PIMFF 2023 Selection
A Journey About Sharing (2023)
Country: France
Duration: 53 minutes
Language: English, French, Urdu
Synopsis: Pakistan is a country that lends itself to mountain sports more than anywhere else. The country has some of the largest and most impressive mountains in the world. But mountain sports and activities are only poorly developed there. By following the members of the Zom Connection association on their various trips there, the film highlights all these problems by reflecting on how to help Pakistani mountain communities, who are in constant demand for modernity.
Directed by: Arthur Ghilini
A photographer and a ski instructor from Chamonix Mont Blanc, Arthur is also working as a journalist for French outdoor magazines and ski/mountaineering movies. He founded the non-profit association Zom Connection with Julien Pica Herry, they now work together to help the development of outdoor sports in North Pakistan.
Above the Sleeping Giants (2021)
Country: Pakistan
Duration: 25 minutes
Language: Urdu
Synopsis: The film documents the journey of Pakistani mountaineering youth Shehroze Kashif.
Directed by: Waleed Akram
Waleed Akram is a Pakistani filmmaker and founder of Khayali Productions.
Aiguille du Midi: Operation Electric Avenue (2023)
Country: Bulgaria
Duration: 17 minutes
Language: English
Synopsis: Right next to the Aiguille du Midi peak, situated in a sea of mountains at an altitude of 3842m, stands proudly the legendary 50m high granite monolith Gendarme des Cosmiques. For the past 30 years it hosted only 2 climbing routes, Digital Crack (8a) and Arête des Cosmiques (8a), but this changed on the 10th of August 2022!
Directed by : Georgi Kerezov
A film producer and cinematographer, Georgy is known for Aiguille du Midi Operation: Electric Avenue (2023), The Heretics, and The Wheels of Heaven.
Directed by: Stoil Dimitrov
After a master’s degree in cinematography at INSAS, Arnaud Alberola work on fiction and documentaries film as a cinematographer. He was named Best Young Talent Cinematographer of B
Aligned: Between the Sea and the Sky (2023)
Country: Austria
Duration: 35 minutes
Language: English
Synopsis: Amidst the pristine wilderness, Austrians freeride skier and filmmaker Sandra Lahnsteiner-Wagner and fellow skier and mountain guide David Widauer set forth on an extraordinary quest: skiing under the Northern Lights. A visually stunning and emotionally charged documentary that takes the audience on an awe-inspiring ski touring adventure in the majestic Lyngen Alps, high above the Arctic Circle.
Directed by: Sandra Lahnsteiner-Wagner
Sandra is an Austrian freeride skier and filmmaker.
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Color of Sunset (2022)
Country: Pakistan
Duration: 21 minutes
Language: Urdu
Synopsis: A distressed photographer in his 30s, Hamza, who goes out on a day-long field trip with his assistant to Soon Valley. They take pictures at different scenic spots, discussing photography and life. However, Hamza’s behavior gets progressively stranger. At one point he disappears. When they finally reunite at the end of their trip, Hamza reveals a devastating secret about himself.
Directed by: Musawir Abrar
Musawir is a dedicated cinephile and filmmaker and a recent graduate of Master’s in Film & TV. He’s written and directed several short films. He also loves analyzing films from around on the world on his Youtube channel, ‘Analyzing Global Cinema.
Embracing the Grim (2023)
Country: United Kingdom
Duration: 13 minutes
Language: English
Synopsis: After conquering massive alpine walls together, Fay and Line head north to the ephemeral Scottish land of mixed climbing. The objectives are ambitious, and the weather is fickle, testing the all-women team’s perseverance.
Directed by: Aleksandra Janiak
Born and bred in Warsaw, Aleksandra studied Journalism and Press Photography (where her passion for reportage started), and then life led her to London, where she graduated with MA in Film & TV. While living in that immersing hustle and bustle city, she spent every free moment either in the cinema or doing proper (British) trad climbing. Ended up moving to Chamonix in 2021 to pursue her passion for the mountains and adventure photos.
Forgotten Memories: The Parsis of Rawalpindi (2023)
Country: Pakistan
Duration: 51 minutes
Language: Urdu
Synopsis: In a city where historical memory is fading quickly. A small community of Zoroastrians still exists. On the edge of extinction, the community is learning to adapt or transform according to changing times.
Directed by: Zafeer Butt
A multidisciplinary visual artist with over 6 years of experience, holds a Bachelor’s degree in Film & Television from the National College of Arts, Lahore. He has showcased his work internationally, with his film ‘LOUG-THE PEOPLE’ gaining special recognition in over six countries. Zafeer conducts workshops on screenwriting, film acting, and direction.
Grand Canyon (2023)
Country: Slovakia
Duration: 64 minutes
Language: Slovak
Synopsis: The great rivers Brahmaputra, Karnali, and Colorado are fascinating for many river runners. Particularly, the Colorado River stands out as a unique stage where whitewater rapids unravel Earth’s ancient history. Within its wild water, it stirs up cherished memories of a dear friend whose passion for discovering the mysteries of great rivers inspired many of us.
Directed by: Pavol Barabáš
Pavol Barabáš (1959) is the author of a large-scale of mountain-oriented and adventure films about peoples’ survival in extreme conditions. His films were shot in inaccessible wilderness, on wild rivers and glacial peaks, as well as in deep caves far away from civilization. He likes to look for stories the heroes of which go beyond their limits. His films have been awarded with more than 300 national as well as international prizes. He is a holder of the prestigious Grand Prize from the International Alliance for Mountain Film as gratitude to the filmmakers, directors and producers who have contributed throughout their careers – through loyalty and dedication, and with little regard for personal profit — to the evolution of mountain film into the prominent genre that it is today.
Ice Giants: Discovering The Karakorum (2023)
Country: France
Duration: 23 minutes
Language: English
Synopsis: A documentary film about the impact of climate change on Pakistan’s glaciers and populations.
Directed by: Bertrand Delapierre
Bertrand is a French filmmaker and an experienced mountaineer. As a director and cameraman, he is not satisfied with filming snow and water sports. Sensitive to major issues related to the environment and climate change, he travels the planet to better inform the general public. Curious and passionate, Bertrand does it with an undeniable talent and know-
how but also with humility.
Karakorun (2023)
Country: Poland
Duration: 53 minutes
Language: Polish, English
Synopsis: The extraordinary challenge of a Polish runner who was the first to attempt to run 1000 km through the difficult terrain of northern Pakistan, along the three highest mountain ranges in the world: the Hindu Kush, the Karakoram, and the Himalayas. All that to help children beat cancer.
Directed by: Adrian Dmoch
Adrian is a filmmaker, photographer, and art director. For 12 years, he worked in Poland’s leading advertising agencies as a creative art director. He co-created many recognizable and award-winning television commercials. In 2017, he realized his first feature-length documentary film Chasing the Breath, for which he served as a director, cinematographer, and editor.
Luminoso (2023)
Country: United States
Duration: 35 minutes
Language: English
Synopsis: N.S. David loves rock climbing more than anything, but sometimes she wonders why. Looking for an answer, she sets off to Mexico with an ambitious goal: climb “El Sendero Luminoso.” At over 1500 feet, this towering limestone mountain is – she freely admits – “way too hard” for her. But as she makes friends, eats too many tacos, attempts to go running, and battles other, more daunting, obstacles, the answer becomes clear.
Directed by: Kai Axmacher
Kai has a deep love for the great outdoors and the people who venture in them. From scaling mountains to small acts of community, he loves telling stories that reveal the heart of what connects us all in this great, big, world.
Minahil (2023)
Country: Pakistan
Duration: 30 minutes
Language: Khowar, Urdu, English
Synopsis: A teenage girl from the remote Chitral Valley in Pakistan leads her district to success in an ice hockey tournament against all odds.
Directed by: Wajahat Malik
Wajahat is a popular television presenter, adventurer, travel and tourism expert, and documentary filmmaker. For more than 15 years, he has been producing, presenting, and directing adventure and travel films for Pakistani and foreign channels. Wajahat founded his film production company Eyebex Films in Islamabad in 2006. He also serves as the founder and Chairman of the Pakistan International Mountain Film Festival, which is only the third mountain film festival in Asia. Wajahat is known more recently for his record-setting responsible tourism and environmentally conscious campaigns of “Rickshaw Diary” and “Expedition Indus.”
Muztagh Pass and Sarpo Laggo Pass (2023)
Country: Pakistan
Duration: 29 minutes
Language: English, Urdu
Synopsis: The story of the first Pakistani team that crossed the Muztagh and Sarpo Laggo Passes in an expedition lasting over 17 days.
Directed by: Khalid Mehmood
Khalid is an entrepreneur, adventurer, filmmaker, and Youtube documentarian who is known for exploring the Karakoram and having released more than 50 videos on his channel.
Send and Create (2023)
Country: Finland
Duration: 20 minutes
Language: Finnish
Synopsis: Korouoma Valley in Posio is the most popular winter climbing destination in Finland and the area has seen climbing for half a century. Samuli Pekkanen, one of Finland’s most active climbers, sheds light to his thoughts on life, which he has learned after spending countless days on steep rock walls covered in ice and snow, where there is very little room for mistakes.
Directed by: Markus Kumpula
Markus is a new-coming movie director/producer from Northern Finland. With a background in wilderness guiding and all kinds of outdoor free sports, Markus has specialized in adventure filmmaking and operating in extreme conditions and difficult terrain.
Siberia: Virgin Land (2023)
Country: Norway
Duration: 12 minutes
Language: English, Russian
Synopsis: Innokenty Myznikov – an original Siberian free-rider, is worrying about his home mountains being occupied by strangers and tourists, leaving no fresh snow and wilderness for him to enjoy.
Wouldn’t that be the best tribute I could pay them: skiing the 4 mythical lines of this massif at the 4 most beautiful times of the day: at sunrise, at noon, at sunset and at midnight.
Directed by: Timme Ellingjord
A photographer and documentarist specialized in the former Soviet Union and in the mountain lifestyle. Timme also works part-time as a mountain guide
Speed Expeditions (2023)
Country: Italy
Duration: 54 minutes
Language: English
Synopsis: From Iran to Türkiye, and finally to Nepal. The speed mountaineering and WWF ambassador, Benedikt Boehm, and his new Nepalese adventure partner, Prakash Sherpa, take us to discover the biodiversity of Nepal.
Directed by: Dario Tubaldo, Alex D’Emilia
A filmmaker since 2004, Dario’s love of mountains gave him the inspiration to make his first documentary on snowboard mountaineering in 2020. A project called WORKOUTDOOR was born, inspired by stories and outdoor activities.
Talish (2021)
Country: Pakistan
Duration: 45 minutes
Language: Urdu
Synopsis: A surreal psychological thriller about a very powerful businessman who is trapped in a shack in the middle of a desert. Will he be able to escape? Will he come to terms with his reality?
Directed by: Ali Sattar
A lawyer turned filmmaker based in Islamabad, Ali is an award-winning director known for his short films and music videos. Ali has been part of Pakistan’s entertainment industry for the past 10 years, honing his craft in making commercials, documentaries, music videos and now venturing into long format narrative.
That’s Home (2022)
Country: Austria
Duration: 20 minutes
Language: German
Synopsis: Tobias Holzknecht, a young alpinist from the Ötztal region, who has been connected to the mountains since childhood. Fueled by his friendship with Hansjörg Auer, and as a responsible official in the avalanche commission, along with Arianna Tricomi and Marc Holzknecht, ventures into steep couloirs on skis.
Directed by: Johannes Hoffmann
Johannes is an Austrian filmmaker.
The Magic of Freedom (2023)
Country: United Kingdom
Duration: 36 minutes
Language: English
Synopsis: Join five paragliding pilots as they venture into Pakistan’s Karakoram mountains. By using their paragliders and the almost mystical uplifts found in the air, they are able to ski and climb in some of the world’s most breathtaking landscapes.
Directed by: Jake Holland
Jake Holland is a British filmmaker, based in Chamonix, France. He has a deep love of adventure sports and capturing the stories that can be found within them. He relishes in the challenges that come with filming in harsh environments and particularly thrives when having to keep up with world class athletes. At the heart of Jake’s work he looks for unique stories and enjoys the contrasting, slower pace of bringing them to life in the edit room.
The Silence After The Storm (2023)
Country: Pakistan
Duration: 12 minutes
Language: Sindhi
Synopsis: In the heart of Sindh, a young boy rewrites his rain-soaked dreams. A tale of floods, where classrooms become rivers, and lessons flow with resilience. Witness a young soul redefine life’s horizon. Embark with us on this journey as we unveil the narrative of a young Kubargoth dreamer.
Directed by: Alina Rizwan
Alina is a young Independent Documentary Filmmaker based in Karachi. She produced her first short film in 2023 named Vachan. This short film was an official selection in the UK Asian Film Festival and was awarded many accolades in the home country including two Best Screenplay awards. The Silence After The Storm is her first directorial work.
Three Shades of Pyrenees (2023)
Country: Slovakia
Duration: 30 minutes
Language: Slovak
Synopsis: Three friends come to the unknown Pyrenees with mountain bikes. They decide to explore the vast mountain range in three different locations, each of them offers different landscape and mountains and also a completely different style of riding.
Directed by: Jaro Tešlár
A hobby filmmaker from Slovakia, Jaro loves travelling, mountains and all kinds of outdoor activities, but has always preferred mountain biking. He organised multiple expeditions abroad where he and his friends biked through the Alps, Pyrenees, Caucasus, Tian Shan or Rocky Mountains. With his passion for filmmaking, he tries to create documentaries from these adventures, and many of them have already been selected for mountain film festivals in Europe.