Press Release – Tegernsee Mountain Film Festival – Programme available – 2025-08-27
22nd Tegernsee International Mountain Film Festival, 15 – 19 October 2025
“I’m thrilled to see Tegernsee transform into a vibrant cultural melting pot for five days.”
The 22nd Tegernsee International Mountain Film Festival promises a rich lineup of captivating films. From over 200 submissions, 69 have been selected. The range of languages—from Pakistani Wakhi and Persian Dari to Portuguese, Polish, Montenegrin, and Romansh—highlights the truly international scope of mountain film. The festival programme is now available, and advance ticket sales begin on September 12. The festival takes place from 15 to 19 October 2025.
The six-member jury carefully reviewed 206 film submissions from across the globe—watching, evaluating, shedding or keeping them. Ultimately, 74 films earned a spot in the freshly published booklet of the 22nd Tegernsee International Mountain Film Festival (running from 15-19 October 2025). At the culmination of an intense viewing marathon, Festival Director Tom Dauer is pleased with the result: “There are excellent films on show in every single category—including several strong contenders for the Great Prize of the City of Tegernsee.”
Dauer highlights the impressive number of outstanding mountain sports films submitted this year—which demonstrate that many filmmakers strive to go beyond showcasing mere athletic feats. Current narratives reveal the deeper meaning inherent in mountain experiences. Take “Sama”, for example: a poignant documentary about Syrian children in a Lebanese refugee camp who discover healing through climbing. Guided by the Swiss nonprofit ClimbAID, rock sports help these kids cope with traumatic experiences. Similarly, “Climbing Never Die” follows the filmmaker’s journey to war-torn Ukraine on invitation from professional climber Danyil Boldyrev, who demonstrates how regular training and bonding at bouldering gyms offers hope and resilience, even in cities under siege. “Climbing Never Die” will be featured during the Bayern2 Night program on Thursday, 16 October, under the theme “Climbing During Crisis”—with Danyil Boldyrev attending in person.
Theme of the German Alpine Club Night (“DAV-Abend”) on Friday, 17 October is “50 Years of Redpoint.” With Bernd Arnold, the festival welcomes one of the pioneers of modern free climbing to the event. He was a mentor and friend to Kurt Albert, the spiritual father of the redpoint climbing style. Also joining will be Siebe Vanhee from Belgium, one of the most active alpinists of our time, who will present his film “Riders on the Storm”. The circle loops back in time as this film revisits the first free ascent of the route at Torre Central in Patagonia’s Paine group—climbed in 1991 by Kurt Albert, Wolfgang Güllich, and Bernd Arnold. The Nepal Night, also taking place on Friday, 17 October, will feature “The Last Expedition”. This cinematic highlight is a feature-length portrait of the female Polish high-altitude mountaineer Wanda Rutkiewicz.
Viewers can also look forward to “Ashima”, an intimate portrait of American climber and boulderer Ashima Shiraishi. Traveling from New York to the South African Rocklands with her father Poppo—an eccentric former Butoh dancer—she sets out to become the first woman to climb a V14 bouldering problem.
Reflecting on this year’s film selection, Tom Dauer shares: “When I look at the range of film languages—from Pakistani Wakhi and Persian Dari to Portuguese and Polish, to Montenegrin and Romansh—I’m struck by the vast global spectrum of mountain film. I’m thrilled to see Tegernsee transform into a cultural melting pot for five days.”
The films will be screened at various indoor venues as well as an outdoor cinema tent. While the Medius Center has become the go-to venue for action-packed films, the Schalthaus promises more unusual, even challenging productions. At the Sporthalle—Tegernsee’s largest “mountain film theatre”—big names hog the spotlight. Each day is marked by a fresh and engaging program focus at the historic Barocksaal venue, whether it’s the official Opening Night on Wednesday, 15 October, or themed evenings leading up to the closing ceremony. To make sure nobody misses out, select films will be shown twice. As always, the international jury will review all entries and award prizes to the best. Those eager to celebrate can do so at the final award ceremony on Saturday evening, held at the festive Barocksaal banquet hall. There, guests can meet the prizewinning filmmakers—either in person or via video message—and enjoy excerpts from all winning films. On Sunday, a special matinée offers a rare opportunity to see all award-winning films at full length at the Kurgarten cinema tent, at Medius or Schalthaus.
The grand finale of this year’s Tegernsee International Mountain Film Festival will be the German premiere of the feature documentary Downhill Skiers – Ain’t No Mountain Steep Enough on Sunday, 19 October. This riveting documentary follows five of the world’s top downhill skiers—Marco Odermatt, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, Vincent Sarrazin, Dominik Paris, and Vincent Kriechmayr—over the course of a year, through winter and summer. Offering an intimate look behind the scenes, it captures the full spectrum of physical and emotional experiences involved with this extreme sport. Festival director Tom Dauer penned the screenplay and shares co-directing credit; the film will be screened outside the competition.
Please note: There are no box offices at the screening venues! However, tickets can be purchased online up until the event start – at bergfilm-tegernsee.de and via München-Ticket. They are also available at the physical München-Ticket pre-sale points and during the festival days at the Tegernsee Tourist Information Office (open from 9 am to 8 pm).
The festival programme is available from the beginning of September in print format as well as online at bergfilm-tegernsee.de. Advance ticket sales start on 12 September.
Further information: Sonderbüro Bergfilm-Festival Tegernsee, phone +49(0)8022-1801 – 27; bergfilm@tegernsee.de,
Advance ticket sales (from 12 September) and print programme at the Tegernsee Tourist Information, phone +49(0)8022-92738 – 62; tegernsee@tegernsee.com; online: www.bergfilm-tegernsee.de or www.muenchenticket.de. See detailed descriptions of all films and the supporting programme in the print booklet and online.