Alpine and foreign cultures

They have to cross three cols, each of them higher than 5,000 metres; they have to deal with dust, snow and ice; they have to traverse torrential rivers: Lamba, the leading bull, and Lamjung, his adversary. Both of them are yaks, the great,... more

Whenever western mountaineers return from Mount Everest, they tell stories about the strains, their triumph, and their victory against themselves. And they talk about the Sherpas, who carrying heavy loads, led them to the summit. But who are those... more

Every year, families of Buddhist yak herders pack their belongings and attempt to escape their mountain homes before winter cuts them off. It is a journey against time and weather. The entire existence of the people known as the Dolpo-pa revolves... more

In the snow-covered plains of the northern Mongolia live the Tsaatan nomads. The young Quizilol and the beautiful Solongo fall in love. In order to prove to her father that he is mature enough to marry his daughter, he has to possess his own... more

For thousands of years, water has powered mills, pumps and tools. However, with the discovery of electricity in the 19th century, water power obtained a completely new meaning. Electricity is the new magic word of industrialisation, electric... more

Jens has been poaching for 40 years. During this time, he has shot almost 1,000 chamois. What had started as a passion and as a rebellion against school, parents and authorities, soon became a true obsession. This good-looking daredevil appeals to... more

The Untersberg holds a mystic power within, and humans who live there are fascinated by this mountain. Father Schmatzberger is intrigued by the natural power of this mountain. He follows the footsteps of the legendary Lazarus Gitschner who once... more

The treeless tundra at the Polar Circle is a wide and lonely landscape. Men round up a huge reindeer herd. They belong to the people of the Komi. Together with their 5,000 animals they have spent the summer in the vast valleys of the Ural, a... more

Canadian anthropologist and linguist Ian Mackenzie can speak 11 languages - one of them Penan, the language of the people of the Borneo rainforest. It’s a language in peril, as is the Penan culture. Their forest home is being cut down around them... more

In Botswana, on the northwest border of the Kalahari Desert, four hills dominate a huge plain. In a circumference of 150 kilometres, there is nothing but an endless, flat bush savannah. The highest rocky peak towers almost like a weather-beaten... more

Ima Nenquimo is an Indian from the tribe of the Huaorani, a tribe which lives deep in the rain forests of Ecuador. Unlike most of his tribe mates, he has learned to speak Spanish. The appearance of this 25 year-old Amazonas Indian doesn’t differ... more

This is a story of a 17-year-old porter named Hari Rai and his extraordinary journey through the Himalayan Mountains of Nepal, with a red fridge on his back. Out of 60,000 child porters in Nepal, Hari is one of the few lucky ones to have a chance... more

At an altitude of nearly 4,000 meters, Sking is one of the most isolated villages in the Himalayan region of Zanskar. In just three months the Zanskaris have to harvest and store all their food for the coming year. All the women – young and old... more

Wade Davis makes a remarkable journey from the chaos and violence of modern day lowland Colombia to the frozen peaks of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, the sacred heart of the world of the Elder Brother, an indigenous group who claim to be the... more

For a long time, the conquest of the Alps had mainly the scope, to surmount the hostile mountains without taking too many risks. However, at the end of the 19th century, new phenomena developed. All of a sudden, the humans had the intention, to... more

The Untersberg is one of the most mystic and legendary mountains of the Alps. The Imperator Charlemagne is said to sleep inside the mountain, phantasmal beings are supposed to dwell there, and even the Dalai Lama once so say called this mountain... more

With its 3,660 metres, the Großvenediger is the fourth highest mountain of Austria. The world seems to be frozen and stiff in the eternal world of ice, however, everything here is changing and developing. The mountain guide Emil Widmann has given... more

This film takes us into the world of old man Peter Sengepov, the last surviving Shaman of the Kazym River, who lives alone in the depths of the Siberian taiga. The region of the Khanty people is the basic source of oil recovery in Russia. The oil... more

In total four animals, two chamois, one red deer and a golden eagle were found dead in the Swiss national park. Poachers! This incident led to a coordinated, systematic monitoring of the hunting grounds in Grisons. Last year, seven Italian... more

Manuel dwells on a farm in South Tyrol. Every year in June, the sheep of the whole region are driven across a pass to the Austrian Ötztal valley. In September, Manuel picks up the sheep together with the other shepherds in order to bring the... more

Gugara in Evenky language stands for the sound of the bell hanging from a reindeer neck. It’s one of the few sounds you could hear in taiga, but recently there’s almost nothing but silence. The last nomad family has lost their entire herd... more

Having opened up the world's highest roads, India set about a crazy enterprise. Linking the region of Zanskar by following the course of the river with the same name. If building roads opens up perspectives for some, it eliminates them for... more

In a region that seems to extend into immenseness, where nothing but the wind interrupts the silence, man and nature meet at the rhythm of an archaic life. Starting from simple actions of daily routine, the three main characters talk about dreams,... more