Helen's Blog /

The third edition of The Ushuaia shh... Mountain film festival took place 19th to the 24th of August 2009, in Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina.

One whole week filled with films, nature, culture, adventurers' stories and mountaineering awaits the audience in the winter's air. Experts, fans and general public once again able to enjoy an exquisite film exhibition.

The event provides opportunities for businessmen, amateurs and the general public to meet, exchange experiences and ideas, create new projects and proposals related to mountaineering.

Our work has been guided by older generations that show us the way with every day effort. The ushuaia shh. Mountain film festival is a result of this, and almost unaware of it, triggers actions that carry on this line of work and will continue to guide those who come after us.

Ushuaia shh... Promotes an attitude that joins society with the environment, highlighting the value of ecological processes and the conservation of the natural areas that surround us, stimulating a responsible, equitable and planned use of non-renewable resources.

Filming represents a major tool for us to achieve these goals, as it brings us together while offering an instrument for exchanging and transmitting our ideals. This effort is increased with our educational programme, involving students from local kindergartens and schools, inviting all the community to share our vision, seeking to turn the festival into a worldwide cultural event.

For many years, the "terra australis", has been the main destination of the first and most extraordinary expeditions and adventures. These explorers identified it as a vast, majestic and unforgiving continent. Antarctica is the coldest, windiest, driest and highest of all landmasses of the world. It's also one of the most pristine and untouched environments of the world.

Ushuaia shh... Presents the antarctic continent as an outstanding place, not only for its natural and historic value, buy also to practice mountain sports, such as ski and snowboard, climbing, cross-country voyages, expeditions, scientific investigations and filming.

For over 6 days, mountain films filled the Niní Marshall theatre room in Ushuaia, where 1500 people took part in the third edition of the Ushuaia Shh… International Mountain Film Festival. The organizer, Vertigo Producciones, announced the 5 best films in this year's competence:

• Best feature film: "El dedo del César" / Ramiro Calvo / Argentina /
• Best short film: "Del Otro lado del Río" / Ignacio Galindez Tuero / Argentina /
• Best photography prize: "Soledad al Fin del Mundo" / Fernando Zuber, Carlos Casas / Argentina - Italy /
• Best adventure film prize: "The Sharp End" / Peter Mortimer, Nick Rosen / United States /
• Best character prize: "Benjamín y el viento" / Fito Pochat, Eduardo Sanchez / Argentina /

"It is an honor for us that 4 out of 5 of the winning films are Argentine productions," said the organizers.

As part of the program, more than 350 kids from elementary and high school got to learn about other mountain cultures, from Tibet to Alaska, as part of the Educational Program and our "60 minutes of mountains" cycle.

Just like previous years, the festival incorporated a lecture cycle into the program, with topics such as slope movement processes, a hydric project for Ushuaia, the history of mountaineering in the Darwin range and Argentine explorers in Antarctica.

The intervals and the home made buns and fruit juice were the perfect setting for people to exchange experiences and even comments on films like "Nannok of the North" and "La Montaña Polar". Another catching production was the Iñurrategui brother's trilogy. Once again, this third edition of the Ushuaia Shh… festival shows us the variety of options to enjoy life in harmony with the nature of mountains.

The festival will be in a special cycle organized by the Biblioteca Nacional and La Nave de los Sueños. On September 8th, a resume of the third edition of the International Mountain Film Festival Ushuaia Shh… 2009 will be presented.

On September 11th and 12th, the festival will be present at the Centro Cultural España, in Córdoba, with the support of the Club Andino Córdoba, just before the National Rock Climbing Tournament. The acknowledged investigator Fernando Marín Peña will surprise the audience with "Lucha en el Matterhorn", from the directors Mario Bonnard and Nunzio Malasomma, a German film from 1928.

Ushuaia Shh… is organized by "Vértigo Producciones", a film producer that positions Argentina in the circle of mountain film international festivals.