Gilles Chappaz
Directing
Biography
Gilles Chappaz, born in 1952 in Chamonix, son of a guide father and a champion skier mother, discovered skiing at the age of three, following his twin brother Xavier and his parents—the first couple of ski instructors in France—on the slopes of the Alps. He later became a national instructor and coach. While his brother became a guide, Gilles turned more to skiing and eventually journalism. Since 1979, he has been involved in Montagnes Magazine, created by Michel Drapier in Grenoble, and later at the origin of Vertical, created by Bruno Cormier in Chamonix. Today, Gilles Chappaz travels between Grenoble and Chamonix and has turned his hand to journalism, creating and developing magazines dedicated to the mountains (Montagnes Magazine, Vertical, Ski Français). At the same time, he has worked as a television consultant (France Télévision, TF1) and collaborated regularly with the press (Libération, Le Monde). He was also part of the team that hosted the Montagne magazine on FR3 since its inception in 1985. He was once the editor-in-chief of the magazine and for which he directed several award-winning documentaries. After spending four years in Paris as deputy editor-in-chief of L'Équipe Magazine, he devoted himself to directing documentaries, five of which were produced by Seven Doc. In addition to his directorial responsibilities, in 2009 he became director of the Montagne Collection, a book and DVD box set dedicated to those commonly referred to as the "Conquerors of the Useless," launched in 2009 by Seven Doc. Gilles Chappaz's films have received numerous awards at mountain festivals. They can now be found on DVD through his producer, "Seven Doc." A writer, he has also published numerous fascinating short stories.
Known For
People experience adventures on mountains all around the world. Personalities, fascinated by the world of the mountains, bring us closer to the freedom many people experience in such breezy hights.
Bergwelten
“The Conquerors of the Impossible: Group Portrait” is a documentary on free climbing which takes place in the Verdon Gorges and Toulon. It was directed by Bernard Dumont in 1986 and produced by Les Films du Soleil. It is part of the series The Conquerors of the Impossible (3-3). There we find Patrick Berhault, Patrick Edlinger, Eric Escoffier, Christophe Profit, Laurent Chevallier, Jean-Paul Janssen and other pioneers of free climbing.
Les Conquérants de l'Impossible: Portrait de Groupe
La Cordée de Rêve traces the great alpine journey made from August 2000 to February 2001 by Patrick Berhault. His great crossing of the Alps, here told to his daughter, will be done sometimes alone, sometimes surrounded by friends: Patrick Gabarrou, Patrick Edlinger, Ottavio Fassini, Gaël Bouquet des Chaux, Valérie Aumage, Philippe Magnin. During this alpine trip he will find his brother-in-arms Patrick Edlinger for the dolimitic part and will also see the genesis of the "Cordée Magique Berhault/Magnin". For 167 days, in sneakers in the fall, on touring skis in the winter, Patrick Berhault chained 2 to 3 stages of an average hiker daily, swallowing 1,500 to 2,000 meters of vertical drop and up to 45 kilometers per day. , and climbed 22 peaks. It's called that: "La Grande Cordée" but behind this title lies an exceptional human and sporting performance.
La Cordée de Rêve
No description available.
Partition Libre - Sur Les Traces De Patrick Berhault
Jean-Marc Boivin had chosen the natural elements as his playground. In his quest for extremes and discoveries. By turns mountaineer, skier, hang-glider, explorer, paraglider, sailor, speleologist or base-jumper, he loved constantly exploring “terra incognita” and playing with the limits of the possible. His "career" - the word is so weak - Jean-Marc, one day, agreed to tell the strongest moments to his father who recorded everything: happiness, doubts, emotions and difficulties. In this film, which won the Human Adventure Prize at the Saint Hilaire du Touvet Free Flight Film Festival, it is Jean-Marc who himself “comments” on some of his most spectacular feats. Confronted with period documents, Jean-Marc's voice-over sheds new and moving light on the extraordinary personality of a man who once admitted "having lived all his dreams"...
Jean-Marc Boivin, Extremely Yours
Fifteen years have passed since the spectacular images of Jean-Paul Janssen's "Life at Your Fingertips" introduced the general public to free climbing and its embodiment: Patrick Edlinger. We witnessed the birth of a sporting phenomenon that would leave a lasting mark on generations of climbers. But fifteen years later, in 1997, beyond the myth, where is Patrick Edlinger? Gilles Chappaz found him on some of the most beautiful walls of the Verdon Gorge and other cliffs during the filming of Maurice Rebeix's documentary "Roc'n Wall 97," where he shares his climbing practice and philosophy with the younger generation, including Liv Sansoz and Arnaud Petit.
Il Était Une Voie Edlinger
Sur le fil des 4000 is a documentary film by Gilles Chapaz, which traces the last rope of the mountaineering duo Patrick Berhault and Philippe Magnin. The objective of the roped party was to climb the 82 peaks over 4000 meters in the Alps, by carrying out the connecting routes on foot, on skis or by bike. All at the end of winter and the beginning of spring. They left on March 1, 2004, from Saint Christophe en Oisans. The film shows us in images this alpine adventure, from which the spirit of competition is excluded, to make way for the simple pleasure of being in the mountains. This posthumous film was edited after the disappearance of Patrick Berhault, which occurred during the expedition on April 28, 2004.
Sur Le Fil Des 4000
"Les Compagnons Du Vide" (The Companions of the Void) is a documentary made in 1989 by Claude Andrieux and Gilles Chappaz, broadcast in two parts on the FR3 program "Montagne." The film explores the history of the mountain guide profession through portraits of mountain guides, showcasing the diversity of this high-risk occupation. It also delves into the intimate relationship between the climbing team and the client, using the example of prestigious guides. The documentary follows these teams on major climbs around Chamonix, on Mont Blanc, and on La Meije in the Écrins massif.
The Companions Of The Void
At once a high-level musician, member of the October Group, entertainer, theater artist, film actor, mountaineer, and skier, Maurice Baquet, always on the move, structured his life around two common threads: the cello and the mountains. He once defined himself as a "cellist-skier," "all alone" in this category, which prompted James Couttet, world ski champion, to say: "Of all the skiers I know, he's the best cellist." Echoing this, Professor at the Conservatoire National Supérieur, André Navarra, added: "Of all the cellists I know, he's the best skier." Throughout his varied yet coherent career, Baquet helped to project a joyful and artistic image of the mountains. Who better to talk about Maurice and all his adventures than his alter-ego: Cérébos, the faithful cello that never left his side? From Paris to Chamonix, from the stage to the granite slabs and snowy slopes, this film follows Cérébos, crossing the century and above all... smiling!
Maurice Baquet, The Accorded
Pierre Mazeau has managed to unite three of his passions which seem to have nothing in common, at a very high level: mountaineering, jurisprudence and policy. The Everest mountaineer, rescued from the Freney Pillar, the passionate jurist, the former sports minister, privy counsellor, and president of the French Constitutional Court is a charismatic personality. This sensitive film portrait follows a line, which Pierre Mazeaud himself has quoted: “Alpinism belongs to those who provide themselves with means to reach their goals, to those who are fully committed to a goal, to those, who know the value of solidarity of men, and to those who are aware that true human existence can only be fulfilled by proceeding with a team of roped-partners.”
Pierre Mazeaud, la vie en face(s)
The World of Gaston Rébuffat is a documentary on mountaineering which takes place at Gendarme Du Pic Du Roc and Grande Candelle. Directed by Gilles Chappaz in 2009 and produced by Seven Doc, we find Christophe Profit, Françoise Rébuffat, Thierry Renault, Jean-Olivier Majastre, René Vernadet, Sam Beaugey and many others. Friendship of his rope companions, friendship of the mountain, friendship of all of nature, he spoke of the mountain with simplicity and happiness. A precursor, a visionary, Gaston Rébuffat was a resolutely committed person, without ever having spoken of an exploit, let alone a fight (among other achievements, he was the first to climb the six north faces of the Alps in a lifetime as a mountaineer).
The World of Gaston Rébuffat
Terray. This name sounds like a challenge and evokes deep respect in the memory of every mountaineer. For all, Lionel Terray remains forever the "Conqueror of the useless", the example of a generous and mature mountaineer, far from any egocentrism and any ambition. Not only a pioneer and witness to the history of mountaineering, Terray is also remembered as a man and a master more than an athlete. Forty years after the tragic death of this extraordinary mountaineer and guide, who liked to think of himself as a "simple mountaineer", his former friends and the youngest generation of mountaineers come together in this film to celebrate and remember his legacy.
La Voie Terray
No description available.