Love watching mountain films? Then head to the Xplore Alpes Festival! Driven by a passion for the outdoors and a love of summits, the French outdoor equipment brand and the Tarentaise festival have joined forces for this new edition. The goal: to celebrate the mountains. With mountain film screenings, outdoor activities and fascinating talks, a great programme awaits — including an awards ceremony for the best mountain films.
In October, check out the Xplore Alpes Festival! As you might have guessed, this event revolves around the mountains — that natural element at the heart of international festivals like the BANFF. No need to travel far to dream among the peaks. The Tarentaise Valley is an ideal playground. Even more so with this film festival presided over by Thibaud Duchossal, the former French freeride ski champion!
Xplore Alpes Festival, a passion for the outdoors
What's on at the Xplore Alpes Festival?
- Mountain films.
- Outdoor activities.
- Talks between mountain enthusiasts.
- An exhibition village.
The Xplore Alpes Festival is all about celebrating the mountains and the passion for the outdoors that has brought people together each year for the past 3 years. This year, 90 film screenings are planned — documentaries, feature-length productions and short films covering outdoor sports, adventure and the mountains.
On top of that, 25 activities spread across five themes are on offer. Climbing, cycling, navigating, surviving and contemplating — there's something for everyone.
Finally, the opening film is "L'Iceberg" by director David Tiago Ribeiro. It tells the story of Frank Bruno, a big-hearted adventurer and Cimalp ambassador, shedding light on his inner journey. Like an ode to rare and intense encounters with the living world, L'ICEBERG also reveals what is most wild and most wonderful to pass on.
An exceptional selection of mountain films
On 20 October, the Xplore Alpes Festival opens its doors with the French film L'Iceberg. It will be screened as a preview ahead of its television broadcast on Ushuaïa (which will release a trailer at a later date). At the heart of the story, Frank Bruno, a powerful lesson in life. Having lost a leg, he finds a new beginning in Greenland — a peninsula he fell in love with 15 years earlier during a solo kayak expedition.
Every summer, Frank returns to a tiny blue house at the heart of the Kalaalek people, who pay no attention to his disability. He brings along other "bruised by life" individuals to help them overcome their wounds through a polar initiation challenge.
In his endeavours, Frank is supported by Cimalp, an outdoor equipment company from the Drôme. Special mention at the opening evening: the Cimalp team will be present alongside their ambassador.
At the end of the Xplore Alpes Festival, a jury will convene to select the best films, which will receive awards including the Jury Prize. In total, 10 Awards presented by a professional jury will recognise films in the selection, including the Grand Prix of the Xplore Alpes Festival and the Prix Haute Tarentaise Vanoise, supported with prize money of €1,500. Screenings will be followed by exchanges with the films' protagonists (directors, athletes, filmmakers, producers…) who enrich this cinematic event dedicated to the mountains in all their forms.
Sharing and closeness guaranteed!
At the awards ceremony for the best outdoor films at the Xplore Alpes Festival 2023, a wonderful surprise. The film L'Iceberg by David Tiago Ribeiro, featuring adventurer Frank Bruno, received the Montagne Evasion prize.
