Meet the judging panel of the 30th edition

Comprising leading figures from the worlds of adventure, cinema and exploration, the jury will be tasked with assessing the 11 films in competition and awarding the festival’s various prizes.

The jury for the 30th edition of the Val d’Isère International Adventure & Discovery Film Festival will be announced shortly!

Master of Ceremonies Sylvain Tesson

Born on 26 April 1972 in Paris, Sylvain Tesson studied geography and geopolitics under Yves Lacoste before choosing a life of writing and long-distance travel. A tireless explorer, he has cycled around the world, crossed the Himalayas on foot, travelled through Central Asia on horseback, and followed in the footsteps of escapees from the Siberian gulag all the way to India. He has also investigated the oil industry in the Caucasus and Anatolia, and taken part in humanitarian and archaeological missions in Afghanistan.

His adventures in the Russian Far East, Mongolia, the Himalayas and Tibet have given rise to some fifteen stories, essays and collections of short stories, including *Une vie à coucher dehors* (Gallimard, 2009 Prix Goncourt for Short Stories and the Académie Française Prize for Short Stories), *Dans les forêts de Sibérie* (Gallimard, 2011 Prix Médicis for Essays), and *La Panthère des neiges* (Gallimard, Renaudot Prize 2019). He has also presented the programme Montagnes on France 3 and is a regular contributor to Figaro Magazine, as well as directing documentaries for France 5.

A keen climber, literature lover and horse rider, Sylvain Tesson spent six months living in a cabin in Siberia, an experience he recounted in *Dans les forêts de Sibérie* (Gallimard, 2011). His latest book, *Blanc* (Gallimard, 2022), is an adventure story set in the Alps. In 2024, he was awarded the Prix Combourg for his book *Avec les fées*.

Meet the jury from last year’s event

Edition 2026

30 years Adventures and discoveries

In 2027, the Val d’Isère International Adventure and Discovery Film Festival will celebrate its 30th edition.

Thirty editions of extraordinary stories, images from faraway places, encounters and emotions. Since its inception, the Festival has hosted a succession of films, juries, adventurers, directors and personalities who have shaped its history.

Delve into 30 years of archives and rediscover previous editions, the films screened, the jury members and those who have left their mark on the Festival’s history.