The International Alpine Film Festival of Les Diablets (FIFAD) raises the curtain on its 53rd edition on Saturday. Until August 20, more than 50 films from a dozen countries will be found at the Vaudois Alps resort.

Two years after the pandemic, “we’re touching wood, and everything looks pretty good,” festival artistic director Benoît Aymon told Keystone-ATS on Friday. “At the moment, no evening is complete, but some are already full. We are very happy with the presales”, added Operations Director Solveig Suttier.

On Saturday, the festival will be kicked off in the presence of Karin Bachmann, the new director of the Federal Office of Culture and special guest. Participating will be the Antamatten brothers and Jeremy Heitz – four of the world’s leading Valaisans in ski mountaineering, sport climbing and steep slopes.

Legends

According to the organizers, the program offers “a palette of films as rich as it is diverse”. They cite as examples the documentary of the famous Czech mountaineer Adam Ondra (“Pushing the Limits”), the portrait of an artist sculpting a cello in ice (“En-Ice Cello”) or the story of a snowstorm in Spain. “Balandru, the frozen hell”).

Nuria Goreit, state councilor in special charge of cultural affairs in the canton of Vaud, will present book prizes on Wednesday to two holy giants of literature: Jean-Christophe Ruffin for his novel “The Stone Flames” and Pascal Bruckner for his essay “In the friendship of a mountain”. Minister FIFAD will present Alpine Merit to Nina Capras and Cédric Lachat, a legendary couple in the world of mountaineering.

A reflection of current concerns

Referring to the themes of this edition, Benoît Aymon points out that the mountain is not limited to mountaineering: global warming is increasingly present in the festival. Like the concerns surrounding the wolf, the art director notes. They are specifically mentioned in “Nice et les Loupes,” the story of a little girl who sets out with her father on the trail of these dogs.

And to highlight the tremendous work being done by today’s wildlife filmmakers. Like “Snow Panther” directed by Vincent Meunier and Marie Amigate. After rejecting requests from all festivals, they will present their cult film on Sunday evening. In a bonus interview with Sylvain Tesson.

Local illustration

The festival is also interested in local production. This is the case, for example, of a film shot entirely in Chablis (“Les Files Murette”).

New this year, three anthology films filmed a hundred years ago, movie-concerts highlighting the legacy of the ancients. The public can try an unprecedented immersive experience by embarking on a Ski World Cup or attempting to climb the Matterhorn. One reality is indeed virtual, but it presupposes the world of tomorrow.

Another special mention from the art director is the creation of a short film category: it highlights short films that are often wrongly underrated and helps promote new talent, he is delighted.

Also online

“We don’t say yes to everything,” notes the artistic director. This year, out of over 200 films received, we had to reject three-quarters.

Note that almost 80% of the movies in the program for this version can be watched online.

www.fifad.ch

This article was automatically published. Source: ats