Jury
& ceremony' master
The jury for the 28th edition of the International Adventure & Discovery Film Festival in Val d’Isère, taking place from April 14th to 17th, 2025, has been selected and consists of passionate individuals from the worlds of adventure, cinema, and exploration. The jury will be responsible for evaluating the 11 films in competition and awarding the various prizes.
Master of Ceremonies
Sylvain Tesson
Born on April 26th, 1972, in Paris, Sylvain Tesson studied geography and geopolitics under Yves Lacoste before choosing a life dedicated to writing and long-distance travel. An tireless explorer, he has cycled around the world, crossed the Himalayas on foot, ridden through Central Asia on horseback, and retraced the escape route of Gulag prisoners from Siberia to India. He has also investigated the oil industry in the Caucasus and Anatolia and participated in humanitarian and archaeological missions in Afghanistan.
His adventures in Russia’s Far East, Mongolia, the Himalayas, and Tibet have inspired more than a dozen travelogues, essays, and short story collections. Among his most notable works are Une vie à coucher dehors (Gallimard, winner of the 2009 Prix Goncourt de la Nouvelle and the Académie Française short story prize), Dans les forêts de Sibérie (Gallimard, winner of the 2011 Prix Médicis Essai), and La Panthère des neiges (Gallimard, winner of the 2019 Prix Renaudot). He has also hosted the television show Montagnes on France 3, regularly contributes to Le Figaro Magazine, and produces documentaries for France 5.
A passionate climber, reader, and horseman, Tesson spent six months living in a cabin in Siberia, an experience he chronicled in Dans les forêts de Sibérie (Gallimard, 2011). His latest book, Blanc (Gallimard, 2022), recounts an alpine adventure. In 2024, he was awarded the Prix Combourg for his book Avec les fées.
President of the Jury
Claire Chazal
Cultural Presenter and Host
Claire Chazal is a journalist and presenter with a passion for the arts and literature.
After her iconic career as the presenter of the 8 p.m. news on TF1, she shifted her focus to projects that highlight culture. Since 2017, she has hosted Entrée libre on France 5, a show dedicated to cultural news, where she interviews writers, artists, and filmmakers. Claire Chazal has also presented Le Passage des Arts, a program devoted to creativity in all its forms, as well as Au Bonheur des Livres, a show that explores the literary world and authors. Additionally, she hosted Le Ciné-Club, where she shares her passion for cinema with renowned guests.
With Le Grand Entretien on France 2, she continues to interview prominent cultural figures, while also sharing her projects and thoughts on her YouTube channel, offering a more intimate and personal space.
Claire Chazal remains an iconic personality, passionate about engaging with contemporary talents.
Paul Bonhomme
Steep slope skier and high mountain guide
Paul Bonhomme
Steep slope skier and high mountain guide
Born in 1975 to Dutch parents, Paul Bonhomme arrived in France at the age of 4 and grew up in Pontoise, where he developed a passion for climbing early on. After several years of competition, he unsuccessfully attempted to become a ski instructor and obtain his hiking guide diploma, while working on masonry sites. In 2001, he decided to fully dedicate himself to his calling and began preparing for the high mountain guide diploma, which he obtained in 2006.
Today, married and a father of four, he balances his family life, his profession, and his numerous mountain projects. Among his notable achievements are the opening of 10 new descents across the Alpine arc in a single season (Project X), a solo round-trip of the Giraud route on the Bans in just 6 hours, and the complete crossing of the Jura in under 4 days.
Combining trail running, mountaineering, and extreme skiing, he aims to give meaning to each of his adventures, always filled with history. He is also the author of the book Raide Vivant, published by Guérin.
Kti Devos
Paragliding champion and editor-in-chief of the magazine "Parapente Mag"
Kti Devos
Paragliding champion and editor-in-chief of the magazine "Parapente Mag"
Kti is first and foremost a sports enthusiast. She began with handball in the Monaco team before shifting to mountain biking and mountaineering, scaling numerous iconic peaks: Elbrus in Russia, Cotopaxi and Chimborazo in Ecuador, Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Mustagh Ata in China, Toubkal in Morocco, and Everest, where she had to turn back at 7,500 meters due to bad weather. Of course, she has also climbed Mont Blanc about twenty times, taking different routes and always descending by paragliding, her true passion.
At 61, she continues to rack up achievements with 14 titles under her belt: French champion, European champion, and vice-world champion in landing precision. An experienced instructor, she closely follows Sylvain Tesson’s progress in paragliding.
Rémy Tézier
Documentary filmmaker
Rémy Tézier
Documentary filmmaker
Rémy Tézier is a filmmaker passionate about vast spaces, both marine and mountainous. He began his career in 1984 with Les Carnets de l’Aventure (Antenne 2) before moving to Réunion Island in 1990, where he produced award-winning documentaries for TF1, France Télévisions, and ARTE.
Among his notable works, Au-delà des Cimes and Attaques de Requins à La Réunion : l’Enquête captivated audiences. Since 2017, he has focused on marine species conservation with two documentaries filmed over six years for ARTE, exploring the return of humpback whales and sea turtles to Réunion, both of which have won several Grand Prix awards.
