Preface

The course of one year seems to be one blink of an eye, thirty of them a little eternity!

Such is the feeling, because there have been so many changes in this period of time, joyful enrichments, but also indescribably sad moments.

We were allowed to experience and to comprehend this in many ways, thanks to the contributions to our festival topics. Not only through the films, but also through encounters and the discussion about the stories of the "heroes". To be enabled to literally absorb their world and to collect emotional experiences is an important additional value of such moments!

As the initiator and director of the Festival Mountainfilm Graz I feel happy that, for the past 30 years, this festival has provided occasions for such an indirect experience of Being or, possibly, even inspiration and an initial spark for self-reliant activities.

To all those who were originally concerned with the festival, to the numerous film makers all over the world, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude, because, without them, this institution would not exist. I hope to have supported and fostered their work due to the provided platform.

My special gratitude goes, of course, to all loyal visitors, supporters and partners from politics, enterprises, media and to the many helpful friends here and abroad, who enable me to realise the idea of Mountainfilm Graz every year.

The rich diversity of our planet should still be and remain the focus of our initiative, and serve as a "Universum" for all lovers of mountain, sport, nature and culture films!

May this be the future for me, and my gorgeous team!

Robert Schauer