2019 - Previous edition

This film offers an intimate journey in the breath-taking environment    of the Cantabrique Cordillère in Northern Spain. It features the unique experience of an encounter with the cliff bear. As we follow the trail of this emblematic animal the film reveals its natural, primitive habitat where the flora and fauna are the living results of the preservation of nature.

The grey wolf, European otter, griffon vulture and black chickadee also live on the slopes of this mountain range. They all contribute to the picture   of a nature scene where man also has his place. The subject of the film is the interconnecting discourses of four French and Spanish characters, who nurture an intimate vision into the wildlife. They question our relationship with nature and the possibility of us living in harmony.

« From Colombia to Argentina Circassian People have always chosen the street as their meeting point and creative place as well as their stage.

Their history is extraordinary and their lifestyle differs widely from today’s standard social behaviour. They defend an alternative way of life by performing at crossroads. The bright lights of the traffic signals intertwine on their trip to Latin America. Their hopes and dreams come to life as they sail across the ocean… »

The oldest district of the immense town of Chongquig, is about to be demolished and its inhabitants re-housed. The film maker befriends the young Zhou Hong, a little prince of the district’s lively streets and Madam Xue Lian, the extraordinary fairy godmother to the migrant workers who are the last witnesses of a disappearing world. In this chronicle of foretold destruction, the film maker takes to the winding, run-down streets of  Shibati to show us what is about to disappear forever. Zhou Hong and Xue Lian must leave to live in one of the soulless tower blocks in a distant suburb.

Mélusine Mallender has led many an expedition based on the theme of freedom, more precisely the opinion of women concerning their own freedom in countries we know little of and of whom we often have a negative image: Iran, Rwanda, Myanmar, Pakistan, Somaliland etc. She has travelled alone to over fifty countries, astride her motorbike, to take her microphone to the farfetched corners of the world in search of those who are unheard and whose only protection is their smile, kindness and their determination. She is one of the few women of this world to undertake major solo expeditions on a motorbike, covering all  kinds  of  terrains and paths. This is the story of the life she has built for herself along the “pathways of freedom”.

The double earthquake which shook Nepal in Spring 2015 caused the deaths of 9 000 people and injured 23 000 others. Rescuers rushed to Katmandu but were unable to reach the higher valleys. One of these areas known as the Nubri valley at the foot of Mont Manaslu was totally isolated. Here, at the foot of this Himalayan giant, over 12 000 people were cut off from the rest of the world. Through their own creativity and bravery, the men and women up in one of the highest mountains in the world, take fate into their own hands.

Through necessity, after the earthquake two young boys Raj and Shiva, end up as mule drivers – a future for which their upbringing and traditions had not prepared them. The two friends toughen up, open themselves up and find their own way forward. The film not only highlights the accelerated rite of passage from childhood to adulthood caused by the devastating event but also the birth of new horizons.