The 17th Mountain Film Festival is Coming

Winter holidays have already started for some, the other half will wait a little longer. But all enthusiasts of mountain adventures can look forward to that special week ahead. From February 13 to 18, the festival at Cankarjev dom in Ljubljana, Mestno kino Domžale, Linhartova dvorana in Radovljica, and Kino Metropol in Celje will present the latest world mountaineering film production. The well-received categories of alpinism, climbing, mountain nature, culture, and adventure remain staples. Among the 29 film stories in the competitive program, there will also be four films by Slovenian creators.

The festival will open on Monday, February 13 at 8 p.m., with the Slovenian film One for the River: The Story of Sava by director Rožle Bregar, which will take us along this unique water path accompanied by four kayakers.

Otherwise, epic stories from the Himalayas will also come to the big screen this year. The First Conquerors of Everest tell about the initial attempts on the world's highest peak. The film Ice Doctor lifts the veil on the lives of brave locals who perform the world's most dangerous job. Dutchwoman Line van den Berg in her first film deeply questions the position and role of women in modern alpinism. England is the land of traditional climbing, which remains faithful even in film portrayals, so they are regular guests at the festival. In the film Adam Ondra: Pushing the Limits, we will get insight into the daily life and training of the climber who many consider the best in the world. We will discover almost endless climbing possibilities on Reunion island and barefoot Charles, who climbs the world's hardest boulders in French Fontainebleau. In the film White Dreams, we will search for snow goats together with Jérémie Villet – his dream photographic motif. Details on alpinism films.

This year's strongest category is climbing, offering as many as ten excellent films. From kayaking adventure and climbing an 800 m high wall (Sea to Summit) to an intimate look into the life and career of one of the world's best climbers Adam Ondra. Details on climbing films.
FOUR SLOVENIAN FILMS will also be on display at the festival: One for the River: The Story of Sava, Tržaške prikazni, Of Words and Wind in the Life of Dušan Jelinčič, animated Legend of Zlatorog, and Saving Glaciers.

ACCOMPANYING PROGRAM: 4 lectures and a discussion on mountaineering literature
Legendary Andrej Štremfelj marked the 50th anniversary of his involvement in alpinism and the 30th anniversary of receiving the first golden ice axe together with Marko Prezelj in the past year. On this occasion, he published his autobiography Crystals of Happiness, about which he will speak at the lecture.
Mountaineer Anja Petek from Zgornja Savinjska dolina will take you on the paths of will: "Holy things in life rarely happen by chance. It is important to persevere in what we believe in."
Bor Levičnik, Žiga Oražem, and Matija Volontar will present their path from climbing partners to friends already at the festival opening on Monday. They certainly won't skip the autumn expedition to the Himalayas, where they climbed the 1000-meter west wall of Pumlac, 6180 m, via a first ascent route.
What was one big school that brought Nejc Marčič to many realizations? Among others, that a person has an extraordinarily strong will, so it's hard to just die even in very demanding conditions. Mountaineer with the golden ice axe from 2012.

This year's thematic discussion will be dedicated to reading and mountaineering literature. Both about reading on expeditions and writing one's experiences, Bogdan Biščak, Dušan Jelinčič, Silvo Karo, Matevž Lenarčič, and Marija and Andrej Štremfelj will speak in the discussion.

PROFESSIONAL JURY
The films will be evaluated by an international professional jury: art historian and journalist Melania Lunazzi from Italy, producer, director, and cameraman Jure Niedorfer, and writer, translator, alpinist, and world traveler Dr. Iztok Osojnik.