Famous mountaineer receives award for five decades of documentary filmmaking • World premiere of his latest film Alpine Warriors also in Fužine
Legendary Croatian alpinist and cinematographer Stipe Božić is the recipient of this year’s 50 Years Award, bestowed by Cinehill Festival in cooperation with the Croatian Film Authors’ and Producers’ Association. The award honours Božić’s five decades of dedicated documentary filmmaking and the indelible mark his films have made. The world premiere of his latest feature documentary Alpine Warriors will take place during the festival, held in Fužine from 22 to 27 July, telling the story of a generation of alpinists and their aspirations to reach the highest and most dangerous peaks in the world.
The 50 Years Award celebrates professionals who have dedicated their entire lives to the love of film, whether behind or in front of the camera. Stipe Božić embodies this spirit perfectly, since 1975 when his first mountaineering exploits were recorded on camera, launching an impressive filmmaking career that has lasted a full five decades.
Božić has climbed the three highest peaks in the world and the highest summits on all seven continents, particularly significant of which was his first ascent of Mount Everest in 1979 when he filmed his first shots on “the top of the world” demonstrating his pioneering spirit. In his own words, “You can go who knows where and climb to any height, descend to any depth, but if you haven’t brought back a story, then it was all in vain. Once we are gone, the only thing that will remains after us are the stories, and this story is the only one of its kind in the world.”
Stipe Božić has directed more than 120 documentaries as part of several television series, and has participated in numerous international film festivals. His titles, such as the award-winning docu features Reticent Wall and Dhaulagiri Express, and the documentary series Deserts of the World, are a lasting testimony to the human aspiration to reach for the heights and bring us closer to the remotest corners of the world. These films, as well as Stipe Božić’s presence, aroused great interest at last year’s Cinehill.
His latest feature Alpine Warriors in a way summarises all of his travels and ascents, telling the complete story of the successes of Slovenian and Croatian alpinists on expeditions over the steepest and most dangerous ice-capped Himalayan cliffs. The film is based on a book by one of the greatest experts on world mountaineering, Canadian writer Bernardette McDonald. The central character in the book as well as the film, along with Stipe Božić, is Viki Grošelj, the legendary Slovenian alpinist who will also attend the film’s world premiere in Fužine. The film also tells the story of mountaineering greats such as New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, who were the first to climb Mount Everest, legendary Himalayan chronicler Elizabeth Hawley, and world-famous Italian mountaineer Reinhold Messner. The testimonies of the living protagonists of this story are accompanied by authentic documentary footage from the highest peaks of the world, which Stipe Božić has filmed for half a century.
Tickets for Alpine Warriors, as well as all other films in the program, are available in presale through Cinehill’s website, at cinehill.eu/tickets.
The festival is supported by the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County and the Tourist Boards of Kvarner and Gorski Kotar, and is co-organised with the Municipality of Fužine.
