Adam Howard
Member of the jury
Adam Howard is neither a hard climber, nor a filmmaker. But he does know a thing or two about being a jurist and about collaborating to share the beauty of human encounters with the wild. As the Editorial Director and CEO of Alpinist and Backcountry, Howard has had the opportunity to see many of the world’s high places and to meet some of the greatest mountain athletes there. And with his editorial team, he’s helped tell their stories through some of the most respected outdoor adventure titles. An adventurer himself, Howard has written for a variety of publications, including Outside, Powder, Skiing, Dirt Rag, Mountain Flyer and MSN.com. “We’ll never get rich pursuing the outdoors for a living,” he says. “But we’ll live rich lives.” Howard graduated from Western State Colorado University (’97) where he studied journalism and political theory. He served in the Vermont House of Representatives for two terms from 2009–2012 and, while there, represented the United States as part of a delegation to Nepal and Sri Lanka in 2012. He lives with his wife Holly and two daughters on his family’s ancestral farm in Cambridge, Vermont, U.S.A.
Lara Izagirre
Member of the jury
Lara Izaguirre Garizurieta (Amorebieta, 1985) graduated in Audiovisual Communication at the University of the Basque Country. She went on to study film at New York Film Academy and worked in the production company ‘Forensic Films’ in New York for two years. In Barcelona, she made the Master about Script at the School of Cinema and Audiovisual of Catalonia (ESCAC). There began the script of the movie ‘Un otoño sin Berlín,’ for which she would get a grant from the Basque Government for its development. In 2010, she founded the production company "Gariza Produkzioak" where she has written, directed and produced several films. In 2011 she took the course "The staging, the actor and space" in the School of Cinema of Havana to deepen her skills as director. Her film ‘Un otoño sin Berlín’ has premiered this year at the 63rd International Film Festival of San Sebastian, with a special mention for the leading actress, Irene Escolar. Her works also include ‘Bycicle Poem’ (2010), ‘KEA’ (2011), ‘Next Stop: Greenland’ (2012 - Best Film of Adventure Sports in the TV BCN Sports Film, Best Adventure Film at Festival Vertical of Moscow; Best Film of the Festival International of the Air) ‘Sormenaren Bide Ezkutuak’ (2013) and ‘Larroxa’ (2013). Now she is involved in writing the script in two upcoming projects, ‘Gora beherak’ and ‘Udaberria’.
Michael Pause
Member of the jury
Journalist, producer and writer. Michael was introduced to climbing by his father Walter Pause, a well-known author of books on mountaineering. After completing his studies in Journalism, Political Science and History, in 1978 he began working for the Bavarian Broadcasting Company producing films for the show mountaineering "Bergauf-Bergab". Since then he has produced and directed more than 150 films. The task of updating and rewriting the original books written by his father made him an expert in the variety of possibilities mountaineering in the Alps. In 1984 he assumed responsibility for the Alpine section of the magazine "Berge". From 1992 to 1998 he was editor, and later became "Senior Editor". Since its premiere in 2003, he is the artistic director of the International Mountain Film Festival Tegernsee. As a mountaineer, he prefers classical forms of the sport, looking for the high peaks, climbing, and skiing. His work and his hobby led him to most parts of the Alps and the mountains of Nepal, East Africa, Patagonia and North America.
Pablo Iraburu
Member of the jury
Pablo Iraburu is the director of Arena Comunicación. He has also directed the documentary films Nomadak Tx, Pura Vida, District Zero and Muros. All of them have a common element: being focused on human stories in which through a specific element-a musical instrument, a high mountain rescue, a refugee camp or border fences in different parts of the world- tells a universal theme that is interesting for a global audience. He has also directed television programs like Challenge 14 + 1, Everest without oxygen, he has led audiovisual installations in museums such as the National Archaeological Museum of Madrid and has filmed documentaries for various NGOs in dozens of countries in America, Asia and Africa. He also teaches documentary film at the University of Navarra. He is currently developing seven documentaries of which believed that at least two will carry out some day. He is married to Cristina García Purroy and father of three daughters.
Wojciech Fusek
Member of the jury
Wojciech Fusek is the editor-in-chief of the Polish newspaper ‘Gazeta Wyborcza.’ He studied at the Faculty of Law and Administration at Warsaw University and at a branch of the Pontifical Academy of Theology. He joined the newspaper in 1991; a year later he became head of the sports department and two years later head of the Gazette in general, becoming the head of the 19 branches of publication. As head of the newspaper, he has carried out its reorganization, creating a new publishing and promotional strategy. Digitalisation and the reorganization of the editorial staff were some of their responsibilities. He has also worked with various teams preparing national and international publishing projects. Since 2010 some of his projects have been "Sports Center," "Gazety.pl," "Metro" and another one conducted by the promotion and sales team to establish and implement a strategy for the brand "Sport.pl." Climbing and mountain skiing are two of his hobbies that led him to work as a screenwriter in mountain documentaries and multimedia projects. He is also member of the Scientific Summits Council of Nagorno Museum.
