18th Dijon International Adventure Film Festival LES ECRANS DE L’AVENTURE 22 to 24 October 2009

2009 awards

“Toison d’Or’’ of the aventure film (5 000  granted by the Côte d'Or Conseil General) HIMALAYA, LA TERRE DES FEMMES Director: Marianne Chaud. Coproducers: Zed Production, ARTE . France – 52 minutes – 2008. With a subjective camera shooting, Marianne Chaud, a young ethnologist, grants us a sensitive and poetical immersion in the universe of four generations of women during the harvest in Zanskar. We share their everyday lives, waiting a husband with the first, being bored and lonesome with the second one, giving a tender look to the kids' games with the following and sharing with the older one her very dying days.

Jury’s special prize LA FORET ENCHANTEE Director: Bernard Guerrini. Coproducer: Gédéon programmes, France 5. France – 52 minutes – 2009. After wandering aroung the world for ages, international scientists involved in a large variety of disciplines have arrived at the same conclusion that we know nothing or next to nothing in Europe of the world we are living in. They, thus, engaged in a mission: decypher and understand the biodiversity concealed in an apparently ordinary forest. Such an expedition had never been led in any european forest.

Jean-Marc Boivin Prize L’HOMME OISEAU Director: Joe Wiecha. Coproducers: Galaxie Presse, France 3. France – 52 minutes – 2008. July 1909, Louis Bleriot was the 1st ever to cross the Channel by plane ; he had taken off in , had flewn 240 feet above the sea level and had landed 37 minutes later in . September 2008, 99 years later Yves Rossy was the first ever to fly over the Channel not by plane but thanks to a motorised flying wing. He crossed the sea at an altitude of 12.000 feet and touched touched down in 12 minutes after leaving.

Young director prize PARIS-JERUSALEM Directors: Mathilde and Edouard Cortès, Frédéric Réau. Coproducers: GEDEON Programmes, Voyage and France 5. France – 85 minutes – 2009 – unpublished. June 17, 2007, Mathilde and Edouard leave on honeymoon: by foot from Paris to Jerusalem, a 8 month walk full of meetings, shared solitude, frequent hunger, occasional fears. Humanly and personally speaking, these situations will build up an extraordinay and genuine adventure.

Jury’s special mentions Due to the quality of the film direction and the counter-current undertaking of architect Jean-Pierre Houdin. KHEOPS REVELE Director: Florence Tran. Coproducers: GEDEON Programmes, France 2, Dassault Systèmes. France – 52 minutes – 2008. Kheops is the pyramid the most enigmatic of all pharaonic constructions. How 45 centuries ago was it built? For ten years, French architect Jean-Pierre Houdin has been carrying out the investigation and thanks to the new technologies, he has scrutinized the monument with the specialist sharp eye as if he had to rebuild it up himself.

Dijon young jury’s prize (sponsored by Dijon’s Lib. de L’U. bookshop, and awarded by 8 pupils of a Dijon primary school) LA LEGENDE DE L’HOMME-ARAIGNEE Director: Olivier Van'l. Producer: Absynthe Production. France – 60 minutes – 2008 – unpublished. The previous documentary staring Alain Robert was published 10 years ago. In the meantime, he has become internationally famous as the best free climber, he is now qualified "the French Spiderman" as he scales the highest buildings in the world. The film shows his stupendous and neverending progression. Many facets of the character are highlighted taking the spectator well beyond the pure show.

Peter Bird/SPB Trophy (10 000  granted by SPB) created in 1987, the trophy rewards perseverance and tenacity in adventure. It was handed to FRANK BRUNO, accomplished adventurer, president of the Bout2vie association, pictured in the film « FRANK BRUNO, GIRAMONDU ». Director: Jean-Charles Marsily. Producer: France 3 Corse. France – 52 minutes – 2009. The document shows Frank Bruno's adventure life. His first expedition, with his parents, when he was 11. In 1983, aboard the aircraft carrier Foch, he was injured and lost one of his legs; since then, incredible adventures help him recover: rowing across the Atlantic ocean, walking to the north pole, treking from east to west in Greenland and attempting the Cerro Pissis ascent in Argentina

Alain Bombard prize (the prize was created in 2002. It rewards an exceptional adventure with an educational dimension). It is awarded to IAN MACKENZIE, ethnologist and linguist who dedicated his life to « THE LAST NOMADS » Director: Andrew Gregg. Producer: 90th Parallel Productions Ltd. Canada – 53 minutes – 2008 – unpublished. Ian Mackenzie goes back to Borneo with filmmaker Andrew Grett, to document the search for the only remaining hunting and gathering Penan. Ian travels through a series of Penan settlements, moving closer and closer to the last reported nomadic camp, where it was said that the chief had been driven mad by logging and where Ian feared he would see his final gimpse of a vulnerable and ancient people that he had come to care about so deeply.

“Toison d’or” for the adventure book (distinction for the best adventure book of the year) to « En Afghanistan » by Scot writer RORY STEWART (Albin Michel). The jury presided by Jean- Louis Gouraud underlines not only the outstanding exploit realised but also the narration's sobriety enlightened by a rich and rare culture.

“Toison d’or” for the adventurer of the year (highest distinction for a personal adventure) is awarded to YVES ROSSY adventurous character of the film « L'HOMME OISEAU » (see the Jean-Marc Boivin Prize).

INFORMATION PROGRAMMATION : http://aventure.la-guilde.org La Guilde - Cléo Poussier-Cottel - +33 (0)1 43 26 97 52 – [email protected]