A mysterious character engages a combination of street artists and mountain alpinists for an unthinkable project located in the Oberland summits of Switzerland.  Maja and Sebastian, talented Bernese acrobats ponder whether to embark on this extraordinary vertical odyssey. Out of the Blue is an original independent film not previously released. It combines climbing, slack lining and circus arts in a truly unique and visually stunning film that captures the very essence of “vertical life”. The film has an original score by rising talent Josue Vergara. Director: Montaz-Rosset Studio, 43 min.

“Let the beauty we love, be what we do. There are a thousand ways to kneel and kiss the ground; there are a thousand ways to go home again.” -13th Century Poet Rumi

Thousand Ways To Kiss The Ground is an exploration into grief and its expression through the stories of individuals who have experienced loss or trauma due to climbing or alpinism. Made in collaboration with the Climbing Grief Fund, this artful compilation of interviews highlights how there is no singular or correct way to grieve. Indeed this topic is complex, vulnerable, confusing, non-linear, and absolutely imperative to the health of all of our communities. The process of openly grieving, both alone as well as in community, is an art nearly lost in our culture. Climbers discuss how they are learning to integrate grief into their daily lives and in effect, change the community’s collective narrative surrounding this topic. A Thousand Ways To Kiss The Ground investigates the paradoxes of grief and the grieving process while mirroring this complexity back to viewers as a starting point to destigmatize and normalize the conversation surrounding grief for climbers and non-climbers alike. Director: Henna Taylor, 22 min.