"Climbing the highest peak of Madagascar had been on my mind since 2010, when I first visited this island. The remoteness of this location in the north of the island and the fact that the ascent and descent require 14 days have long served as a significant challenge for high-altitude trekking enthusiasts. That’s also why this peak remains so rarely visited. I fell in love with Madagascar, and after more than 14 years, I finally fulfilled this dream. Together with my two expedition partners—both Slovaks—and our Malagasy expedition team, we covered 160 kilometers through the Tsaratanana mountain range, gaining 8,100 meters in elevation. We became the first Slovaks to stand atop Madagascar’s highest peak. While its altitude of 2,876 meters is not extreme, for me, it remains one of the most remarkable high-altitude expedition experiences of my life."
Vladimír Dudlák (1964) is a professional project manager and the director of the non-profit organization Združenie Mórica Beňovského. He specializes in organizing expeditions, high-altitude trekking, ultra-running, exploration, history, filmmaking, and publishing. He has produced over 20 travel films, mainly from Asia and South America. Since 2010, he has been deeply engaged in the legacy of Móric Beňovský. He has led multiple research and filmmaking expeditions to Madagascar and contributed to several documentary productions. His love for the island has drawn him back repeatedly, where he guides travelers and continues to explore its unique landscapes. In 2024, as part of the MAROMOKOTRO 2024 expedition, he and two fellow Slovaks successfully reached Madagascar’s highest peak, becoming the first Slovaks to stand there.
In the documentary film Tsiky, a group of Slovak travels visit village Ambodirafia on the easternmost cape of Madagascar, where there are no roads. The film documents the way of life of the Malagasy people in this village. What has changed here in the last 250 years since Slovak native Móric Beňovský was here? Are technical advances, a fast-paced lifestyle and sufficient material security what makes a person happy? Can happiness be found even in a place where there is seemingly nothing and people live their lives from day to day?
This is a story of exploration and discovery; where going somewhere with one goal is interrupted by curiosity and the spirit of adventure. Plans and ambitions are uprooted as a bigger picture comes into view. On Papua New Guinea’s remote island province of New Britain, british climbers Waldo Etherington, Leo Houlding and Tom Winterton travel into the mysterious depths of the Lamo Auru Caldera – an extinct volcano containing a dense, untouched rainforest and a wealth of spectacular biodiversity. Entering the rainforest with guides from the indigenous Naccanai communities, Waldo and the team are on a mission to find and climb enormous “giant strangler” fig trees that are endemic to this region. Their mission is a simple one: Ground up, first accents of these inspiring living structures, in a completely unexplored area of the world.” While spending time in the caldera the team form close bonds with the local guides and feel compelled to explore the surrounding region and learn about the threats New Britain’s forests, and the communities dependent on them, are facing. The ‘Lamo Auru’ Caldera is truly extraordinary. Biologically it’s a landscape of incredible natural beauty and unparalleled biodiversity. Culturally it’s a place of profound cultural significance to the local indigenous communities, who claim it as their ancestral home and a place to be with the spirits of the forest – the heartbeat of their community. But the Caldera is also in the crosshairs of agribusiness development, resource extraction and global trade, forces that move in from all sides. This film hears from the voices that wish to stand up against and speak truth to those powerful global forces.
In her quest of the Fourteens, Adriana Brownlee faces Gasherbrum I and Gasherbrum II, her 11th and 12th 8000s and her two last peaks in Pakistan. With the idea of evolving her climbing journey, she challenges herself to have a minimum of assistance and to avoid using oxygen together with her climbing partner Gelje (Geljen Sherpa). This journey not only brings her incredible encounters, powerful emotions and painful moments, but it also opens her eyes on the 8000 industry. This movie is about a girl’s dream coming true, and a woman who wants to go back to her childhood’s practice, and dream again.
The true story of Wanda Rutkiewicz, the first woman in the world to climb the highest peaks on earth. Wanda entered the men’s world of high-mountains uninvited and paid the highest price for it. The film’s director, herself a climber, sets off to the Himalayas in search of Wanda. The clue to the exploration is the protagonist’s mysterious audio-diary found among a pile of archival materials. Wanda says: “I know perfectly well, that there’s no way back for me». Wanda disappeared 30 years ago. Her body was never found. Reportedly she stayed in a Buddhist monastery. The film explores her life and mystery with the participation of famous climbers: Reinhold Messner, Krzysztof Wielicki and Carlos Carsolio, as well as the women closest to her: sister Janina Fies and manager Marion Feik.
The unifying element of this lecture is granite—a material that has deeply shaped Andrej’s life. From his home mountains, the Tatras, to the rugged Lofoten Islands, the Arctic wilderness of Baffin Island, the vast landscapes of Greenland, and the enchanting Alps—these are just some of the destinations he has traveled to in search of granite and from which he has drawn inspiration. Granite boulders and blocks form the foundation of his artistic work.
Perhaps his most fateful encounter with granite happened in his own studio when he fell from the roof onto the very granite blocks he had prepared for his art. He survived the fall, but with lasting consequences. This accident led him down a new path—paraclimbing—which he has successfully pursued for seven years, representing Slovakia in international competitions.
Born in Trnava, Andrej Haršány now lives and creates in Borová, a village near Trnava. He has been climbing on crags, in the Tatras, and the Alps since 1998. After graduating from the Academy of Fine Arts and Design, he dedicated himself to free artistic creation, focusing on the relationship between humans and nature. He works with natural materials such as stone, wood, and leather, combining them in unique ways. His monumental works can be found in the United States, Greenland, and Slovakia.
After his life-altering fall in 2015, he took up competitive paraclimbing. His greatest achievement so far is a bronze medal at the 2023 World Championships in Bern.
A short documentary about Fré Leys, a Paralympic climber determined to secure victory at the 2023 World Championships in Salt Lake City.
SAMA (سما, Arabic VERB: soared, rose, climbed). Hiba, a Syrian refugee, and Sabine, a Lebanese citizen, live in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon. In a country where tensions between Syrians and Lebanese are escalating, the two girls share their past experiences and the social barriers they faced while pursuing their passion for climbing through the Swiss NPO ClimbAid. We witness Hiba and Sabine’s deep connections to their traditional families as they strive for independence. Despite feelings of disappointment and helplessness, their commitment to ClimbAid grows stronger. This dedication propels them to become influential female leaders. As they navigate their personal challenges, we see the significant impact climbing has on the local community, fostering peace and resilience in a challenging societal context.
“IAN” is a powerful short film that chronicles the incredible journey of Ian Elliott, a 72-year-old Australian rockclimber who defies conventional limits of aging. Having only discovered climbing in his mid-fifties, Ian accomplished his hardest climb, a grade 28 (7c/5.12d), just before turning 70—an achievement that astonished the climbing community worldwide. His story showcases more than just technical skill and physical strength; it highlights the boundless human spirit and the possibility of thriving with age. “IAN” challenges preconceived notions about getting older, inspiring climbers and non-climbers alike to pursue their passions and push their boundaries, regardless of age.
After walking away from professional cycling to pursue climbing, Adrien Costa suffered a devastating accident that began his journey as an adaptive athlete. This film follows his path from recovery to the cutting edge of adaptive climbing, working his way up to an epic first ascent in Washington’s North Cascades with PNW legend Mark Allen.
In the fall of 2024, Vlado, together with Peter Kincel, set sail on a nine-meter yacht from Bratislava, navigating the Danube to the Black Sea, passing through the Bosporus and the Dardanelles into the Aegean and Ionian Seas. As of today, they are on the Italian island of Sardinia, continuing their journey toward Gibraltar and Plymouth, England.
In Plymouth, their yacht Civetta is anchored, ready for the next phase of their adventure—another circumnavigation of the world. This time, the journey will be from Bratislava to Bratislava. The expedition is planned with two yachts, as Civetta is unsuitable for river navigation due to its draft.
The presentation will be divided into two parts—what has already happened and what is yet to come. Spectacular photographs and short videos, accompanied by commentary, will bring the journey to life.
Vlado Porvazník was born in 1961 in Bratislava. He is married, has two daughters, and six grandchildren. His life story began as a mountaineer, participating in expeditions to the Italian and French Alps, Mont Blanc, and the foothills of the Himalayas in the Pamirs. After a long break, he returned to his passion for mountains. Between 2009 and 2016, he climbed in Yosemite, USA, successfully summiting El Capitan three times, along with its smaller counterpart, Half Dome.
In 2009–2010, he sailed his yacht Civetta from the Adriatic Sea to the Caribbean and back. He repeated this voyage in 2012 with his new 45-foot yacht, Civetta II.
Between 2013 and 2015, he completed a circumnavigation of the world on Civetta II, a journey he documented in his first book, I Sailed Around the World (2017).
In 2017, he was part of the crew of the American yacht Celebrate, sailing the Northwest Passage from Greenland to Alaska. He chronicled this expedition in his second book, From Greenland to Alaska (2018).
In 2019, he once again ventured north, sailing from the Greek island of Corfu to Miami, New York, Canada, and Greenland. From there, he navigated through Iceland and Ireland to Plymouth, England.
His most recent voyage began in 2021 in Scotland. In April 2022, he continued north to Iceland, Norway, and Svalbard—where the ocean seamlessly merges into a landscape of towering mountains.
“Out of the Office” follows Gus Boisson, a daring sailor and dreamer, as he crosses the Atlantic to close one chapter of his life and begin another. Leaving behind a secure engineering career in Brazil, Gustavo shares his journey of adventure over stability, navigating both the literal and emotional storms of life at sea. Through humor, vulnerability, and hard-won wisdom, he shares the lessons that inspired him to help others achieve their own dreams. This film is a celebration of courage, resilience, and living life to its fullest, because as Gustavo reminds us “you never know if tomorrow will come.”
Armed with a raft, snorkels and flippers, four friends drift down Slovenia’s Sava River with one mission: find the elusive finned-monsters that dwell in the deep in order to help protect the river from dams.
Follow kayak superstar Nouria Newman and two childhood friends, as they navigate one of the world’s most challenging sections of whitewater: the Rondu Gorge of the Indus River, in Pakistan. Documenting Nouria’s attempt at completing the first integral descent of the Rondu Gorge by a woman, “Big Water Theory” is a compelling exploration of human spirit and the relentless pursuit of adventure. It offers a powerful and inspiring, yet highly detailed and informative look at the world of extreme kayaking. Set against the stunning backdrop of the Karakoram mountains, the film highlights the irreversible nature of the sport, with heart-pounding descents that test the kayakers’ psychological and physical limits. An independent, 90% self-funded documentary film by Emile DOMINE, featuring Nouria Newman, Jules DOMINE, and Maël NGUYEN.