Vision and Mission
The aim of the Dutch Mountain Film Festival is first and foremost to raise public awareness about the beauty and enduring quality of unspoilt mountain scenery. But also …
To appeal to the unpredictable, the unexpected and the unfamiliar;
To build bridges and connections between culture and mountaineering disciplines;
To create a moment of focus once a year, when the mountain – as a metaphor – takes centre stage;
To share the experience that mountain vistas lead to new horizons,
in the knowledge that physical effort and intense sense of accomplishment in overcoming a mountain can bring about overwhelming joy and happiness.
Mountain
The mountain is a symbol of nature in its purest form: the wilderness, the unfamiliar, the unexpected, the uncontrollable, the challenge. In the mountains, human vulnerability and anxiety are at the mercy of the elements. But it is in the mountains too, that humans can surmount these fears (quite literally). Just like a rock crystal, the many facets of the mountain, its viewpoints and perspectives are a symbol of versatility, complexity and beauty. Amoral nature: inaccessible, yet inviting; incredibly frightening, yet awesomely beautiful; mountains give, yet they also take away.
Mountain film
The mountain film provides a visual account of the struggle of humans to overcome the (vertical) wilderness and is the medium par excellence for registering the magnificence of nature in its purest form. The mountain film uses the mountains as its backdrop, as an expression of this metaphor. The souvenir of the confrontation between humans and the wild.
Film festival
The film festival is the moment when memories become shared. It communicates and accounts for these, and excites and entertains its audience. The film festival provides new insights, education and inspiration. The festival is the platform for meeting film producers, adventurers, as well as old mountain comrades, in the ambience of a mountain refuge. It is like a mountain expedition, where new vistas open out after every corner.
Photo: Leonardo Horta