Social & External
The people behind it
Georges Bouyssou
Living in Chamonix means observing Mont Blanc all the time. It's such an iconic summit." For several years, athlete Hillary Gerardi has shone on the podiums of the biggest trail races, but her gaze is set on high altitude. Victim of a terrible accident a few years earlier, she questions her legitimacy as a mountaineer to measure herself against the most prestigious mountain running record. The round trip starting from the church of Chamonix, the capital of mountaineering, to the summit of Mont Blanc. Secretly, Hillary has dedicated her last three years to this meticulous preparation, but that was without counting on climatic hazards that are much less controllable than her own determination... On the eve of the International Year of Glacier Preservation in 2025 (UNESCO), this inspiring film harmoniously combines the sporting performance of Hillary's record and the awareness of the importance of glaciers through the speech of glaciologist Heidi Selvestre.
The best films of the European Outdoor Film Tour 11/12.
K2 Chasing Shadows chronicles Benjamin Védrines' record-breaking 2024 ascent of K2 (8,611m) in 10 hours, 59 minutes, and 59 seconds, without supplemental oxygen: a story that unfolds as much in the mind as on the mountain. In human exploration, each boundary pushed awakens a new thirst. Each feat paves the way for a deeper quest. It is this tension between extreme performance and inner aspiration that drives K2 Chasing Shadows. For Benjamin Védrines, it is a journey of humility, resilience, and a search for meaning amidst the raw beauty of the Pakistani Karakoram. The film exposes the physical demands of a formidable summit, while also exploring fear, loss, and the perilous nature of dreams that demand total commitment. Between unforeseen obstacles, forced retreats and new attempts, Védrines faces the most trying and exhilarating aspects of mountaineering, constantly questioning where true accomplishment lies.
This stop-motion animated short film draws us into a post-apocalyptic world through the eyes of a solitary hamster. Wandering through the ruins of once-thriving cities, he scavenges for objects, searches for water, and tries to care for the last surviving plants. One day, he stumbles upon a pair of binoculars. Through them, he spots a strange house covered in flowers, standing in the middle of the urban desert. Intrigued, he sets off to explore and discovers the Giant, a plant-like creature trapped inside its own overgrown sanctuary. Terrified of the outside world, the Giant dares not cross the walls of its home. Petit decides to help. Together, they embark on a journey that’s as simple as it is extraordinary: to make the Earth bloom again.
In the aftermath of World War I, the French were seized by an extraordinary enthusiasm, wanting a world focused on joie de vivre, social progress, and celebration. This dream had a name: Paris. The French capital embodied the Roaring Twenties and its cultural influence was felt around the world. People came from every continent. Hemingway, Gershwin, Man Ray, Henry Miller, Fitzgerald, Josephine Baker, Maurice Chevalier... many contributed to the myth of the City of Light. Two neighborhoods in particular embodied this artistic effervescence: Montmartre and Montparnasse...
Three years after graduating, George, a broke young filmmaker, struggles to fund his first feature film: an ambitious survival story set during the Vietnam War, to be shot in the jungle.
A screen adaptation of the well-known novel by Roger Frison-Roche about the harsh lives of mountain guides and their families in the French Alps, near Chamonix and the French/Swiss/Italian borders... Like his father, Zian Servettaz is a dedicated mountain man. His Italian-born wife Bianca does not adjust well to his mountain village in France, and to the ever life-threatening dangers presented by his mountain guiding and climbing. She briefly returns to Italy and to her family. However, after Zian's insistence and trip to Italy, she returns to mountain life in the French Alps. Once back there, events will unfold, changing their lives as well as those of other mountain people forever.
Sinbad returns from the sea to find his country subjected to the will of two unscrupulous sorcerers.
27-year-old German alpinist Jost Kobusch wants to climb Everest, alone, without oxygen and in Winter, when the roof of the world is deserted.
The son can't stop wondering. What is dad going to do after retirement? So he starts filming him. Dad wants to have a shot at becoming a street artist in Montmartre, Paris, a longtime dream of his. To the mother, it sounds like just another absurd dream. Anyhow, 2 years later, the father puts his plan into action and sets off for France. Right until his departure, the mother doesn't know what to make of it. While dad spends one month as a street artist, the son and mother follow him to Paris...
After years of preparation, a team of highly motivated Quebeckers set out on one of the longest wilderness expeditions ever documented. Stage one involves skiing in relentless polar conditions from Ellesmere Island to the Northwest Passage where the challenge was reaching the mainland. Cue canoes for a 2000km journey across Nunavut and NWT until they reach the first dirt road available where bikes are waiting to be pedalled 4000km to Point Pelee in Ontario.
A tragic expedition to the Himalayas, told by the great mountaineer Reinhold Messner, who lost his brother there in 1970, swept away by an avalanche during the descent. An epic tale set against a grandiose backdrop.
Just like Tony Carreira, we all have a “boy’s dream”. Nuno’s and Vasco’s dream? See in-person the Portuguese National Team play at the World Cup. But, travelling to the USA isn’t cheap. Specially for two dudes who spend half of their pay check in pints of beer. What if they put everything on the line for a giveaway? Would the odds be in their favour? Genius move or joke of the year?
Six Scouts and Guides from France are heading to Togo, where they are joining forces with Togolese scouts to build a classroom. This documentary captures their human adventure and the cultural exchange that emerges at the heart of this solidarity project. Through the challenges of construction, a story of friendship, cooperation, and discovery unfolds between young people from two continents.
September 1945. South of France. War is over. Three young artists reunite to discuss the future. One of them, Nicolas, presents a plan for all the new corporations that are going to grow soon, in which advertising and art can merge. But Raphaël thinks differently. He wants fresh air and poetry. Therefore, he leaves. Choosing the freedom of nature like a young bohemian artist.
The life of Canadian mountain climber Marc-André Leclerc as he pushes the boundaries of climbing while on an expedition to Patagonia.
James Cameron and Simcha Jacobovici go on an adventure to find the lost city of Atlantis by using Greek philosopher Plato as a virtual treasure map.
In an unbelievable story of perseverance, free climber Tommy Caldwell and climbing partner Kevin Jorgeson attempt to scale the impossible 3000ft Dawn Wall of El Capitan.
Follow Alex Honnold as he attempts to become the first person to ever free solo climb Yosemite's 3,000 foot high El Capitan wall. With no ropes or safety gear, this would arguably be the greatest feat in rock climbing history.
14-year-old Laura Dekker sets out on a two-year voyage in pursuit of her dream to become the youngest person ever to sail around the world alone.
In 2019, Nepalese mountain climber Nirmal “Nims” Purja set out to do the unthinkable by climbing the world’s fourteen highest summits in less than seven months. (The previous record was eight years). He called the effort “Project Possible 14/7” and saw it as a way to inspire others to strive for greater heights in any pursuit. The film follows his team as they seek to defy naysayers and push the limits of human endurance.
The film follows adventurer Jeff Johnson as he retraces the epic 1968 journey of his heroes Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins to Patagonia.
Join renowned explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau as he investigates aquatic habitats worldwide, showcasing whales, sharks, and diverse marine life. The film highlights the brutal realities of nature while capturing the wonder of underwater exploration, as the team ventures into previously unseen ocean depths.
The life of Bambi, a male roe deer, from his birth through childhood, the loss of his mother, the finding of a mate, the lessons he learns from his father, and the experience he gains about the dangers posed by human hunters in the forest.
In the shady campgrounds of Yosemite valley, climbers carved out a counterculture lifestyle of dumpster-diving and wild parties that clashed with the conservative values of the National Park Service. And up on the walls, generation after generation has pushed the limits of climbing, vying amongst each other for supremacy on Yosemite's cliffs. "Valley Uprising" is the riveting, unforgettable tale of this bold rock climbing tradition in Yosemite National Park: half a century of struggle against the laws of gravity -- and the laws of the land.
The Making-of James Cameron's Avatar. It shows interesting parts of the work on the set.
Martin Scorsese's documentary intertwines footage from The Band's incredible farewell tour with probing backstage interviews and featured performances by Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, and other rock legends.
Director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born adults after a 7 year wait. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have occurred in their lives during the last seven years.
A young penguin, driven by his instinct, embarks on his first major trip to an unknown destination.
An international team of climbers ascends Mt. Everest in the spring of 1996. The film depicts their lengthy preparations for the climb, their trek to the summit, and their successful return to Base Camp. It also shows many of the challenges the group faced, including avalanches, lack of oxygen, treacherous ice walls, and a deadly blizzard.
Follow Aisholpan, a 13-year-old girl, as she trains to become the first female in twelve generations of her Kazakh family to become an eagle hunter, and rise to the pinnacle of a tradition that has been typically been handed down from father to son for centuries.
No ropes. No fear. Free solo legend Alex Honnold risks it all in a high-stakes, live ascent of one of the world's tallest skyscrapers in Taipei, Taiwan.
Al Pacino's deeply-felt rumination on Shakespeare's significance and relevance to the modern world through interviews and an in-depth analysis of "Richard III."
An epic cinematic and musical collaboration between SHERPA filmmaker Jennifer Peedom and the Australian Chamber Orchestra, that explores humankind's fascination with high places.
An inside look at one of the most anticipated movie sequels ever with James Cameron and cast.
