Film Archive
update 19th April 2024
Some films from the 2023 festival are available online, I will add others if they become available. Recently added are Pawel – A Cape Wrath Odyssey, No Lost Shoes and Solo, Films from previous years, and links to other interesting films follow the 2022 films.
Films from the 2023 Festival
A New Way Up: The Karakoram mountains are known for their huge scale and jaw dropping beauty. Nestled within them is Gulmit Tower, a technical granite pinnacle that has never been summited. Previous teams have often failed because the highly glaciated terrain makes the approach by foot long and treacherous. Fabi Buhl and Will Sim, both experienced alpinists, have a new idea. They plan to harness the power of the sky and use paragliders to fly over the glaciated terrain, reaching the base of the climb in hours, not days. Follow them on their epic journey as they attempt to set a new direction for Himalayan climbing.
El Gavilán: Rising out of the arid Mexican Desert lies a 900 ft ship’s prow of elegant limestone sporting a 9-pitch 5.13 established in the 90s by Jeff Jackson. A cutting-edge big wall free climb at the time, this route shut down hard men for years. Shrouded in mysticism, the bolts rusted and the holds collected dust until a couple of young gals from Canada decided to give it a try.
From Deep Time to Our Time – The Cateran Ecomuseum:
Shown as part of Markus Stitz’s presentation, and a World Premiere for us!
See more great biking films from Markus on his Youtube channel
Green Space Dark Skies Above The Earth Below The Stars: Human-powered art film created with the help of thousands of volunteers across the 4 highest mountains of the UK. This ambitious project was about connecting with and celebrating the UK’s wilder places in a unique and inclusive way. This was made possible with the project’s own ground-breaking GPS lighting technology. We created vast lightshows across mountainsides while safely involving thousands of choreographed human ‘pixels’, many of whom had never climbed a mountain before. This is a slightly different edit to the version shown at the Festival.
Moving Mountains: Faced with his wife’s life-changing diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, Nick Gardner felt the pull of the hills. This film follows his attempt to climb all the Munros as an 80-plus-year-old. This film, made by students on the FMSU9B8 Documentary Production module at Stirling University, is a gentle portrayal of his love and determination.
No Lost Shoes: Our shoes go lots of places, across vast distances, and over many miles. But eventually, no matter how much we care for them, our shoes break down and usually get thrown away. Max Romey wanted to find out what happens to his old shoes, and in his film No Lost Shoes, highlights the full scale of the problem.
Pawel: Cape Wrath Odyssey: Pawel Cymbalista’s record breaking run of the Cape Wrath Trail in Spring 2023. Pawel took just over three days to cover the 240-mile (386km) Cape Wrath Trail from Fort William to Cape Wrath. He was also the first person to finish the route unsupported, carrying all the food and clothing he needed to sustain him along the way.
Silent Steward: This is a story of saving the seasons and healing the soul. Tele Dan has gone from medic in the military to Silent Steward of Crystal Mountain, picking up trash in the summer to feel better shredding in the winter. Here he reveals the realities under the snow and inspires us to go the extra mile in preserving the mountain.
Solo: Solo is the account of one woman’s mission to run solo and unsupported across mountain ranges on six continents—overcoming obstacles, conquering fears and finding the joy in achieving her goals absolutely alone. This version is slightly longer that the version we screened at the festival
Stacked: Three sea stacks, two climbers, and just one day to complete it all. You’ve seen insane climbing challenges on before…but here is a completely pointless challenge. After suffering on The Long Hope, Robbie Phillips and Alex Moore decided they hadn’t had enough adventure for one climbing trip. The Challenge – Climb ‘The Old Man of Hoy’, ‘Am Buichaille’, and ‘The Old Man of Stoer’ in 24hrs. Why? Why Not – It’s a pointless climbing adventure film about a pointless climbing challenge.
There are stacks of other great films by Robbie on his Youtube channel
Swimpacking: You know bike packing?! We’ll it’s a little like bike packing… but you swim! This short film shares a brief introduction to the sport of swimpacking as we follow Annie Voigt on a short winter camping adventure. This is a slightly different edit to the version shown at the Festival.
Tempo 2: A conceptual exploration of the shared feelings between music and mountains — Tempo II. Movements in Jungle is set in the world’s largest urban jungle, exploring styles of Brazilian drumming and trail running.
The Ascension Series – Adam Raja: Part 1 of The Ascension Series – tells the story of Adam, a young Glaswegian with Pakistani heritage who spent his youth embroiled in gang culture, knife crime, and drug and alcohol abuse. Until he set foot in the mountains, and there he found the confidence and community that redefined his life. It is a story that explores cultural heritage, identity, and connection to a landscape. At its simplest, it’s the tale of one man’s journey to becoming comfortable with the person he truly is.
The Ascension Series – Hamish Frost: One of Europe’s leading adventure photographers, Hamish Frost lives twin lives. This film explores the side of himself he has kept hidden from the outdoor community. A story of confidence and connection and a reminder of the importance of diversity in the great outdoors.
The Last Ski Maker in Scotland: The uncertain future of skiing in Scotland has inspired Jamie Kunka to make sustainable skis out of wood. Based in his cabin in the Scottish Highlands, Jamie is the last ski maker in Scotland. Jamie began teaching himself how to make his wooden skis after watching a Vimeo Staff Pick by Wyatt Visuals about a wooden-surfboard maker in Vancouver Island, Canada. https://vimeo.com/27702618. Ten years on, The Last Ski Maker in Scotland is part homage to this original film and part a celebration of the power of film to inspire us all.
The Long Wall: You have to log into Vimeo to watch this, but this is easy and free to do.Have you ever pondered what the longest climbing route in the world is?You may have guessed that it was the great Mt. Thor on Baffin Island, Canada (4,101ft), or perhaps even the Azeem ridge on the Trango Towers, Pakistan (7,400ft), both impressively large in size, but even these are dwarfed in comparison to the unlikely record holder.
Nestled amongst the lush hillsides of upstate New York sits a bluff of quartzite rock known as the Gunks. Regarded as the birthplace of American climbing, its short yet mighty wall stretches more than 9000 ft… horizontally. Established by Dan Rosanstein and Ken Nichols in 1987, the Great Wall of China route is a masterpiece of esoterica which traverses the entire wall, its greatest crux may be jug rash, bugs, and dog walkers.
One Dream. Two Dirtbags Ben Wilbur & Drew Herder. 9000+ ft of Climbing.
The Nine Wheels: The film tells the story of the Schneeberger family a.k.a The 9 Wheels. Mountain bike stars of the future, Emric (10) and Raoul (13) are home schooled by their parents Toni and Laetitia. They live in their motorhome going from bike park to bike park across Europe, a decision prompted by the discovery of a neurodegenerative disease in Laetitia. This film explores what it is like to live with a disability, brotherly love, the devotion of parents and ultimately, what it is like to live life one day at a time. A family living life to the fullest. This film is packed with emotion, soul, hope and high power riding scenes!
Films from the 2022 Festival
Maneuvers:
“Maneuvers (Manöver)” is an experimental animation combining skiing with stop-motion animation. Produced by Level 1, directed by Sämi Ortlieb. Excerpted from our 2019 feature film “Romance”. More Videos and Merchandise at https://www.level1.ski/
Blueprint:
Blueprint started with a simple idea – to watch sections of trail come to life before the viewer’s eyes. Once we broke ground here in Cumberland, BC, the abundance of dirt was the ultimate inspiration to challenge ourselves to build something that pushed our creativity further than we had planned. The corners were just asking to get stacked bigger, faster, and smoother! We visualized, developed, and pushed the limits to create something special for all riders to enjoy: a hand-built, blue square level flow trail you’ll want to lap all day long.
I’ve been building one-off features and short free ride lines for more than a decade, but I’ve never built a full-length trail before, let alone something that’s inclusive and equally enjoyable for all skill levels. In order to pull this off, Scott Bell and I needed a trusted, seasoned crew. Trail builder Chris Snodgrass of the Ridgeline Crew was our main man, and photographer Jarrett Lindal was on board to capture the still photography. Everyone brought their own unique skill sets to the table, and at the end of the project, we all became trail builders.
I hope our story inspires you to get creative, contribute to your mountain bike community, and have fun with it! For trail builders the trophy is so much more than the trail, it’s an extremely rewarding process. When you have a good crew to share those moments with, it adds a whole new layer of passion to it.
Disclaimer: Always build trails legally. Blueprint was built with the support of the landowners through the United Riders of Cumberland’s trail application process. These private lands are managed by Mosaic Forest Management for which the United Riders of Cumberland has an agreement to build, maintain, and use trails. We encourage everyone to get involved in building trails that are legal, well-designed, and sustainable. Please reach out to your local trail association or visit IMBA.com to learn how to you can get involved before breaking ground.
The Fortress Ghosts:
When Fortress Mountain closed in 2004, the once vibrant ski resort quickly became a remnant of the past. Two decades later, the far side chair, frontside chair, and day lodge remain standing. While the guests have disappeared, ghosts remain. Inside the relict structures are stories of ski culture and community.
Skiers Mark Abma and Callum Pettit explore the past and ponder the future at this once iconic Alberta destination.
Ardverikie Wall:
Soloing the classic multipitch Scottish rock climb, Ardverikie Wall HS on Binnein Shuas. Dave says, “It was my first time filming myself climbing in this way. I’ll hopefully improve on it in future videos on this channel. I’d love to do more of these, it was so much fun”!
Across the Sound:
A film by Alfie Smith and Louis MacMillan, follows the adventure of young hill runner Louis, from his home on the Keills Peninsula to the island of Jura to run the stunning route of the Jura Fell Race. The film was shot by young filmmaker Alfie, (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?…) with music coming from the awesome bands Talisk (https://www.facebook.com/TaliskMusic) and Fourth Moon.
(https://www.facebook.com/FourthMoonMusic) An island of rugged coastline, fierce whirlpools, and soaring mountains, Jura is one of the last true wilderness areas in Scotland. Despite its remoteness, the island can be reached from the mainland in under an hour with the Jura Passenger Ferry, (https://www.facebook.com/JuraPassenge…) for unforgettable experiences and adventures in this breathtaking landscape.
Explore Your Boundaries – Argyll and the Isles:
Round the world cyclists Mark Beaumont and Markus Stitz teamed up with Jenny Graham, the fastest woman to cycle around the world, and filmmaker and photographer Maciek Tomiczek to explore the boundary of Scotland’s Adventure Coast.
Flow:
An aerial and symphonic journey with skier Sam Favret, in the heart of the closed resort of Chamonix, during this very special winter of 2021. A dose of unreality, serenity and Sam’s powerful skiing. But above all the pleasure of rediscovering a playground back to its wild state. Shot on Racing FPV Drone and Dji Mavic Pro 2
Link Sar:
Standing at 7041 Metres, Link Sar is said to be the last great unclimbed mountain of the Karakoram range in Pakistan. The Mountain has seen 9 failed attempts since 1970, including a 2017 attempt by the team of Graham Zimmerman, Steve Swenson and Mark Richey. In 2019 the team returned bolsered by the addition of Mark Richey for one more attempt on the unscaled peak. This is their story.
E11 Lexicon – not the film we screened,
which is not available, but Dave MacLeod’s attempt a week later when it was a wee bit colder! In 2006 Dave climbed the first trad route in the world to get the grade of E11. Fifteen years later, Neil Gresham made the first ascent of Lexicon in the Lake District, grading E11. Dave wondered if he could still climb this huge grade.
The Farmer:
Meet the Farmer—Dave Van Dame, a staple of Alta for the past 48 years. Sweetgrass Productions and Alta Ski Area teamed up to tell the visual story of Alta’s most famous snow farmer.
In memory of David Van Damme. 6 September 1947 – 17 October 2021
Agags Groove – Free solo:
A free solo ascent of Agag’s Groove in Glen Coe with Kevin Shields.
GBDURO – Maiden Race:
Despite a career of world-firsts in endurance cycling expeditions, Shimano ambassador Mark Beaumont, the current round-the-world record holder, had never competed in anything other than what amounts to very extreme solo time trials. This summer though, for the first time in his career, he entered a race. And not just any race, arguably the toughest endurance race in the UK, GBDURO. The drama was captured in a new Shimano video called MAIDEN RACE.
Ocean to Asgard:
Last summer Bronwyn Hodgins, Jacob Cook, Thor Stewart and Zack Goldberg-Poch set out on a six week multi-sport expedition to Baffin Island in northern Canada. The team were extremely successful, putting up big first ascents on some of the world’s most iconic wilderness big walls. Starting in the remote fly-in community of Pangnirtung, the four friends travelled by packraft up the ocean fjord and then continued by foot into the mountains. After climbing Mount Asgard (three times!) they got back in the rafts and paddled the raging, glacier-fed Weasel river to descend the valley. On their way downriver the team made an important stop, as a party of four they climbed the south ridge of Mount Thor, for Thor to stand on top of his namesake mountain! During their 40 day human-powered adventure, through shared experience and hardship, the team formed friendships more meaningful than any summit. The film provides a window into what it felt like to be out there in a small team moving through a giant, remote landscape and the personal, human experiences of big wall expedition climbing.
The Run Home:
This is the story of Louis, a 17 year old schoolboy from the west coast of Scotland. The film follows Louis on his six-mile run home from the school bus through the wilderness of the Keills Peninsula, overlooking the sound of Jura. From the village of Tayvallich, the route is unmarked through ancient woodland and rugged open hill, passing by standing stones and hill forts. Seeing another human is rare; meeting herds of red deer, pods of dolphins, and sea Eagles are more likely encounters. On a warm summer’s day, the route is easy to find, a far cry from the dark days of winter when a head torch, map and compass are required to make it home. Music: Montreal by Talisk
Between Walls: In spring 2019 gigantic walls of snow piled up along the pass road to the Timmelsjoch, Austria. Johanna Bolanos Cabrera and Jasmijn Hanegraef grabbed their longboards and took the chance to downhill through this stunning scenery. Speed is what the girls are living for!
East Mounth Munros: In May 2021 Dundee runners Amy Gilligan and Dominic Williams set off to run all 14 of the East Mounth Munros south of the River Dee and east of Glenshee. Their aim was to complete them in less than 24 hours… Their friend David Matthews set off on the, almost as challenging, task of filming them. Amy, Dom and David are all members of Dundee Mountain Club
The Running Pastor:
In the middle of the cold North Atlantic, craggy mountaintops rise straight up out of the sea. And it’s here, in the rugged Faroe Islands, that local pastor Sverri Steinholm tends to his flocks. Plural. Born the son of a shepherd, Sverri’s now a pastor. The job can get heavy, so to clear his mind and feed his soul, he runs over these weatherworn cliffs. For Sverri, trail running is spiritual.
Stuck at home? Can’t wait until the next festival? Never mind Netflix or Amazon Prime, there are some great free films here! As well as films, long and short, there is now great content on Youtube, with many film makers having their own channels.
Jim Osborne (Stoneymountaincom) – Climbs and hills, in Scotland and abroad
Deano Dunbar (deanod69) – Extreme Dreams – Deano, local action man
Scotland’s Mountains – Great outdoor content from Mr Steaming Boots (aka Murry Wilkie). As seen on TV
Peppa Pig has an episode about mountaineering!
I’ll add more channels as I get time
Here is a list and content of previous Dundee Mountain Film Festival programmes (page under construction)
There is a new website mntnfilm which seems to have a huge range of mountaineering films to watch, many of them free.
Various TV and Youtube
BBC iPlayer usually has a number of good outdoor programmes available. Most of these are time limited to some extent. You need a TV licence to watch these programmes. Let us know if we have missed any gems.
Prince of Muck: Documentary charting the efforts of the laird of the Isle of Muck to preserve the fragile society on the island and pass it onto future generations.
Iain Robertson Rambles: Iain escapes River City with some of his Scottish fellow actors, and tackles The Speyside Way and the Southern Upland Way.
Roaming in the Wild: Join Mark and Andrew for nice gentle adventures walking, camping, paddling and various other modes of transport, exploring Scotland. Some of these episodes will expire in about three weeks. Don’t miss these charming short films.
The Adventure Show: Adventure sport in Scotland. Well known to you all I am sure, but worth a second watch, or catch up with episodes you may have missed.
Films from 2019 (these are all links to external websites)
Break on Through: From the film collection Reel Rock 12. Teenager Margo Hayes from Boulder, Colorado, moves to Europe to train and climb with the goal of succeeding on two of the the most iconic 5.15s in France and Spain. In doing so she pushes herself to the absolute limit. Film Makers P Mortimer, M Hong, N Rosen, Z Barr. Photo by Greg Mionshe.
Chasing the Sublime: What drives us to get cold and tired in the name of adventure?. Follow the ‘swim twins’ Kate Rew and Kari Furre, in this hauntingly beautiful glimpse at the physicality of UK cold water swimming. Filmed at Loch Hourn. Film maker was Amanda Bluglass.
Dave Macleod – The 24/8: Established by Dave MacLeod on the 19th March 2018, the ’24/8′ might be one of the hardest all-round climbing challenges around; an 8A boulder, 8a sport route, E8 trad route, a Grade VIII winter routes and 8 Munros, all in under 24 hours. The Film maker was Kevin Woods
Far Out – Kai Jones: Kai Jones is eleven, not old enough to go to the movies alone or to order a sandwich in the pub. In the mountains, however, age doesn’t matter, so he can follow his familys’ ski track right into back flips and tricks off cliffs. Made by Teton Gravity Research. Photo by Alegre Jackson.
For the Love of Mary: When 97-year-old runner George Etzweiler dons his lucky ancient green running shorts, he’s not just running to the summit of Mt. Washington, as George carries something else very special with him – the memory of his late wife of 68 years. Film makers Simon Perkins and Kirk Horton. Photo by Simon Perkins.
Ice and Palms: Backpacking, summiting mountains, and skiing some iconic lines along the way – Max and Jochen have a dream. 5 weeks, 1,800 kilometres, 35,000 vertical metres self propelling across the Alps. A dream come true? This is a 32 minute version of the film, we showed a 25 minute festival edit. Film makers were Max Kronech and Jochen Mesla. Photo by Philipp Becker.
Janhukot: In May 2018, three British climbers Malcolm Bass, Paul Figg and Guy Buckingham set out to attempt the first ascent of Janhukot, a mountain buried deep in the heart of the Indian Garwhal Himalaya. Janhukot (6805m) has seen attempts as far back as the 1980s, and is surrounded by some of the jewels of Himalayan summits – Shivling, Meru, Kedar Dome. The film follows the climbers throughout their expedition, as they document their experiences and give an insight into the emotional and physical challenges they encounter throughout their journey. Film makers were Emma Crome and The Coldhouse Collective
Liv along the Way: Ever since she first summited Mont Blanc as a teen, Liv Sansoz knew she would make her life in the mountains. Thirty years later, Liv set out from her base in Chamonix to attempt to climb all 82 of the 4000-metre peaks in the European Alps in a single year. But the best laid plans…Film makers Mike Douglas and Anthony Bonello.
Now or Never: Freeride World Champion Nadine Wallner started early exploring her own limits: skipping school all for the powder. Her passion for “white splendour” still burns but now has a preference for locations far from the spotlight on the untouched cliffs of Arlberg. Film makers Simon Platzer and Jacob Schweighofer. We screened a 21 minute version of this film, this link gives a 15 minute version. There is along a “Making of Now or Never” which is worth watching.
Skier v Drone: It’s the classic battle of man versus machine. However, for Olympic Bronze Medalist skiracer, Victor Muffat-Jeandet this is not a problem. The film maker was Mike Douglas. Photo by Matt Crowley.
The After Work Adventure: People live for the weekend. but why wait for the weekend when there’s so much that can be done after work. After all there’s 16 hours between 5pm and 9am. Film maker James Cave, a local from Perth!
The Ant and the Whale: Ian Almond, whilst in Torridon and on An Teallach, looks back on the achievements and sacrifices of a life spent in the hills, and what happens when that privilege is taken away. Film maker, Dom Bush.
The Passage. In 1974 a small determined team built their own canoes, launched them into the Pacific, and became some the first people in modern history to canoe from Washington to Alaska up the Inside Passage. The Passage is a story about revisiting that journey, fathers, sons, and the wild places that define us. For a number of reasons, we did not actually show this film at the festival, but you can watch it here now. We replaced The Passage with Craigs Reaction, which you can watch on a number of paid platforms, although it is free on Amazon Prime at the moment (March 2020). The Passage film makers were Nathan Dappen and Neil Losin.
Wide Boyz – All Tooled Up: In this light hearted film, Tom Randall and Pete Whittaker learn the art and language of ice climbing from Kev Shields – where better than on Ben Nevis. Film maker was Paul Diffley.
Films from 2018
Carried Away – A Porters story
Dreamride 2. And as a bonus, here is Dreamride 1 and Dreamride 3.
Ice Call – Backyards Project – Sam Favret
Surf the Line (we screened a 3 min excerpt, this is a 52 minute epic!)
Uruca II, and as a bonus here is Uruca I
Why? (We screened a 7 minute edit, this version is 13 minutes).
Films from 2017
Thursday Evening
This was a talk by Richard Else about Alfred Wainwright. I thought it may be useful to put up links to some of the films that Richard made with Wainwright on this page.
Coast to Coast – part 1 (St Bees Head to Haweswater)
Coast to Coast – part 2 (Shap Abbey to Keld)
Coast to Coast – part 3 (Gunnerside to Danby Wiske)
Coast to Coast – part 4 (Mount Grace Priory to Robin Hood’s Bay)
Wainwright on the Isle of Skye (part 1)
Wainwright on the Isle of Skye (part 2)
Friday Evening Films
Devotion – Libby Peter
When we were Knights
Metronomic (Trailer only, but link to buy full film, well worth it!)
Locked In (full 54 min version)
Saturday Morning Films
The Bothy Project
Saturday Afternoon Films
Doing it Scared (Trailer only wth link to buy)
Max Your Days
Give me Five
Danny MacAskill’s Wee Day Out
Saturday Evening Films
Hard Rock
Films from 2016
55 Hours in Mexico
Mountain Bikes and Bothy Nights
Defiance – the Eiger Paraclimb
Hannah Barnes – Northwest
The Important Places
Sounds of Paragliding
Climbing Ice – The Iceland Trifecta
Via Ferrata on a Mountainbike
Showdown at Horseshoe Hell
Boulder Valley
Late
Films from 2015
Some are not available, some you will have to pay for (indicated). Some of these films are a slightly different edit to that shown at DMFF.
Touch
Forgotten Dirt
Little Red Bus (buy from Reelhouse)
Into The Ditch
Desert Ice
Undead
Wild Women – Faith Dickey
All My Own Stunts (buy from Posing Productions as part of the DVD/Download Brit Rock 2014)
Arctic Swell
Sufferfest 2 (watch on demand, looks like payment in dollars)
Sup it and See
The Black Cuillin
The Forge
Red Run
Films you may have missed in 2014 –
Dream Lines IV (Full version 16 minutes)
Dream Lines IV (Highlights 5 mins – not quite the same edit as shown on Saturday afternoon)
Meall a Bhuiridh (4 mins – as shown at festival – Saturday morning)
A Man in a Hurry (13 mins – shown Saturday morning)
Five Months (25 mins – shown Saturday morning – download $5)
Sensory Overload (10 mins – slightly different edit from that shown on Friday evening)
Dubai – A Skiers Journey (10 mins – shown Friday evening)
Cascada (8 mins – Shown Saturday afternoon)
Flow – The Elements of Freeride (3 mins – shown Saturday afternoon)
The Last Great Climb (60 min full version download £19.99 – we screened a 26 min version on Saturday afternoon)
London to London (42 mins – shown Saturday evening. An episode of the “This is the Sea 5” DVD, £19.99 from Cackle TV. “This is the Sea 5” also available as a digital download for £14.99
Films from previous years, or films we liked but did not use
A Downhill Affair
As it Happens
British University Kayaking Expedition to Venezeula – full 17 minute video
Los Fabulosus Dos
One Season
Scottish Ice Trip
A Walk in the Park
Biscuit the Climbing Dog! (From Front Range Freaks)
Cabeza
Gravitate
In Conversation with Dave Macleod
In Conversation with Katie L’Herpiniere
In Conversation with Peter Habeler
In Conversation with Reinhold Messner
Nirvana
Sense of Flying
The Cable Car
The Longest Way
The Trail Collector
What is Mountain Biking About?