FILM PROGRAMME 2026

While clearing out his basement, Checker Tobi comes across an old video recording. In it, his eight-year-old self asks his very first Checker question: who leaves the biggest mark on the ground beneath our feet? His search for the long-forgotten answer turns into his greatest adventure yet. It takes him into the extraordinary animal and plant world of Madagascar, to the Arctic seed vault on Svalbard and deep into the maze-like cave systems of Mexico in the footsteps of the Maya. Between dog-sled rides and climbing adventures, Tobi begins to understand the responsibility we all share for our planet. Checker Tobi’s third feature film is bursting with adventure, humour and curiosity – a must-see for young film fans!

Filmmaker Valentin Rapp follows a crew attempting to rig a highline across Salto Ángel, an 800-metre waterfall on Auyán-tepui in Venezuela’s Gran Sabana – the fulfilment of a dream more than 16 years in the making. After a thrilling journey through remote wilderness, weighed down by heavy packs and battered by tropical downpours, the group finally reaches its destination. But the highline itself is not the only challenge facing the athletes there: by the time filming takes place, there are already clear signs that the US government is preparing a military operation in Venezuela.

Director Valentin Rapp from Rosenheim, as well as Lukas Irmler and Antonia Rüede-Passul, will be in attendance.

Seasoned adventurers Stefan Glowacz and Christian Schlesener travel to Bolivia with the much younger brothers Moritz and Philipp Hans. Locals have told them about the legendary Valle de las Rocas, where untouched boulders and rock faces loom at an altitude of 4,000 metres. Shamans, river crossings, gods and a yoga session with Doña Gilda all add colour to the approach. While the Hans brothers go bouldering and post their footage on Instagram, Stefan and Christian bolt new sport-climbing routes – and are not shy about dispensing a little analogue wisdom along the way. On one thing, however, they all agree: the Valle de las Rocas is a world-class climbing destination.

Director Moritz Attenberger from Schliersee, as well as Stefan Glowacz and Philipp Hans, will be in attendance.

Thomas Julienne travels through Patagonia by bicycle to explore the uneasy coexistence between livestock farmers and a wild predator – between sheep and pumas. Over the course of his long journey, the young biologist documents promising ways to resolve the conflict between people and predators. The result is a compelling adventure film that combines Julienne’s personal experience with fascinating insights into a spectacular wilderness and age-old cultural traditions. Shooting the film himself and also recording the sound, Julienne has created an exceptional and beautifully crafted documentary.

In February 2024, Lise Billon, Fanny Schmutz and Maud Vanpoulle complete the first all-female ascent of the legendary “Compressor Route” on Cerro Torre in Patagonia. Ever since its first ascent by Italian climber Cesare Maestri in 1971, the route has been both famous and infamous. With humour and insight, Billon tells the story of how the three mountaineers battle technical challenges on rock and ice, their own inner demons and traditional ideas about women’s place in alpinism. Guillaume Broust received a Special Mention from the jury in 2025 for “The Future of Climbing” and won “Best Film – Mountain Experience” in 2019 for “The Pathan Project”.

Fifty years after a tragic event, Dare returns to Triglav. Back then, several young hikers were killed when lightning struck twice during a thunderstorm. Trying to make sense of the disaster, he confronts his memories, feelings of guilt and the fact that the past cannot be changed. In conversations with the last surviving witnesses, he tries to understand what happened and to make peace with himself. The film explores the perspective of survivors who see the tragedy as an act of nature – not something for which blame can be assigned. In this way, it becomes both a memorial to the victims and a warning to today’s mountain enthusiasts.

In a remote valley, surrounded by meadows and rivers, a mighty wall of rock and snow rises into the sky. Adventurous Lord Cliffrider sets out to become the first to reach its mythical summit. But as he follows the mountain’s call, time begins to accelerate and his goal slips further away. “Kronoshock” is a stop-motion film about change in mountaineering and the meaning of progress. Through poetic imagery, it brings different eras of alpinism together in a reflection on ambition, transience and the relationship between humans and nature. In 2021, Ignasi López Fàbregas received the “Award for a Special Film” for “El Gran Hito” (The Great Achievement).

Filmmaker Valentin Rapp follows a crew attempting to rig a highline across Salto Ángel, an 800-metre waterfall on Auyán-tepui in Venezuela’s Gran Sabana – the fulfilment of a dream more than 16 years in the making. After a thrilling journey through remote wilderness, weighed down by heavy packs and battered by tropical downpours, the group finally reaches its destination. But the highline itself is not the only challenge facing the athletes there: by the time filming takes place, there are already clear signs that the US government is preparing a military operation in Venezuela.

Director Valentin Rapp from Rosenheim, as well as Lukas Irmler and Antonia Rüede-Passul, will be in attendance.

Seasoned adventurers Stefan Glowacz and Christian Schlesener travel to Bolivia with the much younger brothers Moritz and Philipp Hans. Locals have told them about the legendary Valle de las Rocas, where untouched boulders and rock faces loom at an altitude of 4,000 metres. Shamans, river crossings, gods and a yoga session with Doña Gilda all add colour to the approach. While the Hans brothers go bouldering and post their footage on Instagram, Stefan and Christian bolt new sport-climbing routes – and are not shy about dispensing a little analogue wisdom along the way. On one thing, however, they all agree: the Valle de las Rocas is a world-class climbing destination.

Director Moritz Attenberger from Schliersee, as well as Stefan Glowacz and Philipp Hans, will be in attendance.

Slavka Adžović owns 170 sheep and goats. She is the only woman in Montenegro who works as a shepherd and the only Romani woman in the country to make her living this way. She never learned to read or write, but her love of animals helped her build an independent life as a farmer. Around her mountain hut on the windswept Krnovo plateau, four calves and 14 cows also graze, and she sells their milk. In striking images, director Galina Breitkreuz portrays a woman forging her own path between tradition and progress.

The Matterhorn (4,478 m) is one of the world’s most dangerous mountains: since 1865, more than 600 mountaineers have died while attempting to climb it. “Tod am Matterhorn” investigates why the risks are so often underestimated, particularly on the Hörnli Ridge, the standard route to the summit. The film accompanies Air Zermatt mountain guide Anjan Truffer to the Solvay bivouac, portrays hut warden Edith Lehner at the Hörnlihütte and follows mountain guide Meli Rüfenacht on her first ascent after she witnessed a fatal accident. The reportage examines the dangers of the mountain, the psychological impact on those left behind and on rescuers, and the influence of social media – a film of particular relevance given the difficult conditions on the mountain during the 2026 summer season.