One Step Aside

Across the Chartreuse mountain range, running outside sign-posted tracks and marked trails, in the wild or on long forgotten paths

 

Synopsis

Distant adventures, long-term travels, Damien loves them. But he does not think it necessary to cross 36 meridians for the thrill of exploration and discovery to be at the “rendez-vous”.
In 2012, he initiated a series of small-scale local adventures, the first chapter being written in Chartreuse. With two friends, two athletes, he ran across the mountains from Chambéry to Grenoble : full autonomy, no marked trails, nor, for sure, roads or tracks. No, the program of this short trip was of pure off-road running, and old trails the human world had forgotten…
Through the eyes of Damien, those of his fellow runners and colorful characters they meet, we rediscover the mountains from home. We just need to make one step aside…

Selected by the following festivals:

 Horsky 2014 (Poprad, Slovakia) + Festival du Film de Montagne 2014 (Autrans, France) + Escales Voyageuses 2015 (Avignon, France) + Bansko Mountain Film Festival 2015 (Bansko, Bulgaria) + Katmandu International Mountain Film Festival (Katmandu, Nepal) + Online FLIX Mountain Film Festival (Canada)

A Word From The Filmmaker

One summer, I was looking through my office’s window with a canceled airfare in my hands – I was about the go shoot a film in Afghanistan when the main character had to change plans. The view was that of the usual beautiful sunrise over the Crtreuse mountains. And I tought, do I always need to travel the world to find excitement, exploration, fun and beauty? What if I go out the door just now and run across that whole range of mountains stretching ahead of me? What will happen? Am I so sure I know this area? And what if I change the rules? no marked trails, no sign-posted hiking paths. Out in the wild. How will those beloved and well-known mountains look from THAT perspective.

That’s what the film is about: freedom, excitement and exploration in one’s own backyard.

This and more: I didn’t foresee it, but it so happent that not everyone was happy with me running outside of the hiking network. In fact, many weren’t happy at all, yet I went ahead and met some and kept running, because, as you will see, their objections to my project were not clearly clearly grounded. I hope the film will make people think it through; I hope it will make people laugh and have a good time, just as I did. I hope it will make them feel like running wild, running free!

Released: December 2013
Running length: 30 min
Format: full HD

Initialement publié le / Originally posted on 15 October 2014 @ 6:26 am