Mountaineering Film Festival on its coming of age with ...

Mountaineering Film Festival on its coming of age with the richest program to date.

The 18th Mountaineering Film Festival celebrates adulthood with the latest domestic and international mountaineering film productions, and in the accompanying program with a series of interesting guests as never before in 18 years, lectures, talks, an exhibition, and current mountaineering literature. From February 12 to 17, 2024, all paths of mountain lovers lead to Cankarjev dom in Ljubljana, Mestni kino Domžale, Linhartova dvorana in Radovljica, and Mestni kino Metropol in Celje.

In a month's time, the 18th Mountaineering Film Festival brings to the valley the world of the highest mountains where oxygen is scarce, and the world where temperatures drop to dizzying depths of the underground in the French Alps, the world of breathtaking climbing in Verdon and the Lake District, the beauty of Canadian, Himalayan, and Patagonian mountains, jumps and flights over Karakoram towers, descent down the Grand Canyon river, and the boreal forest of magical Mongolia. It takes us across Swedish ski trails to African heights, from the loner Vakh in the abandoned village of the Kazbek mountains to shepherd Jose from the Spanish Pyrenees, from silent lynxes and night wolves to beautiful nature that is still stronger than man when he, despite modern equipment and helicopter rescue, can leave his toll not far from the mountain hut, when seven people freeze…

This year, the center of attention will be the cult route Eternal Flame on the Karakoram tower Nameless Trango Tower in Pakistan – twice in films and once in a lecture. The Swiss film Eternal Sloth is a breathtaking climbing and BASE-jump adventure, while in the American film Burning Flame we follow the free climbing of a route more than 1000 meters long. Spanish alpinist Edu Marin will also take us into it during his lecture; he made the second free ascent of the Eternal Flame route graded 7c+/8a in 2022. Slovenians also have their signature in it – the first one-day ascent by Silvo Karo and Andrej Grmovšek, who needed 24 hours for the ascent and descent in 2006.

The American film Climbing as Resistance touches on the current socio-political situation in the Middle East, as climbing in Palestine is one of the few things that allows a highly diverse group of climbers to momentarily forget the Israeli occupation. Viewers are taken into the history of alpinism by the Slovenian film Stormer from the Edge, 100 Years of Skalašev, which unveils the story of the Tourist Club Skala and its key figures: Klement Jug, Jože Čop, Pavla Jesih, and others; the Bosnian documentary Himalayan Warriors about the 50-year friendship between alpinists Stipe Božić and Viki Grošelj; and the Swiss film Spider in Patagonia, which outlines the history of conquering Patagonian mountains.

In addition to alpinistic, climbing, and sports films, this year's festival will also feature a handful of exceptional ethnographic documentaries – the Polish film Uncle Vakh's Dreams, the Italian Gifts of Waiting, and the Spanish Mountain of Memories –, enriched by several cinematic masterpieces. Cavers will be drawn to the picturesque French film Explorers of the Underground, while the French feature Mongolia: Valley of Bears presents the vibrancy of vast nomadic Mongolia.

78 films were submitted to this year's festival, with 35 selected for the competitive program, including eight alpinistic, nine climbing, nine about mountains, sports, and adventure, and as many about mountain nature and culture. On the big screen, there will be as many as seven Slovenian films: the documentary-feature Stormer from the Edge, 100 Years of Skalašev by Igor Vrtačnik, the short animated film Wild Rooster: Mysterious Life in Flight and Quarter by Jernej Myint, the documentary of the LIFE Lynx project Together for Lynx by Gregor Šubic and Timotej Vrtnik, the short film On, In, and Under Sava by Rožle Bregar, the film story of mountain runners on Julian Alps Trail Run Where the Ibex Run by Aliash Tepina, the film about the cycling ascent of Nika and Andreja to Kilimanjaro Silent Power by Peter Vrčkovnik, and the short film about the passionate snowboarder D A NN O Č by Mitja Legat.

The films will be judged by an international professional jury: former creator of the show Mountains and People and nature conservationist Marjeta Keršič Svetel, alpinist and mountain guide Tomaž Jakofčič, and German journalist, mountaineering publicist, and filmmaker Tom Dauer.

The accompanying program will feature a host of interesting guests as never before in eighteen years, lectures, talks, an exhibition, and the latest mountaineering literature. On the anniversary of the first winter ascent of Everest, Polish alpinism giants Krzysztof Wielicki and Leszek Cichy will revive memories of the historic February 17, 1980. Ukrainian alpinist Mikhail Fomin, living in Slovenia and recipient of two golden ice axes – for a new route on Talung in the Kangchenjunga massif and for the ascent of the southeast ridge of Annapurna III – will outline his alpinistic path. Spanish alpinist Edu Marin will present the second free ascent of the cult Eternal Flame route in the Karakoram, which he completed with his brother and father; young Italian Matteo Della Bordella, also the protagonist of the film Spider in Patagonia, will speak about minimalist kayak expeditions to Greenland, challenges on Bagirathi IV, and for him the most beautiful mountains – Patagonia.

Once Slovenia's most successful sport climber Mina Markovič, after nearly 20 years of top international competition, now combines her love and profession – rock and sports psychology. Dušan Škodič, author of Triglav is Ours, based on unexpectedly discovered archives, newly illuminates the beginnings of organized mountaineering and alpinism in Slovenia in an exciting way. Multiple award-winning cameraman, photographer, and film director Rožle Bregar has found his second home in Iceland, a place for exploration and documentary and commercial creation. One of the best climbers of the 1980s, Rado Fabjan, member of the famous Postojna quartet, captivates with his sincerity, depth, and simplicity. In Cankarjev dom, there will also be a photographic exhibition of one of the main figures of the golden age of Slovenian alpinism – Silvo Karo: From Wooden to Golden Ice Axe.