6th Ulju Mountain Film Festival – Awards 2021

By Asian Film Festival on April 7, 2021 • ( Leave a comment )

We present the list of winners of the 6th Ulju Mountain Film Festival which took place onsite and online from April 2nd – 11th, 2021.

About the festival:
The Ulju Mountain Film Festival is the first and the only international mountain film festival in South Korea, dedicated to present and promote films & culture dealing with the mountains, adventure and exploration, nature and environment. The festival also provides an opportunity for filmmakers and mountaineers to meet and exchange ideas through the seminars, events, screenings and social gatherings.

International Competition

Grand Prize

**The Wall of Shadows** by Eliza Kubarska – Poland, Germany, Switzerland | 2020 – 95 minutes

Award winning director Eliza Kubarska (K2 – Touching the Sky) returns to the Himalaya. A Sherpa family breaks a taboo and climbs Kumbakarna, the most holy of mountains, to earn money for their son’s education. They accompany a European expedition on a wall that has never been climbed before. Will they face the wrath of the mountain Gods? (UMFF 2021)

Trailer:

Best Alpinism & Climbing Film

**Everest – The Hard Way** by Pavol Barabas – Slovakia | 2020 – 52 minutes

Is it possible to climb the hardest route on Mount Everest in Alpine style? Sir. Chris Bonington, the most famous British climber, named this route The Hard Way and stated it is impossible. It became a challenge for four Slovak climbers. In 1988 they started their hardest way with no escape. (UMFF 2021)

Trailer:

Best Adventure & Exploration Film

**Into the Storm** by Adam Brown – UK | 2020 – 84 minutes

A troubled teenager from the deprived barrios of Lima tries to realise his dream of becoming a pro surfer and raise his family out of poverty but barrio life proves hard to escape. (UMFF 2021)

Trailer:

Best Nature & People Film

**The Magnitude of All Things** by Jennifer Abbott – Canada | 2020 – 87 minutes

When Jennifer lost her sister to cancer, her sorrow opened her up to the profound gravity of climate breakdown. The Magnitude of All Things draws parallels between the experiences of grief—both personal and planetary. What do these stories have in common? The answer, surprisingly, is everything. (UMFF 2021)

Special Jury Prize

**Climbing** by Kim Hye-mi – Korea | 2020 – 78 minutes

Professional climber Se-hyeon finds out about her pregnancy just before World Championship. For her long-time aspiration as a climber, she struggles to break free from her baby but the baby won’t let her go. (UMFF 2021)

Trailer:

NETPAC Award

Grand Prize

**Bandar Band** by Manijeh Hekmat – Iran, Germany | 2020 – 75 minutes

After a long time, some Iranian women singers are going to enter an unofficial competition in Tehran. Pregnant Mahla, along with the other members of Bandar Band, starts her journey to Tehran from a southern province just when they have lost all they had in the flood. They still keep their hopes alive, however every road they take leads to a dead-end in a flood-stricken land. (UMFF 2021)

Trailer:

Special Youth Jury Award

**Holy Bread** by Rahim Zabihi – Iran | 2021 – 54 minutes

This is the story of everyday life of people who trade their lives for earning a bread with holy death! Holy Bread is about the hard life of people who smuggle goods to support their families. Because of this they are forced to hike arduous mountains putting their lives on the line. The father of a household may be swept to his death by an avalanche, or hit by a soldier’s bullets. (UMFF 2021)

Trailer: