2024 Edition

15 to 18 April 2024 Editorial

La Promesse du Large

In his fabulous book La promesse du large (‘The promise of adventure’ – the title alone reflects the very spirit of Val d’Isère’s Aventure & Découverte festival), novelist Arnaud De La Grange’s heroine, Manon, says “la vie ne vaut que par le mouvement” (“movement makes life worth living”).

And oh how right she is! Her sentence should be embroidered in gold letters on blue banners to be flown at the top of the Bellevarde and Solaise slopes!

For 27 years now, the Aventure & Découverte festival has had many of us convinced that movement inspires people, unleashes the mind, soothes the soul, tans the body and brings a song to the lips of the whole world.

Through movement, human beings push their boundaries, connect with others, launch into new adventures and yearn for transformation. The 12th-century knights who roamed enchanted forests knew they had to leave if they were to fulfil themselves.

Deep down, our festival-goers have embraced this notion for a long time. In 2024, everyone believes in ‘the promise of adventure’, be it alongside the whales that swim the oceans, in the dunes of the Sahara or on a rock face in America, faced with the cosmos, the Nordic unknown or simply the void.

What matters is to give direction to our movement. Leaving is pointless without a dream to pursue. Leaving is pointless without the expectation to be transformed by movement.

On our return, we remember. We have learned from our voyage. We have become someone else. On the festival stage, we tell our adventure stories, present the images we’ve collected along the way, and say to ourselves, as in the novel by De La Grange, “Me voilà enfin maître de mon sillage” (At last I control what I leave in my wake).

Sylvain Tesson

THE 2024 GOLDEN EAGLE OF ADVENTURESunny BoyDirected by: Morgan Le Faucheur

THE 2024 ALAIN ESTÈVE PRIZEAux pays des brumes : un hiver BalteDirected by: Sophie Planque

THE TITRA FILM ESPOIR AWARD, ENCOURAGING FILMMAKING 2024Orahala – Théâtre nomade au SaharaDirected by: Valentin Bertrand

THE USHUAÏA TV AWARD 2024Al Qimma (The Peak) – First productionDirected by: Mehdi Moutia

THE 2024 AUDIENCE AWARDFils du ventDirected by: Jérémy Bigé

MONDAY 15 APRIL

6.00 pmAlways Alive – Preview

Directed by: Davina Montaz-Rosset
Language: Original version with French subtitles
Running time: 35 mins

7.15 pmSunny Boy

Directed by: Morgan Le Faucheur
Language: French
Running time: 56 mins

9.00 pmAl Qimma (The Peak) – First production

Directed by: Mehdi Moutia
Language: Original version with French subtitles
Running time: 53 mins

TUESDAY 16 APRIL

5.30 pmDes baleines, des tortues et des Hommes

Directed by: Rémy Tézier
Language: French
Running time: 55 mins

7.15 pmOrahala – Théâtre nomade au Sahara

Directed by: Valentin Bertrand
Language: French
Running time: 54 mins

9.00 pmMarche à étoile : Amérique du Sud – Preview

Directed by: Boris Wilmart
Language: French
Running time: 52 mins

WEDNESDAY 17 APRIL

5.30 pmCap sur el cap

Directed by: Brian Mathé, Morgan Monchaud
Language: French
Running time: 53 mins

7.15 pmAux pays des brumes : un hiver Balte

Directed by: Sophie Planque
Language: French
Running time: 52 mins

9.00 pmEternal flemme

Directed by: Nicolas Bossard
Language: French
Running time: 26 mins

THURSDAY 18 APRIL

5.30 pmFils du vent

Directed by: Jérémy Bigé
Language: French
Running time: 52 mins

7.15 pmLa ligne de l'ange

Directed by: Bertrand Delapierre
Language: French
Running time: 42 mins

Master of Ceremonies Sylvain Tesson

La Promesse du Large

And oh how right she is! Her sentence should be embroidered in gold letters on blue banners to be flown at the top of the Bellevarde and Solaise slopes!

What matters is to give direction to our movement. Leaving is pointless without a dream to pursue. Leaving is pointless without the expectation to be transformed by movement.

The Chair of the JuryJean-Marc Barr

Jean-Marc Barr is an actor, director, producer and photographer. His first acting role was in Hope and Glory in 1987, before he became a household name after playing Jacques Mayol in Luc Besson’s film, “Le Grand Bleu”, released in 1988. Idolised by an entire generation, he then went from role to role in both theatre and cinema.

In 1998, he and Pascal Arnold created their own production company, Toloda. In 2013, he played Jack Kerouac, a character in Michael Polish’s film, Big Sur, adapted from the famous novel by the American author and poet.

Benjamin VédrinesProfessional guide and mountaineer

At 31, Benjamin Védrines is a professional mountain guide and mountaineer who was awarded the prize for Best French Mountaineer at the 2024 Trophées de la Montagne.

He explores the mountains in many different ways: through skiing, mountaineering and rock climbing, from the world’s 8,000-metre peaks to the magnificent mountains of France. His favourite mountain range is the Écrins.

With a love of simplicity and great adventures, Benjamin is known for his determination. He enjoys taking on new challenges and pushing himself to new heights.

“For me, contemplation and performance go hand in hand. I love documenting my experiences and sharing my emotions with as many people as possible. That’s why I’m very proud to be a member of the FAD jury.”

Ingrid PohuColumnist and journalist

A radio presenter and journalist at Franceinfo, Ingrid Pohu produces reports for the public broadcaster’s travel programmes, including the series Les Baroudeurs, in which she interviews adventurers.

She also produces Mômes Trotteurs on Franceinfo, a programme that gives children a voice. She is the author of Mômes Trotteurs Paris (Franceinfo – Éditions Nomades), a travel guide written for and by children.

Ingrid has also written documentary series for France Bleu radio, including Profession de Voix, Bashung, le grand voyageur and Nos meilleurs souvenirs de concerts.

In the print media, she writes travel features for Le Parisien Week-End and music reviews for the daily newspaper L’Humanité.

Priscilla TelmonFilmmaker and author

Priscilla Telmon is a filmmaker and author. For the past 20 years, she has travelled the world on extended reporting assignments.

Through her independent production company, Petites Planètes, she explores her passion for anthropology, spirituality and ecology. Her work spans films, musical recordings, performances, immersive installations and photography.

One of her most recent projects, Híbridos, the Spirits of Brazil, has been exhibited at MoMA in New York and the Barbican in London.

Among her other works, she is the author of Himalayas: In the Footsteps of Alexandra David-Neel.

Demonstrations & Activities

Tuesday 16 April at 10.00 amAn Introduction to FreedivingAquasport Centre Swimming Pool

During this poolside workshop, you’ll learn the techniques for preparing to freedive as well as breathing secrets from a multiple world freediving champion. The bravest can then put this advice into practice in the water at the end of the activity.

Duration: 1h30
Limited numbers with registration required at the Tourist Office reception desk – registration opens on 7 April.
Adult entry to the Aquasportif Center: €8,50
With Jean-Marc Barr.

at 10.00 pmStargazingHenri Oreiller Conference Centre

Come and observe the stars with the protagonist and director of the film “Marche à l’étoile : Amérique du Sud”.

This event is subject to weather conditions.

Exhibitions

Every day from 5 pmWhales, turtles and humansHenri Oreiller Conference Centre

Photographs from the film ‘Des baleines, des tortues et des Hommes’ can be viewed every evening in the marquee at the Henri Oreiller Congress Center from 5.00 pm.

Every day from 5 pmAux pays des brumes : un hiver Balte by Sophie PlanqueHenri Oreiller Conference Centre

Photographs from the film ‘Aux pays des brumes : un hiver Balte’ can be viewed every evening in the marquee at the Henri Oreiller Congress Center from 5.00 pm.

Sophie Planque will be signing her book ‘Aux pays des brumes : un hiver Balte’ on Wednesday and Thursday evenings in the festival bookshop.

Literature

Wednesday 17 AprilLiterary breakfast with Lucy PaltzLiterary Breakfast – Lucy Paltz – HÔTEL LE VAL D'ISÈRE – At 9.00 am

Nées pour skier

Author: Lucy Paltz

Twenty-seven interwoven portraits of female skiers from all over the world, including competitors, freestylers, pioneers, activists, freeriders and globetrotters, all of whom have chosen their calling with great dedication. Lucy Paltz’s sensitive writing reveals the close bond they have forged with skiing and the mountains.

For this event, Lucy is inviting festival guests to a roundtable discussion on the place of women in the world of adventure and cinema.

Thursday 18 AprilLiterary breakfast with Sylvain TessonLiterary Breakfast – Sylvain Tesson – HÔTEL LA SAVOYARDE – At 9.00 am

Avec les fées

Author: Sylvain Tesson

Summer had just begun when I set off to find fairies on the Atlantic coast. I don’t believe that they exist. There are no girls wearing tutus with dragonfly wings fluttering above the fountains. It’s a pity: modern humans can no longer see a world of fantasy. In the 12th century, even the lowliest shepherd walked among ghosts. We used to live amongst visions. Maeterlinck, a pale (and very forgotten) Belgian, once said, “How strange people are… Since the demise of fairies, they can’t see them at all and never wonder…”

Sunday 14 April – 6.30 pmThe Wonderful

Pre-festival event – With Priscilla Telmon and Sylvain Tesson – Le Splendid Cinema

Free – Registration and booking at the Tourist Office

Through two short films, step into a world of wonder.

The first film takes us on a sailing trip around the labyrinthine geography of the Celtic coast, while the other invites us under the tree canopy where the powerful, invisible symphony of nature is constantly being played out. As Heraclitus said, “Nature loves to hide.” Only a poet photographer can reveal it.

‘La Forêt des ombres’ by Vincent Munier
20 mins
Produced by Kobalann & the Musée des Confluences for the exhibition ‘En Forêt’ with Vincent Munier (until 27 April 2025)

The forest is a temple where the living columns sometimes murmur indistinct words. Baudelaire knew all about this. Vincent Munier has entered into the forest. It all looks familiar, but, in reality, it contains undreamed-of secrets. The famous photographer allows the world to rustle, nature to take root and the wildlife to brush up against him.

‘Avec les fées’ by Sylvain Tesson
14 mins
Produced by Les Équateurs & Petites Planètes

Sylvain Tesson searches for fairies along the Celtic coast. What is a fairy? It is a facet of reality revealed by a certain way of looking at things. Open your eyes and you will be rewarded greatly.

Wednesday 17 April – 4.00 pmThe Iceberg

Ushuaïa TV’s Carte Blanche – Featuring Franck Bruno, protagonist – Le Splendid Cinema

Running time: 70 mins.
Produced by: Ushuaïa TV

For more than fifteen years, Frank Bruno has been surveying Greenland by all possible means on this land of ice and silence.

For several years, a small blue house has been his home, in the hamlet of Oqaatsut located more than three hundred and fifty kilometers north of the Arctic Circle. Made up of hunting families, 20 inhabitants for 140 dogs, life in the village is absolutely different from all other places on the planet. It took him a lot of time and patience to get adopted. Only ice and time are masters, a national motto that takes on its full meaning. Several months a year, he lives there, he takes his time there.

The exploding icebergs, the sea that suddenly freezes, the violent northern winds, the whales that come to gorge on krill, the extreme solitude, these are the daily lives that fascinate him. But life is made of paradox, to voluntarily escape this recluse life, each year he invites a group of amputees like him, to share a piece of his polar life.

Like an iceberg that only leaves a ninth of its mass above the surface of the ocean, Frank hides his wounds, his abandonments. In this opus he reveals himself to become this child who runs the world in search of his lost loves. We will also see the arrival of an atypical rope party which will attempt to climb Perserajuk which is the highest mountain in the region. Silences and glances will be the main players in this opus which pays homage to life, without filter.

This film retraces the atypical journey of a man who was able to get back up despite all his injuries. Homage to life, the power of sharing and the magnificence of the present moment.