Jury Berg + Abenteuerfilmfestival Graz 2009

Michael Timney
- United Kingdom
Born on the edge of the Lake District National Park in Cumbria (UK), Michael discovered his passion for the outdoors, particularly the mountains, as a teenager. The yearning to be a cameraman from the age of 12 drove Michael to film school in Manchester. Since then his career as a successful Director of Photography in Film and TV for the past 14 years has led to making countless documentaries and numerous fictional works (including BAFTA, RTS and Grierson award winners). Michael has a special interest in Documentary and has traveled and worked in many different environments from the Arctic to the deserts of Africa, Himalayas to South American jungle. His skills include climbing and mountaineering along with experience of many other outdoor pursuits including snowboarding, canoeing and caving. Recently Michael has been working on several environmental films including “Climates of Change” (A feature length documentary due to be premiered in Copenhagen in December).

Dr. Wolfgang Frey
- Austria
Born in 1947 in Linz, the director and cameraman Wolfgang Frey already started producing films whilst studying theatre sciences, psychoanalysis and doing a course on interpreting. These films have been shown in various Austrian broadcasting series, such as in “Wissen aktuell“, “Telemed“ and “UNIVERSUM“. To this day he has created approximately 500 films and TV contributions as a cameraman, script writer or director – such as a documentary on a French expedition to Africa. For educational school TV-programmes he has realized approximately 300 film contributions in the past 30 years. Many of his films have been awarded prizes, recently his film “In Harmony With Nature“ won the “International Industry Film Award” for Austria. For more than 20 years, Dr. Wolfgang Frey has been a member of the board of the Austrian Association of Film Producers (AAFP) and of the “Verwertungsgesellschaft für Audiovisuelle Medien (VAM)”. He has also made a name for himself in the field of designing camera equipment.

Aleksander Lwow
- Poland
Aleksander Lwow was born on 18th September 1953 in Cracow. In 1973, he completed the technical training to be an aviation mechanic in Wroclaw. In 1983, he graduated from the Technical University of Wroclaw with a Master of Science in mechanical engineering. Aleksander Lwow is the editor and publisher of the mountaineering magazine „Góry i Alpinizm“, and he is also author of numerous articles, press reports and books on alpinism. Aleksander Lwow has worked as a producer and host of his own television programme devoted to mountaineering. His climbing career started in 1970 and he became champion in nurmerous climbing competitions. Among his greatest achievements is the first winter climb of „Superdirettissima“ on Kazalnica Miêguszowiecka. During an expedition to Afghanistan in 1977, he made the first ascent of the 3,000-meter left pillar of Kohe Shahaur (7,116 m), establishing a new route. In 1979-1980, Aleksander Lwow participated in the first expedition to summit Mount Everest in winter. In addition, he climbed in the Tatras, the Alps, the Afghan Hindu Kush, the Caucasus and the Himalayas.

Silvo Karo
- Slovenia
The professional mountaineer Silvo Karo was born in 1960 in Ljubljana, Slovenia and started climbing in 1977. His climbing career began in classical alpinism though today he is also recognized as a representative of modern alpinism that sets out for great destinations with small expeditions. Some of his last climbing ascents were done in a very fast light alpine stile. During his life he has participated in 26 non-European expeditions and has over 2000 climbing ascents. Bhagirathi III, Cerro Torre, Torre Egger, Fitz Roy, Trango Tower… In 1987, with a 16 mm cinecamera and his climbing companion Janez Jegli?, he managed to film the ascent of the south face of Cerro Torre in Patagonia despite considerable difficulties. The result was the documentary "Cerro Torre - South Face" which was awarded the Silver Gentian and the UIAA prize in Trento in 1990. For his climbing activity he received many prizes including Silver Gentian in 1998 in Trento for his great climbs in Patagonia and a golden medal for alpinist achievements in 2000. Silvo Karo works as a lecturer, photographer, cameraman and is the director of the Slovenian Mountaineering Film Festival Domžale (close to Ljubljana).