Mountains on Stage: Summer Edition Film Festival in Nicosia

The program features four original films that weave together team spirit, humor, poetry, and the drive to push beyond one’s limits. Mountaineering, big wall climbing, paragliding, daring expeditions—and that special feeling that comes alive when we find ourselves in the mountains. There are no actors in these films—these are real people and their real adventures.

Films:

• Why I Fly (English, English subtitles)
• Queen Swing (English/French, English subtitles)
• Patagonian Chimeras (French, English subtitles)
• The Cherry on the Cake (English, English subtitles)

About the films:
Patagonian Chimeras (35 min, dir. Guillaume Broust)
The story of Liz Beillon, Fanny Schmutz, and Maud Vanpool—at the intersection of history, dreams, and reality. Their goal is the first all-female ascent of the Southeast Ridge of Cerro Torre in Patagonia. This legendary route is considered one of the most beautiful and controversial in the world. The film not only showcases this remarkable achievement but also raises questions about the place of women in mountaineering and the boundaries that still exist today.

The Cherry on the Cake (55 min, dir. Léopold Renié & Cyril Salomon)
A journey aboard the Kamak to the cliffs of Greenland with a team of climbers. After two weeks amid storms and icebergs, they set up camp at the foot of a mythical cirque—a unique place with sheer cliffs rising straight out of the sea. Their goal is to blaze new trails on untouched peaks… while not forgetting about music. A story of adventure, friendship, and freedom.

Why I Fly (4 min, dir. Jean-Baptiste Chandelier)
A poetic and deeply personal film about the freedom of flight. A paraglider shares his feelings about flying and reflects on what led him down this path. It is a story about the inner voice that guides us toward our dreams.

The Queen Swing (53 min, dir. Thibaut Marot)
24 hours to climb three legendary Yosemite walls: El Capitan, Half Dome, and Mount Watkins. Kate Kellogg and Laura Pino take on this insane challenge, for the first time as an all-female team. Over 2,000 meters of the most difficult climbing, where speed, trust, and courage are everything. An evening about risk, freedom, friendship, and that very magic that lives in the mountains.