Saturday evening
7pm, Saturday 6 December 2025 at Abertay University
Meta
Film 2024, Germany, 19 minutes, Director Annette Wahl
On June 28, 1870, Meta Brevoort embarked on a daring quest to become the first to summit La Meije in the Dauphiné Alps. Opting for the prominent peak Doigt de Dieu, her party realised too late that the true summit, Grand Pic de la Meije, stood just a few metres higher. An impassable knife-edged ridge thwarted their final ascent. In a thrilling homage to Brevoort, Maria Granberg retraces her steps, scaling La Meije and delving into the rich legacy of a woman unjustly overlooked in mountaineering history.
Return of the Great Bear
Film 2024, Canada, 19 minutes, Director Natasha When and Ian McAllister
This film is an inspiring story of people coming together to make a difference for wildlife, and what it takes to make change. Featuring Chief Councillor of the Kitasoo/Xai’xais Nation Douglas Neasloss, renowned bear biologist Wayne McCrory and pop icon Miley Cyrus, this short documentary explores the past and potential future of grizzly bear conservation, with stunning wildlife cinematography from Ian McAllister.
Odyssey of Loppa
Film 2024, Norway, 15 minutes, Director Anders Vestergaard and Lisen Strom
Two Norwegian athletes, Thea and Lisen, go on an epic four-day ski-touring adventure exploring Loppa, an Arctic peninsula in the far north in Norway. Odyssey of Loppa follows them as they set out on an undiscovered route passing by fjords and mountain passes whilst camping along the way. The film is an ode to a relatively undiscovered area where few people ski‑tour. It’s an ambitious tour where the women have to navigate challenging avalanche terrain, steep contours and difficult route findings whilst negotiating cold temperatures day and night.
First Day of Winter
Film 2024, Slovenia, 8 minutes, Director Mitja Legat
A fairytale about the great wizard Zimnik, who is on a mission to save winters, as he is faced with the climate changes affecting his beloved season with greater force each passing year. We follow the epic task through the eyes of a snowboarder, fighting with the mishaps of Zimnik’s endeavour!
Interval of 30 minutes
Exposed
Leo Houlding
The climbing career of Leo Houlding stems from his first outing aged 10, and he became Junior Indoor Climbing Champion in 1996. A stellar career followed, including the 2007 Altitude Everest Expedition, which retraced the last steps of George Mallory and Andrew Irvine. In 2020, Houlding’s entire family reached the summit of the Piz Badile, including his seven‑year‑old daughter, who climbed it unaided (the youngest ever to reach the summit) and his 3-year-old son (carried on his mother’s back).