From June 9th to 13th, the Chamonix Film Festival offers a busy programme with 14 films, including 4 previews. Here are the productions not to be missed on the spot or from home in front of your screen.
Starting this Wednesday, June 9, the first edition of the Chamonix Film Festival will be held on site until Sunday, June 13. For those who will not be physically present in Haute-Savoie, the festival can also be experienced at home via film screenings, live evenings and conferences at the cinema which will be broadcast live. Five prizes will be awarded to the different productions, including the Grand Prix, the Audience Prize, the Special Jury Prize, the Narrative Prize and the "by fair means" prize (which rewards a state of mind "by fair means", a formula created by Reinhold Messner which designates an ascent achieved with ethical means). To give you an idea of the week's programme (which you can find in full at this address), here is the trailer of the festival and five films that we have selected.
Annapurna 1950 / 52 minutes
On June 3, 1950, Herzog and Lachenal were the first to climb the Annapurna, a summit of more than 8,000 meters. A victory with nationalistic overtones, an example of heroism with a taste of revenge after a humiliating war for France. The subject was difficult to tackle, a historical film capable of summarizing one of the most sensitive pages of Alpine history. Johan Andrieux has magnificently summarized the stakes and drawn a very accurate portrait of the protagonists.
Climbing Blind / 57 minutes
Climber and visually impaired Jesse Duftona climbed Scotland's iconic Old Man of Hoy, a rocky tower overlooking the sea and a symbol of inaccessibility, in 2019. The film Climbing Blind tells the story of Jesse's quest. How the child slowly lost his sight and how climbing offered him an unsuspected terrain of freedom and commitment. In his ascent of Old Man of Hoy, it was professional climber Leo Houlding who helped him make this dream possible.
Julia / 28 minutes
How to become one of the best climbers in the world? Julia Chanourdie was twelve years old when she climbed the 8th degree bar. Today, at the age of 24, she is one of the very few women to have reached 9b, the equivalent of the maximum level in climbing. An accomplished athlete since her teenage years, Julia Chanourdie was introduced to climbing by her father, a passionate climber who has remained her coach. For the past three years, Julia has been climbing incessantly, and has qualified for the Tokyo Olympics. She has become the incredible climber her father never doubted. This is the story of a total passion for minutes stolen from gravity, a singular story between a father and his gifted daughter.
Chamlang / 30 minutes
In October 2019, Benjamin Védrines and Nicolas Jean are embarking on an expedition to Chamlang, a 7331m peak south of Everest. Their goal: the never climbed North Pillar, one of the current challenges for Himalayan climbers. Their expedition is ultra-light, with little equipment, no comfortable base camp, pure "alpine style". During their first attempt on the pillar, they were faced with the choice of giving up. This was followed by a period of doubt until they came across another expedition led by Mathis Dumas and Hervé Barmasse, whose presence motivated them to set out again for the summit by another route, also new. Their ascent will then become epic... A magnificent testimony of what is today the committed himalayism.
Mount Logan / 13 minutes
In the spring of 2019, Hélias (mountaineer and skier), Thomas (snowboarder), Alexandre (mountaineer and monoskier) and Gregory (whitewater specialist) set out to ski down the East Ridge of Canada's highest peak, Mount Logan (5959 m), in the Yukon, a particularly isolated region. Total commitment, lightness of means, autonomy, ambition of the objective. The film bears witness to the best that modern mountaineering has to offer, in a spirit worthy of the pioneers.