Gripping viewing from the word go, this story about an outstanding climbing achievement features congenial protagonists: two friends, engaged in a tough, competitive discipline, attempting the world’s most difficult climbing route together. The director masterfully achieves the feat of orchestrating the participants without interfering with the climbers’ “flow”. The unusual device of live streaming the action is skilfully employed and professionally incorporated in the film. This contemporary, interactive element, which allowed the whole world to share the excitement as it happened, adds to the suspense of the resulting film. — Jury justification

Far removed from safari tourism, this film shows impressive images of Tanzania’s unspoilt but merciless wilderness. Illuminating all facets of nature, it assembles them into a highly dramatic picture. The animals’ struggle for survival, compounded by recurring weather conditions, also presents challenges for the film crew in their attempts to capture the requisite scenes. Without pathos, they practise restraint and clearly invest considerable time in their excellent camera work. The film is the result of and a testimony to the high quality standards of and a magnificent performance by the entire film crew – from director to camera, cutting and sound, this work counts among the very best. — Jury justification

The extraordinary dramaturgy of this breathtaking story by Liv Sansoz and Zeb Roche showcases every aspect of a successful expedition and lends a light-hearted feel to a highly serious alpine adventure in one of the world’s most inhospitable regions. While the ascent of K2 alone is already a great achievement, the subsequent take-off with a tandem paraglider adds a further element of suspense. Liv and Zeb showcase their formidable skill in this account of their venture, the harmonious interaction between the two and their expertise and determination having already led them through many a joint adventure. The director skilfully uses footage of the protagonists as building blocks to create a documentary of great depth and sensitivity. — Jury justification

This multifaceted narrative on the many sporting disciplines that the island of Sardinia has to offer puts the spotlight on the world of extreme climbing. As the film shows fantastic motifs of a popular island, the presenter and protagonist congenially invites the audience to share in the experiences. An eloquent narrator as well as a skilled athlete and musician, Alexander Huber shows us “his” island to its best advantage, backed by a skilled film crew that pulls out all the stops. The camera work and narrative structure create a winning framework that will move any audience. — Jury justification

This film has the Lapied family on camera as well as behind it. Taking us on a trip to the Western Alps, they talk with empathy and from their personal perspective about the fascinating world of the region’s wildlife. The tension mounts when they skilfully approach the shy animals, captivating the audience with whispered remarks behind the camera. Their enthusiasm, one might even say obsession, for working with animals in the wild has yielded a film of outstanding professionalism. Managing without the use of camera drones or other technical aids, they imbue their experience with authenticity and depth through their affable narrative style. Through their attitude to life, their decades’ worth of tried and tested work in this genre has become the Lapieds’ life’s mission, for which they have thrown much else overboard. — Jury justification

Two seemingly disparate worlds exquisitely merge in this film. Two open-hearted personalities meet in the mountains of South Tyrol and become acquainted with much that is new to them. With plenty of emotion and expressive images, this film tells of respect and integration: not of one-sided adaptation and subordination, but of acceptance of one another in a world full of challenges. Without guiding the actions of the protagonists, the director stages the confrontation with everyday conflicts and overcoming reservations with precision and sensitivity. A film that eloquently represents the whole range of topics of this category. — Jury justification

Producing a cinema-length film in a space as tiny as the inside of a sailing boat demands commitment as well as plenty of ingenuity from the filmmakers. The humility with which the film treats the dream of a quirky Bavarian dropout makes it a humorous yet earnest record of a long life lived in self-reliance. The use of archive material, which also reveals the long course of this extraordinary life, shows a protagonist who believes he has found the secret to happiness. His sincere statements, as well as those of the director and “supporting actor”, may also hold a truism or two for the audience: Reality is not always what you imagined in your dreams. — Jury justification