The Highlands

52′ / France

Shot over the 40 days of Jean-Christophe LaFaille’s attempt on Makalu in pursuit of his dream of climbing all 14 of the world’s 8,000m peaks - solo and without oxygen. Knowing the film ends in tragedy makes watching it a poignant and painful experience. The voice-over somewhat grates, at odds with the confident pieces to camera from the husband and wife team who’s separation, frustration and worry we witness – powerless to intervene. At one point about two thirds of the way through I was struck by the thought ‘this is futile, go home to your family’, the first time a mountain film has ever made me think this. I wish he had.

25′ / UK / Leo Dickinson

Leo Dickinson’s re-editing of the classic first ascent of the Central Tower of Paine in Patagonia. The 44 year old original footage was salvaged from a loft and shows Chris Bonnington and Don Willans in action. Readings from Don’s journal add depth (thought the v/o doesn’t quite fit) and a recreation of a double rope snapping incident adds the necessary spice. What marks this film apart is the film stock which makes the image seem to glow and the leisurely pace Leo has treated the edit. It makes a refreshing contrast to many contemporary films and modern digital film makers could be well served by taking note.

48′ / Canada / Geoff Brown

Sympathetic account of a Tibetan monk’s journey from his home village to Vancouver, via Nepal, India. A chance encounter inspires the Geoff Brown to follow a monk on his emotional visit home, the final film is as much about the journey of the film maker as it is of the monk. This film was clearly a labour of love and this shines through in almost every shot.

3′ / USA

Our hero Zoltan attempts to express himself on the water, but is thwarted by the man. Short, funny and refreshing - a perfect example of what a couple of people can do with a camera and an idea.

60′ / Switzerland

A film about two skiers, an Australian and an Italian and their relationship with the snow, mountains and friends. Some superb ski sequences (without the usual drum and bass soundtrack) balance well with thoughtful pieces to camera. The skiers love of powder snow comes shining through, as does their esoteric approach to exploration. One comes away from this an excellent profile piece with feeling like you’ve had a glimpse into the lives of folk who have (by luck or choice) made their lives in the mountains.

11′ / UK / Lipstick Blondes

Four women set out to ski down a peak in China, their aim to spread the word of off piste skiing and inspire women to take on things they would not normally consider possible. This could have been another holiday film had not tragedy struck, it punctuates the film, changing the mood and making it a more reflective piece. Them not reaching the summit makes it even more interesting, with the initial of disappointment turning to contemplation of the journey. A well executed first production with bold ambitions from a production team to watch.

60′ / USA

Big budget mountain porn shot in glorious 70mm for the IMAX screen, showing on a smaller screen it still looks stunning but it is almost ruined by the dreadful syrupy commentary (think March of the Penguins). John Harlin goes back to the Eiger with his family to face the demons of his father’s death on the north face. The climbing is spectacular and the aerial footage adds a dimension that other Eiger features have lacked, the fill IMAX experience would be mind blowing. However time and again the impact is lost with a trite comment or by glossing over some of the stories which make the Eiger one of the most fascinating mountains. With an alternative commentary this would be an excellent film – as it is it is hard to swallow.

60′ / UK

An exploration into the heat of Papua New Guinea in search of some of the undiscovered peoples of the region, this is familiar territory from the Bruce Parry series ‘Tribe’, but predates it by a number of years. Narrated in the first person it is disappointing to never see our hero, this creates a disembodied experience which casts the film in the shadow of Parry’s engaging piece. Where the film does triumph is in it’s sympathetic approach, where the film maker is aware of the impact of their actions at at the end of the day decides not to pursue the shot at all costs, realising that this will hasten the demise of the very culture he is attempting to document. This is a rare awareness and once that makes the film above many others of it’s type.

60′ / UK / Hot Aches

The Hot Aches team who bought us the acclaimed E11 broaden their exploration of Hard Trad climbing with an ensemble piece of climbers who are pushing the limits of their activity. Their regular climber Dave Macleod is joined by others on new and classic routes, the multi personality format holds together better than the individual climb of ‘Hell and Back’ and the capture of a dramatic fall from adds the spice they have been waiting for. A solid addition in a busy year from the team.

50’ / USA / Peter Mortimer

Lavishly produced profile of top American climber Chris Sharma, following him through three of his latest projects. Benefits from Hollywood techniques with dynamic camera movement and some nifty post production. The film is a thoughtful exploration of the obsession and focus required to pull of these hardest routes from deep water soloing, through to multi-pitch sport routes on untapped faces. The typical ‘home life’ sequence and words from friends brings to life an engaging individual who seems unaffected by his status as a rock star.