The Unfamous of Mont Blanc
Mont Blanc, the highest peak in the Alps, rises to 4,810 m and was first climbed on August 8, 1786. Chamonix natives Jacques Balmat and Michel Paccard set out on the afternoon of August 7 and returned victorious on the morning of the 9th, after two nights spent outdoors. This film is a staging that reconstructs this great event with all the problems it created and resolved, thus contributing to the emergence of the modern concept of mountaineering. Denis Ducroz, guide and filmmaker, immerses us in the minds and times of these two men, 224 years later.
Le Tour de la France, exactement
On August 10, 2011, Lionel Daudet set off on the Dodtour, a circumnavigation of France without motorized transport, following the land border and coastline as closely as possible, from the Alps to the Rhine, from the English Channel to the Atlantic, from the Pyrenees to the French Riviera. On November 15, 2012, he returned to his starting point, the summit of Mont Blanc, after traversing the country on foot, by bicycle, through fields and along beaches, by kayak, and by sailboat, sometimes alone amidst breathtaking landscapes, sometimes accompanied on the outskirts of towns. 3,000 kilometers of mountain ridges, forests, and rivers, and 3,500 kilometers of coastline. A 15-month (465-day) journey to take on a physical challenge, explore, and tell the story of what makes France what it is.
Séo!
The film shows Catherine Destivelle's trip to Dogon Country, in Mali, where she will make spectacular free solo rock climbing ascents in the sun-warmed cliffs of Bandiagara. Destivelle is accompanied on this trip by a friend climber, Lucien Abbet. A film by Pierre-Antoine Hiroz produced in 1987 by Paradoxe and also featuring Tidjani Koné, Ibrahim Dolo, and the Dogon inhabitants of the Bandiagara Escarpment. The film won the Genziana D'argento for best free climbing film at the Trento Film Festival in 1987.
Fragments and Rubble
A fragmented collection of legends born from the rubble of the catastrophic Friuli Earthquake of May 6, 1976.
Beyond the Summit: Learning to Fly
In some of the most extraordinary natural landscapes in Mexico, a group of mountaineers have set out to explore a world labeled as impossible, but from a space reserved only for birds.
Roped, 200 Years In The Eyes Of Chamonix Guides
The history of the Chamonix Guides Company is inseparable from that of mountaineering and the valley where it was born. For 200 years, guides have risen to multiple challenges, making their organization a legend. Today, they are the actors of a changing mountain: overcrowding, global warming, loss of freedom—the causes are multiple. This film is at a crossroads. Between tradition and modernity, it traces the history of the Chamonix Guides Company, evoking the incredible challenges it has met with dignity and those it now faces.
Makalu 8481m - West Pillar
The French Alpine Club's film about the French expedition to conquer Makalu (8481m) via the west pillar in Nepal, which began on February 24, 1971. Composed of 11 mountaineers, Robert Paragot (expedition leader), Georges Payot, Lucien Berardini, Yannick Seigneur, Claude Jager, Jean-Paul Paris, Jean-Claude Mosca, François Guillot, Bernard Mellet, Robert Jacob and Jacques Marchal (surgeon), it took twenty-five days of walking on the Himalayan trails with 460 porters and 18 Sherpas to transport 14 tons of equipment to reach the base camp. Finally, it was Mellet and Seigneur who managed to reach the summit on May 23, 1971: 8481 m, temperature - 30°, oxygen 30%, no wind.
First Ascent
The classic film that inspired the National Geographic Series. Join a global quest with world-class climbers in pursuit of the ultimate goal: the first ascent. Featuring Dean Potter, Timmy O'Neill, Sonnie Trotter, and the amazing Didier Berthod on his quest for the first ascent of the Cobra Crack.
Where Are You Going Basile?
In 1979, aboard the Basile, a Damien II type ship (Joubert design), French sailors and mountaineers sailed in the footsteps of the explorer Ernest Shackleton, considered one of the main figures of the heroic age of exploration in Antarctica, towards South Georgia, where they climbed Mount Paget, which is part of the Allardyce range and peaks at an altitude of 2,935 metres.
Fly Or Die
Powerhouse duo Dean Potter and Graham Hunt continue their extreme vertical exploration, pioneering new base jumps, highline jumps, and wingsuit jumps in some of the most breathtaking vertical sequences ever filmed.
Under The Eye Of Qomolangma
The French High Mountain Military Group (G.M.H.M.) expedition to Everest in 1981, led by General Pierre Astorg, took place on the north face of the mountain. Fifteen military climbers participated in this expedition, which lasted approximately ninety days. Their goal was to reach the summit by following a siege approach, but despite their efforts, the expedition failed to reach the summit. The French military, engaged since the beginning of March on the north face of Everest (8,848 meters), gave up less than 300 meters from the summit. The climbers, Jean-Claude Mosca, Hervé Sachetat, and Hubert Giot, gave up on setting up Camp 7, the last planned intermediate camp, at 8,600 meters. Poor weather conditions and the physical condition of the expedition members were the reasons for the failure of this meticulously prepared expedition...
The Core
“The Core” features climber Dean Potter during one of his greatest feats: the one-day ascent of El Capitan and Half Dome, two of the world’s most famous rock faces, in Yosemite. Throughout the documentary, Potter describes what drives him to undertake such epic, perilous, and daring projects, which have made him one of the most renowned climbers. “The Core” captures not only Potter’s profound reflections, but also the iconic beauty of the national treasure that is Yosemite.
Because The Mountain Was There
On May 23, 1971, a French expedition led by Robert Paragot successfully climbed Makalu via its west pillar. Makalu is one of the five highest peaks in the world, located in the Himalayas on the Nepalese-Tibetan border. Jean-Pierre Janssen and Lucien Bérardini filmed this expedition, where Robert Paragot spoke about the expedition conditions, life at altitude, and his state of mind as expedition leader. On the return to base camp, Jean-Pierre Janssen interviewed Lucien Berardini, Georges Payot, Jean-Claude Mosca, François Guillot, and Jean-Paul Paris, all of whom played a key role in bringing Bernard Mellet and Yannick Seigneur to the summit. Expedition members: Robert Paragot (expedition leader), Georges Payot, Yannick Seigneur, Claude Jager, Jean-Claude Mosca, François Guillot, Bernard Mellet, Lucien Bérardini, Jean-Paul Paris, Robert Jacob, Jacques Marchal (surgeon).
L'ascension de Lizzie Le Blond
The Verdon Gorge, The Origin Of Sport Climbing
Released in 2016, the short film by Keith Ladzinski, Josh Povec and Andy Mann traces the origins of sport climbing in the legendary Verdon Gorges, which Americans inevitably compare to the US Grand Canyon. The Verdon is where climbing flourished in the 1970s. Through the eyes and experiences of Bruno Clément, Alan Carne, Emily Harrington, François Guillot, Matt Segal and Jonathan Siegrist, we take a look back in (very beautiful) images at the different routes of the Verdon Gorges.
Valley Uprising
In the shady campgrounds of Yosemite valley, climbers carved out a counterculture lifestyle of dumpster-diving and wild parties that clashed with the conservative values of the National Park Service. And up on the walls, generation after generation has pushed the limits of climbing, vying amongst each other for supremacy on Yosemite's cliffs. "Valley Uprising" is the riveting, unforgettable tale of this bold rock climbing tradition in Yosemite National Park: half a century of struggle against the laws of gravity -- and the laws of the land.
The Future of Climbing
With the proliferation of private climbing gyms and the sport's inclusion in the Olympic Games, climbing, long a counter-cultural movement, is undergoing a profound transformation and facing a major paradox. On the one hand, private gyms are enjoying increasing popularity, while on the other, natural climbing sites are under serious threat. What vertical legacy will we leave to future generations? Is outdoor climbing destined to disappear? What will the future hold for climbing? Led by Cédric Lachat, a multi-award-winning Swiss climber, the film provides an international overview of this counter-culture, which has recently become a social phenomenon.
The Ascent of Mont Blanc
Joseph Vallot and his team of guides and porters climb Mont Blanc in 1906. Their ascent will take three days. They spent their nights at the Grands Mulets refuge and the Grand Plateau refuge. This is the very first successfully filmed ascent. Joseph Vallot (1854-1925), rich heir of Lodève in Occitania. He devotes part of his fortune to the observation of the Alps, sometimes opposing the scientific community. He built an observatory, still standing today.
Hook or Book
Yosemite National Park, in California, is one of the most fascinating in the United States. In the eastern part of the park, isolated granite peaks rise 3,900 meters above the valley floor: El Capitan, Half Dome, and Sentinel. El Capitan is the largest unbroken mass of granite in the world and a legendary site for mountaineering and free climbing. Every year, the world's best climbers challenge its impressive face. The film, enhanced with interviews and spectacular footage, follows the preparations for and ascent of El Capitan by a group of elite climbers: Scott Burk, Leo Houlding, Jim Bridwell, Jean-Marc Troussier, and Valerio Fulco, with whom humor is one of the essential ingredients of this adventure.
Champions of the Golden Valley
In the high peaks of Afghanistan, young athletes from rival villages build makeshift wooden skis and convene for a mountain race that unites the community in a moment of peace and triumph just before their country’s collapse. Champions of the Golden Valley merges the triumphant spirit of a classic underdog sports story with the heartfelt portrait of a community finding hope amid disrupted dreams. Revealing a stunning unseen side of Afghanistan, it is an uplifting exploration of what it means to be a champion – in all its forms.