The Companions Of The Void

Remnants of Everest: The 1996 Tragedy

As darkness fell on May 10, 1996, a fast-moving storm of unimaginable ferocity trapped three climbing teams on the slopes of Mount Everest. The climbers, exhausted from their ascent to the summit, were soon lost in the dark, in a ferocious blizzard, far from the safety of High Camp at 26,000 feet. This film tells the story of the five climbers who perished in this storm, marking the worst climbing tragedy in the history of Mount Everest. But most remarkably, it's the story of eleven climbers caught in the storm, and eyewitness accounts of their astonishing survival in the world's most unforgiving environment.

Dian Fossey: Ihr Leben für die Gorillas

She was the first to study gorillas in their natural environment: the high mountains of Rwanda, where she settled in 1967. For nearly twenty years, Dian Fossey lived with the gorillas, observed their behavior, and changed the way people viewed them. Her relentless fight against poaching prevented the species from becoming extinct. But in December 1985, the primatologist was murdered, and the mystery surrounding her death remains unsolved. Former colleagues, scientists, and biographers shed light on the impact of her work, but also on the darker sides of her personality and her uncompromising commitment.

Il Était Une Voie Edlinger

Fifteen years have passed since the spectacular images of Jean-Paul Janssen's "Life at Your Fingertips" introduced the general public to free climbing and its embodiment: Patrick Edlinger. We witnessed the birth of a sporting phenomenon that would leave a lasting mark on generations of climbers. But fifteen years later, in 1997, beyond the myth, where is Patrick Edlinger? Gilles Chappaz found him on some of the most beautiful walls of the Verdon Gorge and other cliffs during the filming of Maurice Rebeix's documentary "Roc'n Wall 97," where he shares his climbing practice and philosophy with the younger generation, including Liv Sansoz and Arnaud Petit.

Pura Vida (The Ridge)

On the south face of Annapurna, at 7,400 metres, Iñaki Ochoa de Olza is dying. His rope companion sounds the alarm. And, from the other side of the world, the biggest rescue attempt in the history of the Himalayas gets underway. For four days a dozen men including some of the best mountaineers in the world, from ten countries, set out to try to rescue their stricken comrade. Even beyond his peaks Iñaki is an exceptional man. As exceptional as the rescue attempt itself and the men who risked their lives to save him. Exceptional because their one driving rule is to live. To live in the only way possible: with pure intensity and honesty.

Songs of Earth

With Olin's 85-year-old father as guide, we experience Norway's most adventurous valley, Oldedalen in Nordfjord. He grew up here, and here generations before him have lived in balance with nature.

Sensation Alpen

From Trento to Chamonix, via Zermatt; from the Morgiou cove to the Eiger's north face; from Planica to the Lavaredo peaks, the Alps are depicted, illustrated, and magnified in all their unique and sublime beauty, through the sports practiced there and the most typical customs and traditions of their inhabitants. A helicopter rescue and a parachute jump from the Red Wall by Wolfgang Weizenbocks are experiences not to be missed.

Surrender To Everest

In 1971, American Norman Dyhrenfurth led an expedition of 30 climbers from 13 different countries, including Don Whillans, Dougal Haston, Naomi Uemura, Pierre Mazeaud, Michel Vaucher, and others. This expedition aimed to simultaneously climb the southwest face and the direct west ridge. During the ascent, Indian climber Harsh Vardhan Bahuguna perished at Camp 3 in a storm. The expedition, already suffering from organizational problems, was severely tested after his death. The Americans decided, unilaterally, to abandon the west ridge. The Europeans, who had spent days equipping the route, were left out and felt relegated to the roles of route setters and porters. Frenchman Pierre Mazeaud, Swiss climbers Michel and Yvette Vaucher, and Italian Carlo Mauri then left the expedition. The Americans continued their ascent of the southwest face up to 8,350 meters before giving up.

Safety Third

“There’s a fine line between being bold and being a dumbass. And I think Brad did some time on both sides of the line.” Such are the words filmmaker and climber Cedar Wright uses to describe the subject of his new film. Meet Brad Gobright, 27 years old, busboy at a fine dining establishment, dirtbag, college dropout. Gobright’s diet consists of sprinkled donuts, scraps from work, glazed croissants, apple pie, and any and all junk food. And one other thing: Gobright is one of the best and boldest free solo climbers in the sport — who nobody has ever heard of. Safety Third shines the spotlight on Gobright, probably for a shorter moment than he deserves. But it doesn’t matter. His mind is elsewhere, focused on his next free solo.

Explore Mont Blanc

When the Mountaineers Make Their Cinema

Many mountaineers as part of their activity have used cameras and films to allow us to participate through images in their adventures and their emotions. Many of them have become true film professionals: Joseph Vallot, Lionel Terray, Marcel Ichac, Renè Vernadet, Jean Afanasieff, Pierre Royer, Denis Ducroz, Kurt Diemberg and many others are among the conquerors of the image of the mountain. The film depicts the passion of these men on the highest mountains in the world... behind the lens.

Trio For One

Daulagiri (8167m), Naga Parbat (8125m) and Broad Peak (8051m) are among the 14 peaks in the world. Jean-Christophe Lafaille has set himself the goal of reaching these 3 peaks in the space of two months. This film takes us on a surprising journey that begins in Nepal and ends in Pakistan, while exploring the soul of this committed mountaineer… Ed Viesturs and Katia Lafaille accompanied Lafaille on his adventure.

Shishapangma, Un Solo En Hiver

Jean-Christophe Lafaille is the first mountaineer to attempt the solo ascent of the steep Himalayan face of "Shishapangma". As one of the 14 highest peaks in the world, Shishapangma peak rises over 8000 meters. Jean-Christophe defies the merciless conditions of the Himalayan winter. Without oxygen and exposed to extreme cold, Jean-Christophe, aware of the objective danger, is determined to achieve this long-held dream by reaching the summit by the magnificent British South West face course of 1982, with a new course on the first 1000 meters. He will reach the summit on December 11, some, like the Pole Krzysztof Wielicki, challenge him for the first. Jean-Christophe will be very upset and some of his relatives will be worried to see him then lock himself into an increasingly obstinate quest, some of whom were already guessing the outcome.

A Matter Of Doubt

Les Danses de Tami

Abîmes

Mountaineers Roberto Sorgato and Ignazio Piussi relive their 1961 adventure: the first winter ascent of the north face of Cima Ovest di Lavaredo, a formidable Dolomite wall reaching 2,973 meters. During this expedition, Sorgato accidentally fell 60 meters while the climbers were preparing their third bivouac and found himself suspended in mid-air by a rope. Through sheer perseverance, ingenuity, and courage, he managed to pull himself back to his partner. The film, shot eleven years later, is a reenactment with the protagonists playing themselves. The difficulties this climb presents, even for the most experienced climbers, are irrefutably highlighted. The film received the Genziana d'Oro award at the Trento Film Festival in 1973.

Calanques

Two climbers, Dany Badier and Françoise Dassonville, swim to explore an underground cave in the Calanques, near Marseille, then equip themselves with climbing gear to scale the spectacular cliffs of the Calanques. Their ascent culminates at the summit of the Grande Candelle. Directed by Gilbert Dassonville in 1970 and produced by Cérès Films, this film won first prize at the Trento Mountain Film Festival in 1967.

Cannabis Rock

The documentary recounts the brief yet intense "beat" epic of a group of young climbers who, from 1973 to 1975, brought the restless and creative climate of '68 to the rocks and revolutionized the traditionalism of the Piedmontese and Italian mountaineering world. It's an initiatory journey for a tribe of young rebels who, inspired by the theories of Gian Piero Motti, experienced their mountaineering season as an inner torment, some discovering yoga and some marijuana, some rapt with ecstasy and others with rage. A season lived to the sound of Bob Dylan and Popol Vuh, with a profound recklessness towards life. The climbs became true explorations charged with symbolic and visionary meaning, along routes baptized with evocative names: Cannabis, Fessura della Disperazione, Strapiombi delle Visioni, Diedro Sanchez.

The Mountain Within Me

After suffering a catastrophic and almost fatal spinal cord injury, professional rugby player Ed Jackson's world changed forever. Follows Ed's journey on his recovery as he achieves the mental and physical heights of Snowdonia, the Alps and Himalayas to the life-altering challenges closer to home.

The Death Zone

To understand the difficulties of an ascent to over eight thousand metres, it is enough to remember the almost 300 victims these peaks have claimed. The Swiss alpinist Ehrart Loretan, the third alpinist in the world to have climbed all 14 8,000, and the Austrian alpinist Kurt Diemgerger cover the whole history of the conquest of the world’s 8,000, from the fifties to the present day, together with other alpinists and film directors who have climbed them. They talk about their experienced when they ventured into the death zone.

Ama Dablam, Dreams Unfolded

In 1996, after seven days of extremely difficult ascent, Vanja Furlan and Tomaž Humar managed to reach the summit of Ama Dablam in Nepal on the northwest face. Zvonko Požgaj, their only link to the valley, followed the events from the base camp, led and encouraged them to cross the emetre, and at the same time carefully recorded and recorded everything that happened during those days dramatic. The film about the disappearance, time, mortality, memory and eternity of the human spirit pays tribute to one of the greatest achievements of Slovenian mountaineering in the world and is dedicated to Vanja Furlan and Tomaž Humar .