2020 Award
The 5th UMFF Award-winning films announcement
International Competition
General review
A total of 526 films were submitted from 76 countries in this year’s Ulju Mountain Film Festival competitions. Of these, 26 films from 18 countries made the competitions line-up. Content spanned from traditional mountain films to profound observations between nature and man, while the geographic spectrum extended from the Himalayas to Peru and the tundra. Amid this diversity, we meet people who challenge, reconcile, and heal with nature. During this “Untact” era, watching people interact with nature evoked a new sense of inspiration. This was what resonated the most among the films in this year’s competitions, and was also the most important factor in the judging process. The five members of the jury selected the five award-winning films in response to such resonance.
Grand Prize
Then Comes the Evening / Maja NOVAKOVIĆ
We go over every day flowing from morning to evening like climbing a mountain. Almost a meditation, the film helps us remember the sounds of the life we have lived. It conveys the meaning of life, "what we feel in life", by light, sound, and silence.
Best Alpinism & Climbing Film
The Last Mountain / Dariusz ZAŁUSKI
This film truthfully captures the brutal reality of an attempt to achieve the first winter ascent of K2. From inside the basecamp tent where the decisions and disagreements occur, to visceral first-person perspective of events as they unfold, beautiful panoramic shots are mixed with bodycam footage, capturing the majesty of the environment and the ferocity of the personal experiences climbing it. Brave, deep and spectacular in its honest portrayal of one of the world’s toughest remaining challenges.
Best Adventure & Exploration Film
Home / Jen RANDALL
An intense look into how an adventure can change one’s life. Speeding down in a bicycle, crossing the continent on a kayak, crossing the Pacific Ocean on a little boat, and facing an extreme experience. To her, adventure is life, and no result is predictable. And that makes it all the more intense.
Best Nature & People Film
Mothers of the Land / Alvaro SARMIENTO, Diego SARMIENTO
A documentary about the belief that we must protect the “seed”. The “women of the earth” stand strong in face of the severe destruction of nature. The film makes us take a look into our global crisis through a local issue in Peru.
Special Jury Prize
Final Ascent : The Legend of Hamish MacInnes / Robbie FRASER
A spotlight on the life and climbing of Hamish MacInnes, the man behind Mount Everest Southwest Face. After hundreds of rescues and equipment developments, he wrote the International Mountain Rescue Handbook, regarded as the Bible of mountain rescue. The film was evaluated well for the fact that his creativity following a climb benefited future generations.
NETPAC
NETPAC Award
Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom / Pawo CHOYNING DORJI
The film wonderfully and movingly captures the growth journey of a young urban teacher seeking for the meaning of real happiness in a relationship with innocent rural students, setting in the beautiful nature of Bhutan. It is not only an excellent Asian film exploring the meaning of life but a remarkable mountain film dealing with the value and beauty of nature.
Youth Jury Award
Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom / Pawo CHOYNING DORJI
Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom is a film about Ugyen, a teacher in a small village in Bhutan. It was notable that the heartwarming story embraces the beautiful scenery and cultural notes of Bhutan. For the modern viewers saturated with stimulating commercial films, it will provide an opportunity to rethink the meaning of happiness.