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!

On foot, by kayak and on skis, director Bernhard Schirg travels through northern Sweden. He explores mountains, rivers and glacial landscapes shaped by hydropower, dwindling ice and the extraction of natural resources. Along the way, he follows in the footsteps of 17th-century scholar Olof Rudbeck, whose expeditions produced some of the earliest cartographic panoramas of the mountains. He also linked myths such as Atlantis and Elysium to the landscapes of Scandinavia. “Frozen Atlantis” investigates the layers of meaning folded into today’s landscapes, asking how stories shape our relationship with the world and how myths can still offer a sense of direction in places undergoing profound change.

For many years, a single railway line was the only link across Canada – a narrow ribbon of steel through vast and rugged mountain country. In 1910, tragedy struck: 58 railway workers from Europe and Japan were killed while clearing avalanche debris from the tracks. In the middle of the night, a second avalanche swept down on them. The documentary follows two unlikely friends brought together by the disaster: a businessman from the city and a ski guide from the mountains. Both are searching for meaning and healing, and both are determined to uncover the secrets and injustices that still surround the tragedy.

Pedro Casanellas is a passionate mountain guide, climber and ski instructor who has lived in Switzerland since the age of 15. In the heart of the Alps, he has found not only his calling, but also a home. In the canton of Ticino, Casanellas lives in a simple rustico, with no creature comforts but in close contact with the natural world around him. “Pedro – Ein Leben in den Bergen” is a moving documentary about a man who has managed to bring the way he thinks and the way he lives into harmony – a quiet film about freedom, closeness to nature and a conscious life away from the modern world.

Dance on the volcano: is mountain biking on Italy’s Mt. Etna even possible? Spectacular lava fountains and smoking craters regularly put Etna in the headlines. A film crew sets out by mountain bike to explore Europe’s highest active volcano, entering a fascinating landscape of lava fields, forests and sweeping views. Gruelling climbs, exhilarating descents and warm Sicilian hospitality combine to create an adventure full of contrasts. The journey’s highlight is an attempt to reach the summit at around 3,400 metres – a challenge that depends on the wind, the weather and the moods of the volcano itself. Will “Mama Etna” allow them up?

Hiba, Bachir and Manan are three young people who migrated to the Spanish province of Navarre as unaccompanied children. In their new surroundings, they find in climbing and the mountains a place of freedom, where their worries recede into the background and they can develop a new sense of confidence. Nature becomes a space where the refugees can find their footing, regain strength and reconnect with themselves. But as their lives gradually begin to diverge, the fragility of this shared refuge also becomes apparent. Between a traumatic past, the present and an uncertain future, how can a sense of belonging take root when one’s own roots have been severed?

A shepherd and a nobleman cross a vast landscape of rugged limestone peaks around Picu Urriellu in the Picos de Europa. In this harsh yet mysterious setting, the boundaries between two social worlds that could hardly be more different begin to blur. The journey is long, and only one of the two knows the way. As the landscape increasingly asserts itself as a force in its own right between them, the relationship between the two men also begins to shift. Distance gives way to dependence, uncertainty to trust. The film takes viewers on a quiet allegorical journey that raises questions about way-finding, power and the fragile balance between knowledge, nature and human experience.

For centuries, the inhabitants of the remote village of Cavaione, high above the Val Poschiavo near the border with the Valtellina, deftly shifted between Swiss and Italian identities to avoid taxes and military service. Only in 1875 were they granted Swiss citizenship, when the hamlet and its 108 residents became part of the municipality of Brusio. Today, just eight people live in Cavaione year-round. For the 150th anniversary, people from across the valley gathered to celebrate and remember the village that was the last to join the Swiss Confederation. Its story is one of resourcefulness and survival, of crossing and accepting borders, and of regional identity in the mountains of Graubünden.

At the age of 94, Seyfour wants to return to the homeland he was forced to leave 50 years ago. His former home disappeared beneath water after the construction of a dam. While his family sees the journey as pointless, he sets out alone to protect the last remaining piece of his land and his father’s grave. The film tells a story of memory, loss and the inseparable bond between identity and place of origin. In one man’s return, a universal story takes shape – about places that vanish and human insistence on belonging.

The highest mountain in the GDR (East Germany) was once celebrated as the “St. Moritz of the East”. As the small nation’s only mountain truly suited to Alpine skiing, it became the training ground for the nation’s skiing elite. The film tells the story of the struggle over the mountain’s privatisation: since autumn 2025, the summit plateau, the Fichtelberghaus, ski lifts, snow cannons and the entire infrastructure have been in private hands. Among those portrayed are adventurer Lutz Heinrich, who set out from the Fichtelberg to conquer the world, yet nearly broke under the struggles he faced at home; ski-jumping legend and Olympic champion Jens Weißflog, who later became a hotelier and businessman and found himself, through no fault of his own, at the centre of a tourism scandal; and investor Rainer Gläss, who first discovered the Fichtelberg as a young man and has never been able to let it go.

On 24 July 2024, a wildfire in Jasper, Alberta, destroys the home of aerial artist Sasha Galitzki. “Embers” links the loss of her home with the retreat of the glaciers she has witnessed for years – two consequences of the same cause: climate change. One year after the fire, the film follows Galitzki as she rebuilds her life and comes to terms with the changes affecting both nature and her community. In conversations with experts, she searches for answers and, through her art, finds her way back to hope. With striking aerial performances, “Embers” becomes a moving call for environmental protection.

Steep, spectacular and with a long climbing tradition, the Salbitschijen (2,985 m) in the Swiss canton of Uri is one of the best-known granite climbing areas in the Alps. Malte Roeper explores the massif on several routes with different climbing partners. With Rita Christen, he tackles the west ridge; later, Dan Loutrel guides him along the south ridge towards the summit. Highlights include the Salbit Bridge, the Salbit Hut and a bivouac at 2,400 metres. Encounters with local climbing legends such as Moses Gamma round off the journey. In 2004, Malte Roeper and Tom Dauer won the award for Best Landscape Film for “Die Alpen – Eine Reise durch Bayrisch-Afrika” (The Alps – A Journey through Bavarian Africa).

In an industry still largely dominated by international operators, Adam Kjeldsen is one of the few Inuit ski guides in Greenland. The documentary follows his efforts to promote a form of ski tourism that is more firmly rooted in the local community and brings greater benefits to the people who live there. Against the spectacular backdrop of Arctic mountains and fjords, the film paints a portrait of a man whose relationship with the land reaches far beyond sport. Along the way, it explores questions of cultural identity, economic participation and the right of local people to shape the future of their own homeland.

Nina Caprez, Nicole Niquille and Rita Christen – three women who followed their passions and, almost in passing, became pioneers. They never made a show of campaigning for equality, yet they managed to hold their own in a world shaped largely by men. The documentary looks back at a time when female mountaineers faced deep-rooted prejudice. At the same time, it shows how the mountains can open up spaces for living life on one’s own terms. In this way, the three protagonists became trailblazers – leaving tracks for younger women to follow.

This artistic and poetic short film explores the freeskiing life of Matthias Haunholder. For him, “La Cimota” is an inner landscape, his own inner mountain – a way of life and a philosophy shaped by skiing, competitive sport, expeditions and the search for meaning, fulfilment and balance. Director Johannes Aitzetmüller transforms this biography into an atmospheric and visually powerful cinematic space suspended between memory, dream and the expansion of time. The film traces a journey once centred on sporting success, but now increasingly concerned with existential questions of consciousness and identity. In the end, “La Cimota” is not a place, but a state of being.

A former Romanian stage actor leaves the world of theatre behind and returns with his camera to a remote valley in the Carpathians. Searching for traces of a vanishing way of life, he encounters people, rituals and landscapes shaped by centuries-old traditions. Part documentary observation, part personal journey, the film paints a portrait of an archaic world whose beauty and fragility are becoming ever more visible as times change. In 2022, director Mathieu Le Lay won the award for “Best Film – Mountain Nature” at the Tegernsee Mountain Film Festival for his film “Yukon”.

Four-time para-climbing world champion Angelino Zeller is joined by Christina Wechsel, who hikes and climbs with a prosthetic leg, and 94-year-old climber Maria Kittl. All three have found their way back to the mountains after serious accidents and other devastating setbacks. Despite their physical limitations, these very different athletes are united by their passion for the mountains. The documentary deliberately shifts the focus away from the hardships they have endured and towards what is still possible. In doing so, it paints a multifaceted picture of resilience, self-determination and love for the mountains.

Moritz Grötsch’s documentary “Lange Tage” follows Bernhard Kämmerer as he prepares for the 2025 Transcontinental Race, one of Europe’s toughest self-supported ultra-distance cycling events: 4,676 kilometres from Spain’s Atlantic coast to the Black Sea. The enormity of this undertaking is matched by his meticulous preparations, during which he takes viewers on training rides and shares his doubts, worries and fears. Whether the endurance athlete ultimately reaches the finish becomes almost beside the point. What matters most, the film suggests, is having the courage to set out in the first place.

To form a roped team means far more than a pragmatic alliance. It’s not just a matter of getting through a few pitches. A roped partnership is held together not only by the climbing rope, but also by an invisible bond of trust and understanding. In that sense, mountaineers Ines Papert and Sarah Huenekin make a perfect team. Together, the two women, both over 50, show that age is largely a matter of perspective – and that they can realise their full potential when they support one another as climbing partners.

Kate Kelleghan and Laura Pineau have set themselves an ambitious goal: to become the first all-female climbing team to complete the legendary “Triple Crown” of three big walls on El Capitan, Half Dome and Mount Watkins in under 24 hours. To do so, they must climb more than 3,000 vertical metres and cover considerable distances between the walls. The film follows these two exceptional climbers through intensive training and meticulous planning, all the way to their decisive attempt in California’s Yosemite Valley. What makes their undertaking particularly engaging is that, despite all the effort, challenges and risks involved, Kelleghan and Pineau never lose their sense of humour or lightness of touch, bringing a fresh, distinctly female perspective to this extreme pursuit.

The secret to a long and happy relationship? Climb together and keep seeking out adventures. While others their age are settling into retirement, Ilse and Fritz are cheerfully planning their next climbing trips. For more than 60 years, the adventurous couple have forged their own wild path. During a climbing trip in Austria’s Mühlviertel, their panoramic life story unfolds, spanning almost a century across the Alps, various deserts and the Himalayas – inspiring both wonder and the odd chuckle. But what mark does a life like this leave on their children? Against the backdrop of two extraordinary biographies, the film becomes a moving reflection on how personal freedom, mutual responsibility and deeply held values can be brought into balance.

Over more than 2,000 days, the film follows the Lapied family – father, mother and daughter – as they search for the elusive creatures of the mountains. For 18 years, the family have been observing the wildlife of the Gran Paradiso massif, venturing far from the trails to study the animals’ tracks and behaviour. Véronique, Anne and Erik spend long hours waiting patiently, endure setbacks and savour those rare moments when the animal they have been hoping for finally appears. Stunning images of the natural world, poetic visuals and reflections on the relationship between humans and nature offer a fascinating insight into the filmmakers’ work. Anne and Erik Lapied won the “Great Prize

This is the story of a family of four who live in a camper van they converted themselves. At first glance, their life seems free and simple: the parents go climbing together, their journey takes them through beautiful landscapes, and the children grow up closely connected to nature. But between quiet mornings and spectacular sunsets lies another reality, shaped by constant effort, sacrifice and perseverance. With an empathetic eye, director Lars Goos shows just how much strength it takes to live an alternative life beyond society’s conventions.

Katherine Choong invites her friend Eline Le Menestrel to climb Zahir, a multi-pitch route on the Wendenstöcke and one of the hardest lines in the Swiss Alps. Eline agrees – but on one condition: the entire journey there must be made by bicycle. Their shared climbing project soon becomes a double challenge, combining technical difficulty on the wall with physical exhaustion. Between long days in the saddle and the technical demands of the route, the project becomes a test of whether sporting ambition and ecological commitment can truly be reconciled. Under these self-imposed constraints, can the climbers still reach their goal?

Trust the British to turn eccentricity into a sport: walking backwards, running backwards and, yes, even climbing mountains backwards. Starting with a spectacular but not entirely serious record attempt in the 1970s, the film sets off on an entertaining and surprising journey through more than two centuries of “retro” history. Along the way, it meets people who run marathons backwards or dream of circling the globe in reverse. One protagonist tackles Kilimanjaro in unconventional fashion – looking down as he climbs and up as he descends. An original film about the innocent joy of upending the way you see the world.

In the world of climbing, people are constantly “moving mountains”. More than a metaphor, the phrase reflects the pursuit of what seems unreachable or impossible. In its purest form, that pursuit finds expression in bouldering – climbing on large rocks without ropes or protective gear. Bernd Zangerl is a pioneer and master of this discipline. In his second home in the Indian Himalayas, the Vorarlberg native has found his own personal Shangri-La. Indian filmmaker Abhishek Tiwari observes Zangerl’s world from his own perspective and discovers a man for whom these granite boulders have become the foundation of a deeply committed and spiritual way of life.

A new working day begins at nearly 3,000 metres: The film follows those who spend the winter working high in the Alps – at a mountain hut in South Tyrol, behind the wheel of a snow groomer on the Zugspitzplatt, or as a mountain guide on the ridges above the Ötztal glaciers. For most people, snow-laden mountains and vast glacier worlds are the stuff of spectacular photographs and holiday memories. For mountain guides, snow-groomer drivers and hut keepers, they are where the work gets done. Director Peter Künzel shows the wide variety of professions carried out in the high mountains during winter. Despite the hardships, all of them cherish their extraordinary workplace at icy altitudes and continue to marvel at the landscapes and ever-changing light of the winter mountains.

Traditional livestock breeds that shaped the Alpine cultural landscape for centuries are now at risk of disappearing, pushed aside by modern high-performance breeds. The film follows Tobias Riedelsperger in the Salzburg region and Angelina Pucher, who lives and works in Kals at the foot of Mt. Großglockner. On their heritage farms, they breed rare animals such as Pustertaler Sprinzen cattle, Braunes Bergschaf (“brown mountain sheep”) and Tauernschecken goats. Both are convinced that these old breeds are healthier, hardier and irreplaceable for the ecosystem. Over the course of a year, the film accompanies Tobias and Angelina in their passionate commitment to preserving these animals.

Alongside the gentler peaks of the Mangfall Mountains, the Karwendel was the mountain home of Tegernsee native Otto Guggenbichler, who returned there time and again with his film crews. Made in the 1970s, his film about this rugged limestone massif between the Inn and Isar rivers contains a wealth of historic footage – including scenes from the construction of the Sylvenstein reservoir, when the old village of Fall disappeared beneath the waters of the Isar. The region’s long hunting tradition naturally plays a part, as does the rise of tourism. A fascinating historical document that dazzles with its superb cinematography and, thanks to Guggenbichler’s personal, wry commentary, is sure to provoke the odd chuckle.

After beginning his career in radio at Bayerischer Rundfunk (Bavarian Public Broadcasting), the young Tegernsee native Otto Guggenbichler moved into the even younger medium of television. There, he quickly found a way to combine his passion for the mountains with his work as a filmmaker. In 1957, he travelled to Chamonix to make a film about the town and its local mountain, Mont Blanc. Footage of the ascent of the highest peak in the Alps was shot by well-known climber and cameraman Martin Schließler from Baden-Baden. Anyone familiar with today’s bustling, tourist-filled Chamonix will be both surprised and delighted by Schließler’s images.