Love watching mountain films? Then head to the Xplore Alpes Festival! Driven by a passion for the outdoors and a love of the summits, the French outdoor equipment brand and the Tarentaise festival have joined forces for this new edition. The goal: to celebrate the mountains. From mountain film screenings and outdoor activities to fascinating talks, there's a brilliant programme in store — plus an awards ceremony honouring the best mountain films.
In October, explore the Xplore Alpes Festival! As you'll have guessed, this event revolves around the mountains — that natural element at the heart of international festivals such as BANFF. But you don't need to go far to dream of 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 skier!
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 driven by a desire to celebrate the mountains and a shared passion for the outdoors that has brought people together every year for the past three years. This year, 90 film screenings are planned — documentaries, feature-length and short films covering outdoor sports, adventure and the mountains.
25 activities spread across five themes are on offer. Climb, ride, navigate, survive and contemplate — there's something for everyone.
As the opening film, "L'iceberg" by director David Tiago Ribeiro. It tells the story of Frank Bruno — big-hearted adventurer and Cimalp ambassador — and shines a 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 living. With one leg amputated, he finds a new lease of life 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 with him other "misfits knocked about by life" to help them overcome their wounds through an initiatory polar ordeal.
In his endeavours, Frank is supported by Cimalp, a Drôme-based outdoor equipment company. A special mention at the opening night: the Cimalp team will be there alongside their ambassador.
At the end of the Xplore Alpes Festival, a jury will deliberate to select the best films, which will receive awards including the Jury Prize. In total, 10 Awards granted by a professional jury will honour the films in the selection, including the Grand Prix du Xplore Alpes Festival and the Prix Haute Tarentaise Vanoise, supported with €1,500. Screenings will be followed by exchanges with the films' protagonists (directors, athletes, filmmakers, producers…), enriching this cinematographic event dedicated to the mountains in all their forms.
Sharing and closeness guaranteed!
At the awards ceremony honouring the best outdoor films at the Xplore Alpes Festival 2023, a great surprise: the film L'Iceberg by David Tiago Ribeiro, featuring adventurer Frank Bruno, received the Montagne Evasion award.
