ALP/CERVINO International Film Festival

The winners of the ALP/CERVINO International Film Festival

July 2000

The Premio Alp/Cervino International Review of Mountain and Adventure Films was held in Cervinia, Italy last weekend. Eighteen films, all of which had qualified by winning awards at previous International Film Festivals, were in the running for the coveted Premio Alp/Cervino.

The Jury, coordinated by Paolo Campagnoli and composed of Mario Brenta, Italy, Mireille Chiocca, France, Kurt Diemberger, Austria, Michael Dillon, Australia and Franco Prona, Italy, awarded the four prizes as follows:

PREMIO ALP/CERVINO
(Grand Prize winners of 1999 International Film Festivals)
'Vision Man' (Sweden) by William Long.

Winner of the 1999 Banff Festival, Canada, this film depicts the life of an 87 year-old Eskimo who has quit hunting and risking his life in adventures. From the hut where he lives, he watches the collapse of his people's culture. Through his language is now spoken by no more than three hundred people, the old hunter is not embittered. He has a mischievous sense of humour and is a unique character.

PLATEAU ROSA
(Festival Directors' choice)
'Mountain Rivals' (South Africa) by Rob Harrison.

Winner of the 1999 Autrans Festival, France, this depicts the lives of a black eagle and a scavenger who live in the South African mountains . The predator and mistress of the skies spend their days on the rocks and contend for the same prey and territory. When fire destroys the environment, their struggle for survival turns harder. Glorious scenery is well-matched by spectacular sequences.

PLATEAU ROSA Second Prize
(Festival Directors' choice)
'Mari, monti e... gettoni d'oro' (Italy) by Sandro Gastinelli.

Winner of the 1999 Les Diablerets Festival, Switzerland, this film recounts moments in the life of Piero Tassone, ex-wood sculptor and ski instructor, who during the fifties became a candidate on the Italian game show Lascia o raddioppia. His life changed and he became famous when he appeared in front of an audience of 14 million people. He moved to Cervinia, where he met important people and became an actor in Italian photo-comics. At the Sant'Orso fair in Aosta, Piero is overcome with memories of a promise made when, after the 8th of September, he was sent to a work camp in Germany.

SPECIAL PRIZE
'Annapurna, Histoire d'une leggende' (France) by Bernard George.

Winner of the 1999 Autrans Festival, France, this film recounts Maurice Herzog, Phu Tarkhay and FranÃ§ois de Noyelle's historic ascent of Annapurna in 1950. The conquest of the first 8000m peak turns tragic when they encounter terrible conditions on their descent.

FEATURE FILMS
No Prize awarded.

The Jury felt that more films of this category were needed to guarantee homogeneity of the works.

JURY'S SPECIAL MENTION
for Ikar (Poland) by Miroslaw Dembiski and Hard Grit (UK) by Richard Heap and Mark Turnbull.

The Premio Alp/Cervino is a member of the International Alliance of Mountain Film. The founders of the IAMF include:
The National Mountain Museum of Turin
Trento Filmfestival, Italy
Banff Filmfestival, Canada
Autrans Filmfestival, France
Graz Filmfestival, Austria
Lugano Filmfestival, Switzerland
Les Diablerets Filmfestival, Switzerland
Torello Filmfestival, Spain
Breuil-Cervinia, Italy

The Premio Alp/Cervino is organised by

President
Antonio Carrel

Director:
Valeriana Rosso
tel. e fax +39 011/837538

Press office:
Simonetta Quirtano,
tel. +39 011/7720.481
fax +39 011/7732170