The 34th International Mountain Film Festival kicks off in Poprad on Wednesday, bringing films from around the world to the city. Leading figures in international mountaineering will also visit the foothills of the High Tatras. Festival director Mária Hámor said visitors can look forward to dozens of films, discussions and accompanying events. Screenings will take place at Poprad Town Hall, the Tatran cinema in Poprad, and cinemas in Spišská Nová Ves and Kežmarok.
A total of 514 films from around the world were submitted to the festival competition, of which the organisers ultimately selected 50. Slovakia is represented by four films: I Touched the Stone Age by Pavol Barabáš; On the Edge of an Unknown World: Climbing Mt. Giluwe by Milan Ohurniak; Crossing the Altai by Jaro Tešlár; and Kama Muta, directed by Michael Durczok.
The Grand Prix and other awards will be decided by a three-member international jury comprising Mireille Chiocca of France, Czech highliner Anna Hanuš Kuchařová, and Slovak director Rasťo Hatiar.
“One of the highlights of the festival will be meetings with three prominent figures in the world of climbing. They are among those pushing the boundaries of the sport and sharing their experiences and adventures with film audiences,” Hámor noted.
On Thursday, 15 October, Slovak big-wall climber Stanislav Filkor will give a presentation entitled Big Walls. On Friday, 16 October, Belgian climber Nicolas Favresse will present the iconic Riders on the Storm route in Patagonia. The series of presentations will conclude on Saturday, 17 October, with French climber and BASE jumper Liv Sansoz, who will speak on the theme No Wall Too High.
“On Thursday at 6:30 p.m., the Tatran cinema will also host a special screening of non-competition films to mark the 45th anniversary of the landmark ascent of Kangchenjunga by a Czechoslovak mountaineering expedition in 1981. The expedition, led by Ivan Gálfy, is documented in Ján Piroh’s film Kangchenjunga. Jozef Psotka and Ľudovít Záhoranský reached the summit of the world’s third-highest mountain during that expedition,” Hámor recalled.
As part of the accompanying programme, visitors can also view Laughter on the Rope, an exhibition of caricatures and illustrations in the foyer of Poprad Town Hall. The exhibition pays tribute to the legendary mountaineer and caricaturist Ivan Bajo.
The festival will culminate on Sunday, 18 October.
Source: TASR
