A Breath Of Summer

Although the mountain volcano Mauna Kea last erupted around 4,000 years ago, it is still hot today, the center of a burning controversy over whether its summit should be used for astronomical observatories or preserved as a cultural landscape sacred to the Hawaiian people. For five years the documentary production team Nā Maka o ka 'Āina ("the eyes of the land") captured on video the seasonal moods of Mauna Kea's unique 14,000-foot summit, the richly varied ecosystems that extend from sea level to alpine zone, the legends and stories that reveal the mountain's geologic and cultural history, and the political turbulence surrounding the efforts to protect the most significant temple in the islands: the mountain itself.

Pseudo-ethnological documents about two villages which, without roads and electricity, "stopped existing"

They are 9: climbers, sailors, adventurers, a dog, all aboard Samsara, a 15m sailboat. Their course? Yosemite and its legendary walls. Here is the story of a journey ; a quest that combines navigation and climbing. A new approach, to show that alternatives exist and that it is possible to live an extraordinary adventure while limiting its impact on the environment.

Using paragliding in the Himalayas like the cable car in the Alps to go have fun, go mountaineering or skiing is the crazy idea of a group of 7 friends who went together to Pakistan to make combos in the Himalayas! The plan is simple, the paraglider allows you to reach the high mountains and from there it only remains to have fun. It is also the way to acclimatize to the altitude to try to fly at more than 8000m of altitude with a paraglide and to try to break the paragliding altitude world record.

One of a series of ‘falls’ by Bas Jan Ader that he recorded on film, this work was filmed in West Kapelle, Holland in 1970.

Bas Jan Ader hangs from the branch of a tall tree, until he loses his grip and falls into a river below.

This Traveltalk short visits Rocky Mountain National Park and a nearby dude ranch in Colorado.

One of the best Bulgarian mountain runners – Kiril Nikolov, known as Disl, attempted to set a new record – to run through the longest and legendary Bulgarian mountain route – 600 km from the mountain peak of Kom on the west border to cape Emine on the Black Sea coast, in less than 5 days. Through steep mountain paths, pouring rain, and sticky mud, the glorious adventure takes him beyond the barriers of his own consciousness, facing hidden fears, pain and exhaustion. Tо the point where he has to make a tough choice – to quit or to push his will to the ultimate challenge, beyond his own limitations.

Every year, thousands of Antarctica's emperor penguins make an astonishing journey to breed their young. They walk, marching day and night in single file 70 miles into the darkest, driest and coldest continent on Earth. This amazing, true-life tale is touched with humour and alive with thrills. Breathtaking photography captures the transcendent beauty and staggering drama of devoted parent penguins who, in the fierce polar winter, take turns guarding their egg and trekking to the ocean in search of food. Predators hunt them, storms lash them. But the safety of their adorable chicks makes it all worthwhile. So follow the leader... to adventure!!

Verso L'Ignoto

In 1950, a French expedition led by Maurice Herzog went to central Nepal to conquer the highest peak (8,091 meters): Annapurna. The film is not only made of what we see, but even more of what we don't see. Its imperfections are the negative imprint of the adventure. Memory is the most faithful of films.

A multi-billion-dollar mining project is launched by the American Newmont Mining Corporation and lays claim to the land belonging to Preuvian highlander Máxima Acuña.

Päivä isän kanssa

Werner Herzog's documentary film about the "Grizzly Man" Timothy Treadwell and what the thirteen summers in a National Park in Alaska were like in one man's attempt to protect the grizzly bears. The film is full of unique images and a look into the spirit of a man who sacrificed himself for nature.

Riding Giants is story about big wave surfers who have become heroes and legends in their sport. Directed by the skateboard guru Stacy Peralta.

Le Temps des vautours

In the northern hemisphere, snow is produced by atmospheric low pressure areas that move in from the western Atlantic in the form of huge cloud masses. Snow is vital to the balance of mountain ecosystems. Many animal and plant species at high altitudes depend on it for their survival. But due to global warming, snow is falling less and less. Will there be no more snow in the future? In the Alps and eastern US the situation is clear: as temperatures rise, snow falls less and less, and snow periods tend to shorten. This threatens the mountain flora and fauna. What future do the marmots or alpine bells have without a heat-insulating layer of snow? What future do the marmots or alpine bells have without a heat-insulating layer of snow? What will happen to the conifers in North America without the annual frost protection? Research teams are looking at the implications for snow-adapted species. The documentation shows animal mountain dwellers, who hope for the long-awaited snow every winter.

Through concerts and interviews, folk-progressive group Harmonium takes Quebec culture to California. This documentary full of colour and sound, filmed in California in 1978, recounts the ups and downs of the journey of the Quebec musical group Harmonium, who came to feel the pulse of Americans and see if culture, their culture, can succeed in crossing borders.

Sherpas - Die wahren Helden am Everest

Fly the Alps