Awards 2025

GOLDEN EAGLE OF ADVENTURE – Grand prize of the festival

This is the Grand Prix of the Festival awarded by the jury, it is the ultimate reward. The winning film is screened at the end of the closing ceremony of the Festival.

UN PASTEUR

In the South-East of France, Félix, a melancholic and secretive young shepherd, leads a surprisingly timeless life. He lives alone and works with his father raising their family’s flock. From autumn to spring, he cares for the animals, feeds them, and watches over them in the dense oak forests of the Verdon. In summer, he transhumances on foot over 200 kilometers to bring them to the mountains, into the remote Ubaye valley. There, he lives in complete isolation for months, in a mineral and inaccessible world where an invisible being roams: the wolf.

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ALAIN ESTÈVE PRIZE – Best technical achievement

This prize pays tribute to the mountaineer Alain Estève, former head of the GMHM (High Mountain Military Group) who disappeared in the mountains in 1997. It rewards the technical qualities of a film.

LA MADONE

Chamonix, the cradle of mountaineering, has witnessed the birth of great exploits and bold challenges. It is here that Lucien Boucansaud and Guillaume Pierrel take on an unprecedented challenge: to connect, in a single expedition, the seven sacred Virgins of the Mont-Blanc massif.
These statues, perched on the steepest peaks, are remnants of a time when people sought protection and meaning in the heights. Their quest leads them across three countries – France, Italy, and Switzerland – in search of a forgotten heritage.
Guided by the traces of legendary alpinists and the stories of icons like Catherine Destivelle and Étienne Klein, they realize these statues hold more than just history: they embody the memory of a universal legacy, blending feats, beliefs, and mountain traditions.

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THE HOPE OUTSIDE PRIZE – Emerging filmmaker award

In the world of adventure, there are the pros who bring back high-end photo and video productions in their luggage. And then there are those travelers—without sponsors or with only modest means—whose first challenge is simply finding the time and money to set off for the first time. They are the ones we can relate to, making it easy to imagine following in their footsteps. The Outside Hope Award honors this very first journey—the beginning of an endless list, a source of joy and a thousand struggles alike.

PARFUM D’ESSENCE

Parfum d’Essence tells the story of two young women who impulsively set off for the Himalayas by bike.
With no training whatsoever, they undertake an unusual and eventful journey that, against all odds, leads them to meet the 14th Dalai Lama.
From fear to the love of people, from laughter to tearful joy, and armed with Tibetan prayer flags, they are pushed to question the limits of peace and freedom through encounters and political realities.
But with just one motto: as long as we’re laughing!

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USHUAÏA TV PRIZE

For over ten years, Ushuaïa TV has also been providing support by awarding a prize to a director with the award-winning film being broadcast on the channel. This film is selected by the Ushuaïa TV editorial team.

A PERTE DE VUE

Carla sets off on a spiritual horseback journey through the Kyrgyz steppes – an extraordinary adventure, made all the more remarkable by the fact that she is visually impaired.
Accompanied by her father Pierre, a cinematographer and director, she undertakes a demanding expedition across steppes and mountain passes over 4,000 meters high. Curious and determined, she explores the country and meets the nomadic people. Pierre films the journey and becomes her eyes; he describes what she cannot see, warns her of danger, and cheers her on. Carla teaches her father riding skills and shares her unique connection with animals, energies, and the elements.
The deep bond they’ve nurtured for 19 years gradually unfolds. Carla discovers her father’s world of imagery and travel, while Pierre strives to capture his daughter’s universe. He knows that after this shared journey, he’ll have to let her fly into adulthood.

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PUBLIC CHOICE AWARD

At the entrance of each film in competition, the public receives a ticket that allows them to vote at the end of the film for the Grand Prix du Public. Ballot boxes marked “not at all”, “a little”, “a lot”, “crazy” are located at the exit of the Convention Center to collect votes. The count is done in proportion to the number of spectators who thus determine their favorite.

ALASKA, LA CABANE DE DICK PROENNEKE

In 1968, a man named Richard “Dick” Proenneke left civilization to fulfill his dream of returning to the wild. At 51, he ventured deep into Alaska and built a cabin beside one of the most remote lakes on Earth. He lived there for thirty years, surviving on fishing and foraging, with only bears, caribou, wolves, and salmon as neighbors.
It is this remote cabin that adventurer Eliott Schonfeld sought to find, twenty years after Dick Proenneke’s death. Inspired by the old man’s journals, the young explorer retraces his path through Denai’na territory. Day by day, he discovers a new universe – one of extraordinary, free, and abundant nature.
Through this timeless experience, filled with dizzying climbs, torrential rivers, and encounters with grizzlies, he reminds us of the urgent need to protect this breathtaking natural heritage, now threatened by human recklessness.

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L’AIGLE D’OR DE L’AVENTURE – Grand prize of the festival

ALAIN ESTÈVE PRIZE – Best technical achievement

THE HOPE OUTSIDE PRIZE – Emerging filmmaker award

PUBLIC CHOICE AWARD