24 short films compete in the first competitive edition of the Pyrenees Mountain Film Festival

The first competitive edition of Pirineos Mountain Film Festival It starts at the Olimpia Theater in Huesca, which will host the free sessions where you can see the 24 selected short films that represent 13 different countries.

The official section proposes a fusion of “spectacle, adrenaline, great landscapes, reflection and above all love of nature and the mountains” in the words of David Asensio, director of the event. Productions that cover modalities such as climbing, skiing, base jumping, mountain biking, snowboarding or kayaking to take the viewer on a journey through visually spectacular places such as Tanzania, Hawaii, Chile or Iceland, but also the Pyrenees themselves.

He palmares which distributes 6,000 euros in prizes will be announced on Thursday the 23rd. A decision that falls on a jury made up of Ixeia Lacau, Chechu Arribas, Sara Ramionet, Jorge García and Juan Bazán; five members linked to the mountains and nature through climbing, skiing and the audiovisual sector.

Los espectadores en sala tendrán un papel clave para otorgar el Premio del Público a través de sus votos (gracias a un código QR). Siete son los galardones que se entregarán este año: Premio al Mejor Cortometraje (3.000 euros), Premio al Mejor Cortometraje de Aventura y Deporte (1.500 euros), Premio al Mejor Cortometraje de Cultura y Naturaleza (1.500 euros), Premio al Mejor Cortometraje de Animación (trofeo otorgado por la localidad de Benasque), Premio al Mejor Guión (trofeo otorgado por la localidad de Jaca), Premio del Público (trofeo otorgado por la localidad de Boltaña) y Premio al mejor Cortometraje Iberoamericano (trofeo otorgado por la localidad de Barbastro).

Actividades paralelas

The Pyrenees Mountain Film Festival is complemented by a series of parallel activities such as the photo exhibition Mountain in feminine by Jon Martínez organized jointly with the Ibercaja Foundation. A total of 27 snapshots that talk about women who have made the mountains their way of life, showing their will, strength and dreams. The images can be seen at the Villahermosa Palace until March 10 thanks to the support of the Aragonese Women's Institute.

Within the complementary program, cinema also has a prominent role and proof of this is the screening of three feature films. The first of them, The Dawn Wall (Tuesday 21st; 8:30 p.m. – Teatro Olimpia), is a portrait of the legendary climber Tommy Caldwell facing one of his greatest challenges: the Dawn Wall of El Capitan. On Wednesday the 22nd (8:30 p.m. – Teatro Olimpia) it will be the turn for Ainaras, a journey in the history of the “swallows”, hundreds of Navarrese and Aragonese women who between 1870 and 1940 migrated through the Pyrenees to the French Basque Country in search of work; a special session that also has the support of the Aragonese Women's Institute and where the viewer will enjoy a final mini-concert by Anne Etchegoyen, the singer and composer who is the guiding thread of the documentary. The third tape is Unlimited which will be seen on Thursday the 23rd at the Manuel Benito Moliner Cultural Center (8:30 p.m.); a review of the career of Jon Santacana, one of the best Spanish skiers in the Paralympic Games. The winner of two gold and four silver medals has always had the guidance of him, Miguel Galindo from Huesca, who will be in Huesca to present the film.

One of the most anticipated guests of 2023 will be the mountaineer Oscar Cadiach. The Catalan will star on Friday, February 24, with his conference The Unexplored Side of the BroadPeak through Xinjiang. Cadiach is the first Westerner to ascend Everest without oxygen on the northern slope and will arrive at the Manuel Benito Moliner Cultural Center (8:30 p.m. Free admission) to recount the feat achieved in 1992, when he summited the 8,051 meters of this corner of the mountain. Muslim China. Prior to this meeting, the public will be able to enjoy two board games of Aragonese creation and inspiration at the Oscense Casino (7:00 p.m.): Escalábrate and 600 Questions and Pico.

The culmination of the contest will take place on Saturday, February 25 (7:30 p.m.) at the Huesca Conference Center, this will be the place where tribute will be paid to the Mountain Rescue and Intervention Groups of the Civil Guard (GRIM) de la provincia de Huesca y al Servicio de Helicópteros de la Guardia Civil con base en Huesca (U.H.E.L.-41).

Un homenaje previo a la presentación en primicia del tour nacional formado por algunos de los trabajos más destacados de la selección de este año. Into The Mountain, Into the ice: An Expedition To The End Of The World, 24 Hours Odyssee, The Tough, (Plastik), Costa Brava: Roca Nua y Le Moustache Forever se verán en la pantalla grande del Auditorio Carlos Saura antes de viajar por el resto de sedes provinciales: Barbastro (17-marzo), Jaca (24-marzo), Boltaña (1-abril) y Benasque (15-abril).

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