – 22 October 2023

Summit Meeting at Lake Tegernsee 

From 18 to 22 October, a total of 65 films from 28 countries will be screened at the International Mountain Film Festival in Tegernsee, which is going into its 20th edition. Sometimes loud and spectacular, sometimes quiet and gentle: these explorations of the mountain theme are diverse and always unique. What exactly the viewer can expect in terms of documentaries, portraits and reports during this anniversary year is revealed in the recently published print and online programmes. Advance ticket sales start on 15 September. In addition to numerous filmmakers and protagonists, the exceptional German mountaineers Robert Jasper and David Göttler as well as mountain film legend Gerhard Baur will attend the festival.  

Hardly any other backdrop could be more suited to a film festival that revolves around the mountains than pre-Alpine Lake Tegernsee. From 18 to 22 October, the International Mountain Film Festival will take place for the 20th time here, in the foothills of the Bavarian Alps. Apart from the screens beckons a varied fringe programme with hikes in the Tegernsee Valley and special exhibitions. More than 30 films are screened every day, including productions from all over the world. Festival Director Michael Pause promises a high-class programme: “Once again, we are proud to run many outstanding films as well as several surprises in our competition.” In addition, prominent guests from the German mountaineering scene such as Robert Jasper and David Göttler will be present. David Göttler is currently one of the best German high-altitude mountaineers (he climbed Everest without oxygen in 2022). Also attending is filmmaker Gerhard Baur, Germany’s most important mountain filmmaker of the last 50 years, who was awarded the Great Prize in Tegernsee in 2005. The Nanga Parbat expert will show his winning film, participate in discussions with the audience and thus contribute to the special festival atmosphere.

With a number of strong films, the Opening Night on Wednesday will attract guests to the four indoor screening venues as well as to the novel Festival Tent set up especially for the anniversary year. This year’s Bayern2 Night on Thursday will focus on the theme “Big Ego, Big Achievement?” Rita Christen, President of the Swiss Mountain Guide Association, and Katharina Kestler from the Bavarian public podcast Bergfreundinnen discuss why people risk so much just to be at the top. Whether turning back can also trigger happiness. And whether the greatest achievement of all might not be the overcoming of big ego. Also on the agenda is a mountain film retrospective, including a portrait of Dr Arnold Fanck, who founded the genre more than 100 years ago. The Ludwig-Thomas-Saal venue equally focuses on superlative mountain sports achievements, celebrating the 70th anniversaries of Mounts Everest and Nanga Parbat – both eight-thousanders were ascended for the first time in 1953. David Göttler had to abandon an attempt on Nanga Parbat last spring and has announced his presence at the screening. Special cinematic highlights can always be expected at the German Alpine Club (DAV) Night on Friday, which this year takes place at the Festival Tent. On Saturday, the final section of the mountain film marathon begins at 10 a.m. at the Schalthaus venue in Tegernsee with high-quality repeats for all who could not attend during the first three days. Generally speaking, the Medius venue is the focal point for those who appreciate young and action-packed films. By the way: The Children’s Cinema at the Festival Tent offers a great programme for very young viewers, from Wednesday to Friday from 9.30 a.m. onwards.

Anyone who studies the short synopses of the approximately 65 films from almost 30 countries in the print or online programmes immediately gets drawn into the diverse and fantastic world of the mountains. Thrilling topics and protagonists make it extra-hard to decide which films to watch at the Tegernsee venues. To make sure nobody misses out, numerous films are screened several times.

One of this year’s competition favourites is the film Märzengrund (Beyond the Alp) – an adaptation of the play by famous Tyrolean author and playwright Felix Mitterer. The film is about a farmer’s son who flees from social constraints to an alpine pasture and does not return for 40 years. Mitterer considers this piece possibly his most important work. The feature film is part of the festival category “Mountain Life”. Also impressive: Todesfalle Haute Route (Death Trap Haute Route), a meticulous reconstruction of a tragic accident that occurred in the Valais Alps in 2018. Back then, seven people died in a snowstorm just 1,800 ft (550 m) from shelter. A first-class docudrama: exciting, authentic, perfect storytelling. Definitely worth seeing is Chronoception. A film about an expedition which takes a group of freeriders and snowboarders to a remote corner of Kyrgyzstan. Each episode is told differently, conveying to viewers how the athletic goal of first descents on untouched slopes gradually becomes eclipsed by the overall experience. Wonderfully bizarre is the film Aufnahmen einer Wetterkamera (Weather Cam Recordings). While the image boundaries of a webcam robotically pan back and forth, interpersonal stories evolve in the foreground and social boundaries are casually transgressed.

As exciting as the films is the question which productions will snatch an award at the festive closing ceremony hosted at Tegernsee Castle. As always, the international jury will scrutinise each film carefully in order to award prizes to the best. Attending the award ceremony on Saturday puts you at the heart of the festival: There, guests will meet some of the award-winning filmmakers in person and watch excerpts from all winning films. Simultaneously, the Festival Tent venue will screen a winning film from the past 20 years, followed by a complete screening of this year’s recipient of the Great Prize by the City of Tegernsee. And on Sunday there will be a unique opportunity to watch all the award-winning films again at full length.

More information: Sonderbüro Bergfilm-Festival Tegernsee, phone +49(0)8022-1 801 – 37; bergfilm@tegernsee.de

Advance ticket sales (starting in mid-September) and programme available at the Tegernsee Tourist Information, phone +49(0)8022-92738 – 62; tegernsee@tegernsee.com; online: www.bergfilm-tegernsee.de or www.muenchenticket.de. In the (German) print and (German, English) online programmes, all films as well as the fringe program are described in detail.