Sherpa Winner of the 11th Mountain Film Festival

The Australian-Nepalese film Sherpa – Battle on Everest, which provides a multi-layered picture of the problems of commercial alpinism in the Himalayas, is the winner of the 11th Mountain Film Festival. In addition to the main prize of the city of Domžale, the festival jury awarded the best in the categories of alpinism, climbing, mountains, sport and adventure, and mountain nature and culture among 43 films in the competitive programme. The laurel for the best alpinism film remained in Slovenia, with the creators of the film Ama Dablam, Dreamt Dreams. A special award was also presented by Television Slovenia. The award-winning films will be on view from today until Sunday in Ljubljana, Celje, Nova Gorica, Domžale and Mojstrana, Cankarjev dom is hosting today also lectures by Slovenian sport climber Jernej Kruder and Austrian alpinist Robert Schauer, the Slovenian Mountaineering Museum hosts Janez Volkar.



The main prize of the city of Domžale goes to the Australian-Nepalese film Sherpa – Battle on Everest by director Jennifer Peedom. "With great cinematic narrative sensitivity, the film connects three stories into one, which the deadly avalanche on the icefall of the Khumbu Glacier reveals with all its brutality, forcing the Sherpas, mountain guides of commercial expeditions to Everest and their clients to decisions about which the viewer must also take a stance throughout the film," explained the international festival jury, composed of Martina Čufar Potard, Aleša Valič and Marco Ribetti, who had the demanding task this year as well of making a selection from 43 quality films.



The best alpinism film is the Slovenian film Ama Dablam, Dreamt Dreams, a story of the seven-day ascent of Vanja Furlan and Tomaž Humar over the northwest face of Ama Dablam, the ascent was followed by camera from base camp by Zvonko Požgaj. "The documentary film about an exceptional achievement in the Himalayas successfully reconstructs this alpinistic feat with excellent use of archival film and photographic material, original sound and narratives of contemporaries who vividly portray both heroes of the northwest face of Ama Dablam in 1996," wrote the jury. Director Igor Vrtačnik was extremely pleased with the first laurel for the freshly created film, which was premiered in an 80-minute version at the festival: "Making a film is a technically complex process and a long journey, for which you need a huge number of collaborators. It is similar to conquering a summit. It takes exceptionally long, it is risky, you don't know what will happen, on the way you need the trust of everyone and a large piece of simple luck. I have made 52 documentary films and one feature film, but it always starts with the first step. There was Zvonko's book and slides, old analogue slides ... There were very few of them, far too few for a film, and of course the story of Vanja Furlan, Tomaž Humar and Zvonko Požgaj, who still knew how to see and live the essence. I knew Zvonko, about Tomaž, like everyone, I knew a lot, about Vanja nothing! Vanja and Zvonko are exceptional photographers, portraits of locals, landscapes are among the most beautiful I have seen, and behind each you feel the author and the beauty of life ... Whoever has climbed knows that alpinism is not fanfares, drums and spectacle, as it is filmed today. It is endless patience, waiting, silence, concentration. I wanted the film to be the same. And during its creation I learned a lot about Tomaž, Vanja and Zvonko. On this path I learned much more than I did, even though I thought I already knew everything about film. For me too, it was a gift."



The best climbing film is Riders of the Storm (Franz Walter, Germany), which with exceptional footage and an interesting film narrative poetically combines the ascent of two world-famous alpinists with the story of the first ascent in this legendary route in Patagonia. The award for the best film about mountains, sport and adventure goes to List (Guido Perinni, Switzerland), in which the director of legendary films about skiing in mountains and a young skier present a skiing technique that amazes skiing legends and changes the way of descending alpine slopes. The excellent research documentary film Homeland of Skiing (Fulvio Mariani, Mario Casella, Switzerland), which takes us through an interweaving of images of unknown landscapes, people's stories and historical paths to Altai, the homeland of skiing, is the winner in the category of mountain nature and culture. The award for the short mountain film goes to Slab (Nadine Boller, Switzerland, Kyrgyzstan), which with the use of refined film language in a few minutes opens windows into different worlds and lives.



The jury also awarded honourable mentions: to the alpinism film Mirror (Matt Pycroft, England), climbing Playground of Adult Children (Guillaume Lion, Belgium), film Dodo's Luck (Josh Lowell, USA) in the category mountains, sport and adventure, and film about mountain nature and culture Porter's Freedom (Pavol Barabáš, Slovakia).



Television Slovenia (the jury consisted of Aleša Valič, Barbara Zrimšek and Andrej Otovčevič) awarded the research documentary film Holy (Un)holy River (Peter McBride, Jake Norton, USA), which enchants with unique images of the birth of the holy river Ganges in the Himalayas – and at the same moment sobers with data on global snow pollution already at its source.



The award-winning films will be shown in Cankarjev dom in Ljubljana and Mestni kino Metropol in Celje on Friday, 24 February, in Mestni kino Domžale on 25 and 26 February, in the Slovenian Mountaineering Museum in Mojstrana on 24 and 26, and in Kulturni dom Nova Gorica on 24 and 25 February 2017.



In addition to quality films, the Slovenian mountain festival is also marked by lecturers with their stories. Jernej Šček multi-layered presented the myth of the Italian alpinism legend of the first half of the 20th century Emilio Comici, Nives Meroi and Roman Benet their steadfastness on the ascent to Makalu and overcoming illness, Martina Čufar Potard masterful balance between climbing at the highest level and motherhood. The icing on the cake of the festival events with lectures tonight in Cankarjev dom is provided by the most successful Slovenian bouldering climber Jernej Kruder, who tested his limits also in multi-pitch routes and routes over water, and the Austrian top alpinist and film creator Robert Schauer with a story about the ascent of Gasherbrum IV in 1985 with Polish climbing partner Voytek Kurtyka, which still today represents one of the greatest milestones of top climbing in the Himalayas, in the Slovenian Mountaineering Museum Kamnik native Janez Volkar will speak about the expedition to the Afghan seven-thousander Noshaq 40 years ago.



Screenings of award-winning films



CANKARJEV DOM LJUBLJANA

Friday, 24 February

18.00, Linhartova dvorana: Ama Dablam, Dreamt Dreams

20.00, Linhartova dvorana: Slab and Homeland of Skiing



MESTNI KINO METROPOL, CELJE

Friday, 24 February

18.00: Slab and Porter's Freedom

20.00: Mirror and List



KULTURNI DOM NOVA GORICA

Friday, 24 February

18.00: Mirror and List

Saturday, 25 February

18.00: Porter's Freedom

20.00: Riders of the Storm and Playground of Adult Children



MESTNI KINO DOMŽALE

Saturday, 25 February

18.00: Dodo's Luck and Mirror

20.00: Sherpa – Battle on Everest

Sunday, 26 February

18.00: Slab and Homeland of Skiing

20.00: Riders of the Storm and List



SLOVENSKI PLANINSKI MUZEJ, MOJSTRANA

Sunday, 26 February

18.00: Sherpa – Battle on Everest