The Trento Film Festival is one of the highlights of the year. In 2024 the festival will run from April 26th to May 5th. The city brings together great mountain films from all over the world as part of the program and screens them throughout town.
Unfortunately, most of the films are shown only with Italian subtitles. This year the program highlights films from Ireland and we noticed that at least some of the Italian films are being shown with English subtitles. Still the official Film Festival website unfortunately doesn’t let you filter by language, so you’re stuck clicking through every film to figure out the language it’s shown in. We thought we would save you the trouble and that’s why we put together a list of the films which are accessible for English speakers. We also added the feature-length screenings to our events page so you can see it on the calendar. Enjoy!
Films in English
TALES OF JAN MAYEN – 31 minutes
“A team sails to the remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen to recreate the 1921 British expedition to summit the world’s northernmost volcano, Mount Beerenberg. They conduct marine science, alongside discovering how climate change is affecting the volcano’s glaciers today.”
https://trentofestival.it/en/2024-edition/program/films/tales-of-jan-mayen/
ONCE A BEIGE DAY – 12 minutes
“The film revolves around an empty room to be whitewashed, full of memories but suddenly violated by someone’s presence.”
https://trentofestival.it/en/2024-edition/program/films/once-a-beige-day/
NORTH CIRCULAR – 85 minutes
“NORTH CIRCULAR is a documentary musical that travels the length of Dublin’s North Circular Road, exploring the history, music and streetscapes of a street that links some of the country’s most beloved and infamous places. The film evokes many narratives from the history of the city and nation, from colonialism, to mental health, to the struggle for women’s liberation while also engaging with urgent issues of today. The film also includes musical performances from artists local to the North Circular.”
https://trentofestival.it/en/2024-edition/program/films/north-circular/
THE QUIET GIRL – 95 minutes
“Rural Ireland, 1981. A quiet, neglected nine-year-old girl is sent away from her dysfunctional family to live with in-laws for the summer. At first a bit intimidated by her new environment, she then blossoms in their care—but in this house where there are meant to be no secrets, she discovers one.”
https://trentofestival.it/en/2024-edition/program/films/the-quiet-girl/
THAT THEY MAY FACE THE RISING SUN – 107 minutes
“A vivid evocation of nature, humanity and life itself, set in a 1980s rural community in Ireland, based on internationally acclaimed Irish author John McGahern’s award-winning novel. After many years in London, Joe and Kate Ruttledge have returned to the small rural lakeside hamlet where Joe grew up. Centering on their lives and the ones of the characters around them, the film is a meditative and delicate exploration of rituals and human bonds, where the landscape plays its own unique and arresting role.”
https://trentofestival.it/en/2024-edition/program/films/that-they-may-face-the-rising-sun/
EXCALIBUR – 28 minutes
“A perfect line, with tiny holds on a 40° wall: this is EXCALIBUR. In a joint effort with the best climbers in the world, Stefano Ghisolfi accepts the challenge to climb this incredible route, which is found just a short distance from his home in Trentino. After two years of dedication to the project, Stefano manages to make the first ascent of what is today the most difficult route in Italy and one of the toughest in the world: Excalibur 9b+.”
https://trentofestival.it/en/2024-edition/program/films/excalibur/
EMPTY LITTLE PEOPLE – 2 minutes
“Empty little people, with an insatiable thirst for tea… begin running out of tea, on All Hallows’ Eve. Voiced by Gina Moxley, this lovely short film proves once again that you’re never too old for a certain kind of animated thrill.”
https://trentofestival.it/en/2024-edition/program/films/empty-little-people/
TEACUPS – 7 minutes
“For almost half a century, Don Ritchie would approach people contemplating suicide at the edge of a cliff, just 100 feet from his home, his palms facing up. Voiced by Hugo Weaving, TEACUPS explores Don’s surreal interactions with years of suicidal individuals and his journey to reconcile the suicide of his best friend. The film asks, can a simple act of kindness save a life?”
https://trentofestival.it/en/2024-edition/program/films/teacups/
FIFTH TIDE – 19 minutes
“Winter swells, thundering waves, sharp reefs, paddling larger waves with guns, and the struggle and joy that comes with all of that. FIFTH TIDE shows the life of two women during the rough Portuguese winter season. It shows their connection to the ocean, waves, and nature, and how they found sisterhood through all of this.”
https://trentofestival.it/en/2024-edition/program/films/fifth-tide/
CROCK OF GOLD – 124 minutes
“A cinematic exploration of Shane MacGowan’s story, CROCK OF GOLD details Shane’s explosive existence, from his salad days, growing up in Ireland, to time spent on the mean streets of London and embracing the punk scene. We discover MacGowan’s passions, his humor and deep knowledge of music, history, spirituality and pop culture. A vision of the world through the eyes of the great punk poet himself and an intimate cast of close friends and family members.”
https://trentofestival.it/en/2024-edition/program/films/crock-of-gold/
BODY OF A LINE – 10 minutes
“In this animated documentary, Madaleine Sorkin undertakes an intimate and creative journey to climb the most difficult rock climb above 13,500 feet in the world: the Dunn-Westbay Direct on Longs Peak (Neniisoteyou’u) in Colorado. Captured entirely in real life, this film kaleidoscopes 7229 frames of original artwork, music and poetry. It’s a climbing film unlike anything you’ve seen before.”
https://trentofestival.it/en/2024-edition/program/films/body-of-a-line/
BALLYWALTER – 90 minutes
“Eileen is a sardonic University drop-out whose dreams of a successful life in London have died. Back at home in Belfast, she is trying to make ends meet by working as an unlicensed driver in her ex-boyfriend’s minicab. Shane has exiled himself in Ballywalter following the break-up of his marriage. As the two spend time together on the road between Belfast and Ballywalter, shuttling back and forth over several months, a surprising connection is made and an unlikely friendship develops.”
https://trentofestival.it/en/2024-edition/program/films/ballywalter/
ROOM TAKEN – 18 minutes
“Having just arrived in Ireland, Isaac is part of the rapidly growing homeless population. One day, while charging his phone in a coffee shop, he meets Victoria, an elderly blind woman. After forgetting her bag in the cafe, Isaac returns it to her. Once inside her home and in desperate need of a place to stay, Isaac sneaks upstairs and begins to live there, unbeknownst to Victoria. Eventually, a strange bond develops between the two.”
https://trentofestival.it/en/2024-edition/program/films/room-taken/
SOUNDSCAPE – 14 minutes
“SOUNDSCAPE features Erik Weihenmayer, a global adventure athlete and author who is fully blind, as he ascends a massive alpine rock face deep in the Sierra Nevada. Using expert camera work and emotive, novel animation to bring to life a concept by adaptive climbing pioneer Timmy O’Neill, the film is a surprising and soulful adventure.”
https://trentofestival.it/en/2024-edition/program/films/soundscape/
THE ICE BUILDERS – 15 minutes
“In the Himalayan mountains, in the remote high-altitude desert valley of Zanskar, the local population has always depended on glaciers, which provided the water necessary for life and to cultivate crops when they melted in spring. Today, in an unequal battle against climate change, the people of Ladakh construct artificial glaciers to combat the lack of water in spring and contribute towards groundwater recharge.”
https://trentofestival.it/en/2024-edition/program/films/the-ice-builders/
English Subtitles
BOSTRICO – 14 minutes
“The humidity of the moss caresses the roots of a European spruce tree, making it even more alive, lustrous and vital. Just under the bark, the spruce bark beetle carves out its lethal tunnels, which look like primitive works or cave paintings. Meanwhile the forest ceases to exist, only earth and broken trunks remain. A man appears in the midst of the debris, the equipment he carries suggesting he is a sound technician. Every now and then he holds up a microphone towards the sky: he is listening to the voice of the forest being reborn.”
https://trentofestival.it/en/2024-edition/program/films/bostrico/
CALUGEM – STORIA DI UN PADRE SUI TETTI – 57 minutes
“The portrait of Alberto, a chimney sweep from Trentino. Father of three daughters, dynamic and restless, during the many sooty ups and downs he wonders about the world and how to become a good parent. A two-way dialogue, a journey that accompanies us from the ground to the high mountain bivouac.”
https://trentofestival.it/en/2024-edition/program/films/calugem-storia-di-un-padre-sui-tetti/
L’ULTIMO VIAGGIO – 82 minutes
“In the mountains, a priest transports the body of his mother, who he has helped to die, closed in a chest on a cart, to bury her on the banks of a lake, close to the frontier. During the journey he encounters a shepherdess who is taking illegal immigrants over the border. The two figures, worlds apart in terms of personality, have the chance to get to know each other and experience an unexpected understanding for each other.”
https://trentofestival.it/en/2024-edition/program/films/lultimo-viaggio/
MARMOLADA – MADRE ROCCIA – 76 minutes
“For a whole year, the documentary follows the exciting feat of three well-known mountaineers, assisted by a young aspiring climber, on the south wall of the Marmolada, the legendary “Queen of the Dolomites”. Matteo della Bordella, Maurizio Giordani, Massimo Faletti and Iris Bielli come together to open a new route, challenging their limitations and the dangers of a mountain that came into the limelight in the debate on climate change after the tragic loss of life on 3 July 2022. The film explores an all-absorbing passion and environmental awareness, offering a fascinating insight into the world of mountaineering and the importance of protecting and preserving our mountain ecosystems, hoping to inspire greater awareness and a commitment to conserving the natural world that surrounds us.”
https://trentofestival.it/en/2024-edition/program/films/marmolada-madre-roccia/
STANZE – 20 minutes
“A young woman, recently moved to Bolzano, is fascinated by a spot of colour in a grey area of the city and starts her search for the man behind this place, questioning the meaning of living and the sense of belonging.”
https://trentofestival.it/en/2024-edition/program/films/stanze/
TERRA NOVA, IL PAESE DELLE OMBRE LUNGHE – 53 minutes
“Antarctica (1988): a ship must escape from the grip of the ice to reach Terra Nova Bay. The Italian icebreaker Laura Bassi, in 2023, follows the same route and reaches the southernmost point on the planet ever reached by a ship. The narrative navigates through radio communications, making the viewer feel as if they were inside a spaceship. Human beings return to a primal state of discovery, endurance and fear. A deeply emotional experience in a remote, dangerous, and as yet little explored place.”
https://trentofestival.it/en/2024-edition/program/films/terra-nova-il-paese-delle-ombre-lunghe/
Partially English
“(RE)BALANCE tells the story of a group of content creators who come together for a trip across the mountains of Trentino. Along the route they will discover the importance of living for the moment, and in the midst of the silence of nature and the mountains, the protagonists will gain a new awareness of their role as communicators in the world of social media and the responsibilities deriving from this. This interpretation will succeed in opening unexpected doors towards a new balance.”
https://trentofestival.it/en/2024-edition/program/films/rebalance/
A GIFT FROM KEI TANIGUCHI – 100 minutes
“Akihiro Oishi and Hiroki Suzuki set off to climb Mount Hunter, in Alaska, the most difficult 4000-metre high mountain in North America. They have been climbing companions since 2015, when Kei Taniguchi, Akihiro’s mentor and Hiroki’s climbing companion, died during an expedition at the age of just 43. A film about friendship, overcoming grief and the joy of new encounters, which explores the philosophical legacy of Kei, the only female climber to win the Piolets d’Or.”
https://trentofestival.it/en/2024-edition/program/films/a-gift-from-kei-taniguchi/
AFTER THE SNOWMELT – 108 minutes
“AFTER THE SNOWMELT is a coming-of-age tale exploring teenagers’ first encounter with profound loss. At the age of 20, filmmaker Yi-Shan’s best friends, Chun and Yueh, were trapped in a Nepal cave for 47 days due to unseasonal snowfall. Chun died three days before the rescue, leaving Yueh as the sole survivor. Yueh returns and reveals a promise made between him and Chun: the survivor must share their story. To honor Chun’s last wish, Yi-Shan takes up the camera, accompanies Yueh to the mountains, and retraces Chun’s footsteps in Nepal. Gradually, her journey overlaps with Chun’s, blurring the boundary between past and present, and arrives at the same destination. When Yi-Shan reaches the cave, she must confront the future alone.”
https://trentofestival.it/en/2024-edition/program/films/after-the-snowmelt/
CUCKOO – 102 minutes
“Reluctantly, 17-year-old Gretchen leaves her American home to live with her father, who has just moved into a resort in the German Alps with his new family. Arriving at their future residence, they are greeted by Mr. König, her father’s boss, who takes an inexplicable interest in Gretchen’s mute half-sister Alma. Something doesn’t seem right in this tranquil vacation paradise. Gretchen is plagued by strange noises and bloody visions until she discovers a shocking secret that also concerns her own family.”
https://trentofestival.it/en/2024-edition/program/films/cuckoo/
L’EVEREST EN PARTAGE – 72 minutes
“The mountaineer Marc Batard, caught up in his passion, decided to return at the age of 70 to what was the emblem of his mountaineering career, Everest. He took up this challenge in Salvador de Bahia, with his young husband Dény. He shares with us his adventures, his encounters and the emotions that accompanied him in his reconquest of Everest. He also shares with us his dedication and humanism in his project to introduce a new and safer route to the roof of the world.”
https://trentofestival.it/en/2024-edition/program/films/leverest-en-partage/
SADPARA – 51 minutes
“SADPARA is a journey through the heart of the mountains in Pakistan, in search of the roots of a name that becomes a people. The basic everyday life of a small community marked by its strong limpid character emerges by exploring the bond with the mountains, against the background of the immense Karakoram range.”
https://trentofestival.it/en/2024-edition/program/films/sadpara/