2025 – New Incentive Award at the International Mountain Film Festival
Press Release Tegernsee Incentive Award
22nd Tegernsee International Mountain Film Festival, 15 to 19 October 2025
New Incentive Award at the International Mountain Film Festival
Junior filmmakers have something to celebrate! For the first time, the Tegernsee International Mountain Film Festival, in partnership with Bavarian sports shoe manufacturer LOWA, is introducing the Tegernsee Incentive Award. This prestigious prize, endowed with €5,000, is open to aspiring filmmakers aged 26 and under. Submissions featuring project ideas will be accepted until 1 September 2025.
Exciting news for young filmmakers: The Tegernsee International Mountain Film Festival, in collaboration with its main sponsor LOWA, is introducing the Tegernsee Incentive Award. This €5,000 junior filmmaker award is open to applicants aged 26 and under who are passionate about “showcasing Alpine culture” through their project. Festival Director Tom Dauer explains: “We are looking for films that explore the mountains from historical, political, social, ecological, cultural, or sporting perspectives.”
Projects must be set in the Alps and adhere to a documentary approach, but creativity in execution is highly encouraged. Filmmakers can explore themes such as mountain nature and habitats, adventure and discovery travel, tourism, economy, artistic expression, or mountain sports—including climbing, hiking, mountain biking, trail running, ski touring, freeriding, kayaking, slacklining, and paragliding.
Applicants must submit a 10-page treatment outlining the theme, dramaturgy, protagonists, locations, film length, and artistic intent of the filmmakers. Additionally, a schedule and a financing plan are required. Ideally, a one-minute trailer complements the application dossier.
The completed mountain film by a junior filmmaker will premiere in October 2026
Festival Director Tom Dauer is keen to support young filmmakers and hopes to bring them to Lake Tegernsee. “Everyone knows that filmmaking costs continue to rise. And while this subsidy can’t cover full production expenses, it serves as start-up capital and as a motivational boost,” he explains. “I’m thrilled that our long-time partner LOWA shares our commitment to nurturing emerging talent.”
The seasoned author and filmmaker moreover offers to personally support the award winner throughout their project. “A fresh perspective never hurts,” he notes. Dauer is currently immersed in work on his own mountain-related feature film.
The selected project—recognized for its compelling theme, originality, and level of commitment—will receive funding. A jury of experts will evaluate all submissions after the deadline; the winning project is to be showcased at the 22nd Tegernsee Mountain Film Festival. The award recipient will have until 30 June 2026, to complete the film, which will then premiere in October 2026 during the 23rd Tegernsee Mountain Film Festival.
Please note: The submission deadline for the new Tegernsee Incentive Award is 1 September 2025.
For more information, conditions and the registration form, please contact: Sonderbüro Bergfilm-Festival Tegernsee, Rathausplatz 1, D-83684 Tegernsee, Germany, Phone +49(0)8022-1801-27, bergfilm@tegernsee.de, www.bergfilm-tegernsee.de
2025 – Tegernsee International Mountain Film Festival – “Tegernseers continue to represent Europe”
NL/Press Release – 2025-05-20
22nd Tegernsee International Mountain Film Festival, 15 to 19 October 2025
“Tegernseers continue to represent Europe”
Early this May, Festival Director Tom Dauer travelled to Trento to visit the oldest mountain film festival in the world. Shortly after, at the International Alliance for Mountain Film’s (IAMF) spring meeting, he was elected to its Board of Directors, meaning that for the next few years, Dauer will represent Europe’s mountain film festivals there. He’ll help decide on the admission of new members and on awarding the annual “Grand Prix” to the best mountain film makers worldwide.
The IAMF’s recent spring meeting, held in Trento, was more than just another event on the calendar for Festival Director Tom Dauer. “This year’s gathering of the world’s leading mountain film festivals was truly special,” Dauer remarked. “Not only was our president, Javier Barayazarra from Bilbao, re-elected, but the Board of Directors was also newly appointed. And once again, we Tegernseers were selected as official representatives for Europe.”
Dauer thus holds an important representative function. In future, he will help choose festivals to be admitted into the coveted circle of the Alliance. The IAMF joined forces in 2000 and by now, its website mountainfilmalliance.org lists 27 members. These festivals take place in 21 countries across Europe, Asia, New Zealand, North and South America. The Trento festival, founded in 1952, is also one of the Alliance members, as are Kathmandu, Autrans (France) and the Tegernsee International Mountain Film Festival, founded in 2003. Recently, Santiago de Chile became the 28th member. The latest application comes from the Caucasus, says Dauer, from Mestia in Georgia. “The application still needs to be evaluated. But the chances for Mestia are good, which I am personally very happy about.”
Each year, the Alliance awards the prestigious “Grand Prix”. In 2025, the honor goes to French filmmaker Sébastien Montaz-Rosset in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the mountain film genre. “I’ll be at the table when the next candidate is chosen,” Dauer says with a grin.
For Tom Dauer, another key event in the industry was his visit to the Trento Film Festival—the world’s oldest mountain film festival—at the beginning of May. Each year, the festival sets new standards in terms of diversity and its supporting programme, attracting the most prominent names in mountain sports and mountain film. 2025 is Dauer’s first year as solo Festival Director of the Tegernsee Mountain Film Festival. In Trento, he was joined by Manuela Brandl, who has been serving at the new head of the festival office since the beginning of the year. Together, they represented the Tegernsee Festival, watched and picked attractive films and used the festival experience to exchange ideas and network.
Meanwhile, preparations are in full swing at Lake Tegernsee. By the end of May, a six-member selection jury will determine the films to be screened in autumn. Afterwards, the festival programme will be curated. The event will showcase a diverse range of films highlighting the breadth of the mountain film genre—featuring stories beyond the mainstream and welcoming many fascinating guests.
Details on prizes, endowments, and the call for entries can be found at: www.bergfilm-tegernsee.de
Further information: Sonderbüro Bergfilm-Festival Tegernsee, Rathausplatz 1, 83684 Tegernsee, Germany, Phone +49(0)8022-1801-27 or -53, bergfilm@tegernsee.de, www.bergfilm-tegernsee.de
2025 – Tegernsee International Mountain Film Festival – 15 – 19 October
Newsletter/Press Release – Call for Entries – 2025-03-10
22nd Tegernsee International Mountain Film Festival, October 15th – 19th 2025
Attention Filmmakers – now is the time to submit new productions
Talented newcomers, and professional filmmakers have the opportunity this fall at the 22nd Tegernsee International Mountain Film Festival, to present their productions to a large and knowledgable audience, with a chance to win an award. Filmmakers from all corners of the world can submit their latest film productions beginning today, and running until May 15th 2025. Preparations for the 22nd Tegernsee International Mountain Film Festival, taking place from October 15th to the 19th 2025 are in full swing. „We will be receiving a large number of new domestic, as well as international film productions every week. Filmmakers will be able to submit their work up until May 15th, which is two weeks earlier than in previous years“, the new manager of the festival office, Manuela Brandl explained.
The festival team invites national and international filmmakers once again to submit their latest mountain film productions. The team welcomes entries covering the full scope of genres for „mountain film“, including feature films, documentaries, short films, reports and portraits. The range of topics includes alpine sport and adventure, to mountain culture, nature and ecology. They can be full of suspense, or quiet narratives, short films or full length features, documentaries or docu dramas. All formats are welcome.
The registration deadline this year is May 15th, 2025.
Prizes will be awarded in three main categories in which the filmmakers can approach the subject „mountain film“ through many possible perspectives. The category „mountain experience“ is focused on alpinism and the range of sport activities in the mountains. The best film will recieve the award from the German Alpine Club. Topics covering natural mountain environments, ecology and sustainability are found in „mountain nature.“ Films in „mountain life“ explore encounters between people and mountains through ethnological and cultural points of view. Films that are produced prior to 2022 will not be accepted. The most outstanding film, chosen from all entries, will be awarded the Grand Prize of the City of Tegernsee, with 3000 € prize money. The best young filmmaker will be awarded the Otto Guggenbichler Prize, which is named after the founder of the film festival. The winner in this category may not be older than 32 years of age at the completion of the film production. The best children’s or young adult film will receive the mountain film festival „mini prize“. And finally, prizes will be awarded for „outstanding camera work“ as well as for the „exceptional film“. In addition the most poplular film voted by the audience, will receive the „audience award“ from the Bayern2 radio program.
All awards, prize money, rules and regulations can be found at: www.bergfilm-tegernsee.de
Information and Registration: Bergfilm Festival Tegernsee office, Rathausplatz 1, 83684 Tegernsee (Germany). Tel. +49(0)8022-1801-27 or -53, bergfilm@tegernsee.de, www.bergfilm-tegernsee.de
Filmmakers can find the application and the online registration form at www.bergfilm-tegernsee.de or the multi submission form on the website of the International Alliance for Mountain Film www.mountainfilmalliance.org/subissions/
