Jury
& ceremony' master
Ceremony' master
Sylvain Tesson
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).
Jury's president
Jean-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 Védrines
Guide et alpiniste professionnel
Benjamin Védrines
Guide et alpiniste professionnel
At the age of 31, Benjamin Védrines is a professional mountaineer and guide, awarded the 2024 Mountain Trophies prize for the best French mountaineers.
He explores the mountains in many ways, skiing, mountaineering or climbing between the planet’s 8,000-metre peaks and the beautiful summits of France. The Écrins are his favourite mountains.
Benjamin likes simplicity and great adventures, and his determination is legendary. He enjoys every new challenge that invites him to push his boundaries.
“To me, meditation and performance go hand in hand. I like recording my experiences and sharing my emotions with the widest possible audience. That’s why I’m so proud to be on the judging panel for the Adventure & Discovery film festival.”
Ingrid Pohu
Chroniqueuse-journaliste
Ingrid Pohu
Chroniqueuse-journaliste
As a radio commentator and journalist at Franceinfo, Ingrid Pohu does travel reports for the public news channel, including the series Les Baroudeurs which has her interviewing the adventurers she meets.
She produces Franceinfo’s programme Mômes Trotteurs, giving children a chance to speak, and is the author of a travel guide written and read by kids, Mômes Trotteurs Paris (Franceinfo – Ed.Nomades).
Ingrid has also written various documentary series for the France Bleu radio station (Profession de Voix / Bashung, le grand voyageur / Nos meilleurs souvenirs de concerts).
For the printed press, she provides travel features for Le Parisien Week-End and music columns for the daily newspaper, L’Humanité.
Priscilla Telmon
Cinéaste et auteure
Priscilla Telmon
Cinéaste et auteure
Priscilla Telmon is a filmmaker and author. For 20 years, she has traveled the world on long-distance trips reporting. Through her independent production house Petites Planètes, she is passionate about the fields of anthropology, the sacred and ecology. His practice combines films, musical recordings, performances, immersive installations and photographic works. One of his latest adventures “Híbridos, the Spirits of Brazil” was exhibited from the MoMA in New York to the Barbican in London. She is, among other things, the author of Himalayas, in the footsteps of Alexandra David Neel.
