A selection of inspiring short films from around the world, capturing adventure, exploration, endurance and extraordinary human stories.

Join adventures Erik and Sarah on yet another epic Baffin Vacation as they kite ski north along the remote coastline of Baffin. Over their 69 day holiday they ski mountains, climb an epic big wall, and cross a glacier in search of new rivers to white water kayak.

English

A Baffin Vacation, Love on Ice

In the upper reaches of the Vöckla, two scientists reintroduce endangered stone crayfish. In loud silence, ÅRT explores conservation and the underwater world. asking what “home” means when it’s shaped not only by place, but by the species we live alongside.

Årt

Sjoa. Among whitewater kayakers, the name carries something legendary, almost mythical. A river in Norway that today is associated with an entire region of extraordinary paddling waters. What few people know is that the source of this power is fading, just as it is in many other parts of Europe, making the future of whitewater kayaking increasingly uncertain.We follow Erik, an Olympic kayaker, as he and his friends move through the landscape, floating between white mountain peaks and green valleys. Here, he rediscovers a joy for paddling that he has long been missing. But the retreating glaciers surrounding them stir emotions and raise questions within Erik, questions that seem best answered by nature itself. Born of Ice is a visually striking film about water and reverence. From a small natural cycle to a planet out of balance.

Born of Ice

Clean Miles -is a heartfelt portrait of movement, resilience, and the joy found in every step forward. Colin McCormick is a local trail running legend in the small community of Kitimat British Columbia. Inspiring his community through a deep story which connects his past and present.

Clean Miles

26 Miles, 5 Meals, 1 Wild Tradition. Learn about Seattle's wackiest marathon and it's mission to honor a friend, and give back to the outdoors.

Dick's-A-Thon

“EL LLANTO DEL GLACIAR” is a collaborative project that brings together music, dance, and mountains to raise awareness about the retreat of glaciers caused by climate change. This retreat also reflects the global crisis we are living in. Ecuadorian dancer Camila Hernández and Catalan musician Jordi Mestre merge their artistic projects, Verticalica and Soul Mountain, to give a voice to glaciers at risk of extinction. Through recordings made on various glaciers around the world, the short film highlights the beauty and vulnerability of these ecosystems. The result is an emotionally powerful work that seeks to raise awareness of the global environmental crisis. This initiative was born from the passion and voluntary collaboration of artists and technicians connected to nature.

El Llanto del Glaciar

Ski mountaineers Christina “Lusti” Lustenberger and Guillaume “Gee” Pierrel carve a first ski descent on New Zealand’s Aoraki / Mt. Cook in 'Hunter's Moon'.

Hunter's Moon

At the heart of the Japanese winter, where snow covers the world as we know it and turns it into a playground, three riders explore a dreamlike landscape. Their journey unfolds to the rhythm of a child’s voice, questioning adults , what they forget as they grow up, the importance of play, mischief, and the simple pleasure of just being there. And these three skiers who, somehow, still seem to hold on to something of it. Between reality and animation, the film drifts into a space where boundaries fade, and where childhood might not be so far away.

Kids

In the remote north of Montenegro lies one of Europe's last wild canyons, a place of towering cliffs, ancient forests, and crystal-clear waters: Komarnica. Beneath its surface, life thrives in ways science is only beginning to understand. This film follows an international team of researchers and local conservationists as they journey into the canyon to document its hidden biodiversity. From undiscovered species to fragile cave ecosystems, their mission is urgent: the entire landscape is threatened by a proposed hydropower dam.

Komarnica: The Wild That Remains

Five months after falling thirty meters into an ice crevasse and being rescued by helicopter, Arnaud chose to return. La Trace follows his attempt at the Summum Mont Blanc: 3.8 km of cold-water swimming, 180 km of cycling with 3,000 meters of elevation gain, and the ascent of Mont Blanc from Saint-Gervais, nearly 4,000 meters of vertical climb. All in a single day.

La Trace

Moving Stories uses creativity to bring people together around active and sustainable travel - focusing on how people move, the routes, services and transport networks they already use and why, while exploring new opportunities as they emerge through lived experience, local identity and shared stories. This films follows a group of young mountain bikers in Langholm who are creating and riding trails in the local area. The film showcases the talent and enthusiasm of the young people as well as the beautiful area that they call home.

Moving Stories - Langholm MTB

We are snow people. For us, snow is more than a landscape, it’s the heartbeat of a country and the tradition that, year after year, unites us and carries the essence of who we are. This is how NIX is born a film about the people of Andorra and their connection with snow.

NIX - Som gent de neu

A group of friends travel to Chamonix-Mont-Blanc to learn the fundamentals of mountaineering. Set against the dramatic alpine landscape, the film follows their shared experience as they gradually confront a fear of heights and explore the personal challenges that come with moving in high mountain terrain. Through this journey, the film reflects on vulnerability, risk, and the importance of preparation, mentorship, and respect for natural forces.

No Coucou in the Mountain

What happens when a professional surfer reaches their breaking point? In ‘Northbound,’ eight-time UK surf champion Lucy Campbell explores the rugged coastlines of Scotland, trading the pressure of the Qualifying Series for the raw, unpredictable beauty of the North. After battling chronic fatigue and burnout, Lucy reflects on a decade of competitive surfing and the exhilarating risk of chasing waves in the freezing mizzle and golden hours of the Scottish Highlands. This is a story about boundaries, recovery, and inspiring the next generation of women in the lineup.

Northbound

In crystal-clear waters, this short documentary dives into Bonito’s underwater world through Paula’s experience. Between the quiet of freediving and the technical immersion of cave scuba diving, the film reveals different ways of inhabiting the submerged world, where body, breath, and awareness align. Subtly, fragments of her life story weave through the narrative, suggesting an active, healthy way of living guided by the rhythm of water.

One Breath

When mental health campaigner Stu Skinner wakes up after a charity auction to find a cast-iron Royal Mail postbox at the end of his bed, his first thought is: what have I done? Facing eviction, heartbreak and a relapse into depression, Stu sets out to test whether one ridiculous idea could bring him some joy, and maybe bring joy to other people too. Carrying the 26kg postbox to the highest point of all 15 UK National Parks, he invites strangers, friends and communities to walk with him, write postcards to people experiencing loneliness, and talk openly about their own.Postcards from the Peaks is a film about the weight of loneliness, and what happens when you don't carry it alone.

Postcards from the Peaks

On June 10th, 2023, a man embarks on a journey to run 138 kilometers on Quebec’s Road 138, wishing to honor his sister’s resilience facing cancer. This odyssey becomes a brother’s love letter to his sister in the language he knows best: running.

Road 138

In January 2025, 2 friends, Gavin Booth and Adam Wilton, embarked on a crossing of the Saudi Arabian Rub' al Khali, the "Empty Quarter". It was a first of its kind expedition, with the men hauling all of their supplies and water in carts across this vast and unforgiving desert with no support.

Sand, Grit and Discovery: The Crescent Crossing

The first in trail poetry series by Arkan Zakharov, 'The Itinerant' follows athlete and writer Inma Naïma Zanoguera on a spiritual journey as she contemplates the act of movement, specifically trail running, as it speaks to the sense of her personal and our collective identity - a contemplative visual exploration of what it means to belong. Starring Inma Naïma Zanoguera and featuring her essay "The Itinerant" narrated by Gina DeMay.

The Itinerant

Gonzalo’s life changed in an instant after a climbing accident led to the loss of his leg. But his story does not end there. Told through Gonzalo’s own voice, Volver a mí follows his journey back to sport, confidence and joy. An intimate portrait of resilience, identity and returning to yourself after life has changed completely.

Volver a mí

Following three very different protagonists across a range of landscape, this short film explores what it means to go wild camping. Who does it, why, where, and what confrontations lie ahead? Who has the right to belong in our landscapes, and what's so wrong about pitching a tent?

We Wild Camp

Windward is a documentary about Walt Raineri, a blind sailor. The doc follows his journey becoming blind, and how he used sailing and nature to adapt to the hardships of it. After years of living with an inherited retinal disease, Walt believed he had prepared for blindness. But he soon realized that it would not be that simple. Following his journey within a community of blind sailors, the film invites us into an immersive sensory world where navigation becomes listening, feeling, and trusting of the boat, of the wind, and of one another. He uses the water to feel comfort, freedom, and challenge and his story opens into a broader exploration on what it means to be human: moving from one moment of ability to the next.

Windward

Shorts Collection 2026

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Explore our collection of inspiring independent films celebrating adventure, exploration, the natural world and extraordinary human stories. Browse a diverse selection of short films, feature-length films and special-interest collections, bringing together incredible stories from filmmakers around the world. Discover stories of mountain adventures, wildlife, endurance, exploration and personal journeys, all part of Holmlands Adventure Film Festival Official Selection.

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