Totem

Fine Lines

2019

For nearly three years, director Dina Khreino interviewed world-class mountain climbing athletes, listening to what compels them to leave behind families, friends, and everyday comforts to risk everything for a fleeting glimpse into the unknown. What she found was a tribe, a diverse group of professional adventurers and amateur philosophers forged by the ultimate test of body, mind, and spirit. In the face of shifting winds, sheer granite cliffs, and impossible odds, they climb. Each for their own reason, but every one connected by the vertical world. In this rarefied air, these athletes are fundamentally changed, not just as climbers, but as human beings.

High Tension

2013

Ueli Steck (Switzerland), Simone Moro (Italy) and Jon Griffith (GB) are not like 95% of the climbers on Everest: they don't use oxygen, altimeters (improperly called Sherpas), or fixed ropes. In 2013, the trio aims to repeat the arduous Western Spur. The Sherpas have the mission to equip the mountain with fixed ropes on this famous day, up to Camp 3: ropes without which customers of commercial expeditions could not climb Everest. An argument ensued, insults were hurled from both sides. The confrontation at Camp 2 degenerated: a Sherpa water bottle physically attacked the trio of Europeans. Blows and stones were thrown and threats led the trio to flee the mountain. The Réel Rock film crew, which is part of the climbing team, films this chaos without complacency.

Ice Passengers

1993

Greenland, the largest island in the world, is unlike any other country. The film recounts the exploration of the Inlandis cavities in Greenland during the summer of 1992. Janot Lamberton, one of the pioneers of these expeditions, ventured, with speleologists and mountaineers, into the moulins, these immense crevasses that tear through the back of the Inlandis, a vast glacier four times the size of France, while glaciologist Louis Reynaut studies infraglacial phenomena. It is obviously not easy to penetrate the depths of the ice and film at a depth of 150 meters in sub-zero temperatures. The light is blue in one of the most fascinating landscapes on the planet, where scientists and explorers collaborate to deepen their knowledge of the Earth.

Trou de Fer

1990

For canyoning enthusiasts, the Trou de Fer on Reunion Island is a must-see, and not just for the faint-hearted. The first complete descent of the canyon, with a 1,000-meter drop, was made by Thierry Krattinger, Stéphane Girard, and Jean-Claude Dobrilla in 1990. Filming took place in very difficult conditions: an aquatic atmosphere, a dramatic void, and mediocre rock in the 300-meter waterfall. The documentary Trou de Fer was selected for competition at the Trento Film Festival in 1992.

Specimen

2006

Beyond the Summit: Learning to Fly

2011

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.

Fly Or Die

2010

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.

Valley Uprising

2014

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.

Cutting Edge - The Human Spider

2008

A look at Alain Robert, dubbed the Human Spider, who scales some of the world's tallest buildings without the aid of ropes or safety equipment, despite suffering with epilepsy.

The Center Of The Universe

2004

The Center Of The Universe chronicles four days in the life of German climber Alexander Huber in Yosemite Valley, California. Living the typical Yosemite vagabond lifestyle, Alex reflects on his goal of successfully free-climbing "El Corazon" (35 pitches, 8a) on the famous El Capitan face, which is a combination of the historic routes "Salathé," "Albatross," "Son of Heart," and "Heart Route," connected by newly laid out sections. 35 challenging pitches, combining technicality, stamina, and commitment, with difficulty levels up to 8a. The film showcases the unique style of climbing in Yosemite, as well as a piece of history of the famous valley, narrated by Heinz Zak, Jim Bridwell, Lynn Hill, Alexander Huber, and Chongo Chuck themselves.

Return To Silence

1992

Heinz Mariacher got closer to the mountains by climbing the most important peaks of the Dolomites. He then devoted himself to free climbing, before returning to classic mountaineering. On this route, he reunited with his partner Luisa Iovane. Immersing yourself in the images of the most beautiful walls of the Dolomites, you can follow the different thoughts that accompany the two climbers, different from each other, but united in life and in the rock by the same thought: "When you reach the summit, keep climbing."

Masters of Stone VI - Breakthrough

2009

Once again, Masters of Stone breaks through to the cutting edge of the sport. Harder, Faster, Bolder, Newer, and more...six points of breakthrough in all.... where human edges toward the superhuman. This is the Super Bowl, Olympics, and Boston Marathon of rock climbing, all rolled into one. More than any other sport, rock climbing continually redefines its rules and resets its limits. Yesterday's impossible becomes today's warm-up as advances in mental and physical mastery combine to break new ground. Every few years the Masters of Stone series delivers a new episode that captures these breakthroughs in a tasty mix of music, character, commentary, and above all, visual action.

Paragot-Bérardini, La Cordée des Voyous

1997

Paragot and Bérardini: two climbers who fill all climbing enthusiasts with admiration. In Fontainebleau, Saussois, the Alps, the Andes, the Himalayas, and all over the world, they have left their names attached to the most difficult routes and the most prestigious peaks. Here, they recount only the climbs they completed together: famous expeditions to Aconcagua and Huascarán, firsts in the Alps and the Dolomites. An unwavering friendship, comical and tragic adventures—this is what they share with us in the warm atmosphere of their memories. "La Cordée des Voyous" will be included in Jean Afanassieff's film "La Grande Cordée," which deals with post-war proletarian mountaineering.

Une Vie au dessus du vide

2023

Une Vie Au Dessus Du Vide (A Life Above the Void), directed by Nicolas de Virieu, is a documentary that recounts the journey of Patrick Edlinger, an exceptional climber, through a parallel between the strong media impact he had, unmatched to this day, and the evolution, or rather the explosion, of climbing activity during the 80s/90s. Rare excerpts from mainstream programs (television news, Champs-Élysées, Le Grand Échiquier, Les Carnets de l'Aventure...) also remind us what a great star he was, all interspersed with interviews with Seb Bouin, Jean-Paul Lemercier, Arnaud Petit, Antoine Le Menestrel and Gérard Kosicki.

Vertical Miles

2002