FILMS
CASCADIA – In the Shadow of Giants
‘Cascadia – In the Shadow of Giants’, the latest film from Montanus, is a bikepacking journey through Oregon’s vast wilderness. It’s a reminder of how small we are beneath towering peaks and endless forests, and how deeply we belong to the land that endures beyond us.
There’s a region in the Pacific Northwest where the forest feels endless, a green ocean stretching beneath snow-capped volcanoes, where time seems to move to an older rhythm. This is Cascadia, a place where light filters through canopies of redwoods and pines, and every trail seems to echo the pulse of the earth.
THE ODIN'S EYE
Langjökull Expedition by Montanus
In 1953 a group of British scientists explored the west area of Icelandic Highlands with the aim of studying and mapping glaciers. One of the glaciers that the Cambridge Langjökull Expedition studied at the time was disappeared in 2019. Seventy-one years after that scientific expedition, Montanus duo circumnavigated the Langjökull glacier to film the fantastic views of the second-largest ice cap of Iceland that is sadly set to disappear over the next 100 years.
Socotra
The latest expedition of Montanus duo transports us in one of the most isolated and little-known continental fragments on Earth. Socotra island lies in Indian Ocean between the Horn of Africa and Arabian Peninsula and it is home for surreal endemic flora and fauna. ‘Socotra’ is a short film that follows them in the exploration of this remote and alien-looking land.
2023 Best Cinematography/Editing
Cordillera de Fuego
In this bikepacking expedition we explored one of the most incredible place on Earth, a stretch of prehistoric land enclosed between Pacific Ocean and the Chilean Andes, following the eastern side of Ring of Fire. ‘Cordillera de Fuego’ is a short film that captures the essence of a self-supported 500km adventure between snow-capped volcanos and ancient araucaria forests.
VIVID
In 2013 we had a two day trip on the mountains of Abruzzo spending the night in a remote mountain hut at 1900m above sea level. At that time we had no idea what the word ‘bikepacking’ meant, but that incredible adventure marked the birth of Montanus. We decided to ride again that route and, 8 years later, the memory of that overnighter is still so vivid that it continues to feed the urge to explore wild and remote places.
2021 Best Cinematography/Editing
Second Wind
In ‘Second Wind’ we return to the breathtaking Apennine Mountains as lockdown measures ease in Abruzzo, Italy, allowing for a trip to renew our minds, bodies, and spirits.
Bee Wild Bee Free
Sometimes your bike leads you to new and wild places; other times it can take you even deeper. In ‘Bee Wild Bee Free’ we combined bikepacking and beekeeping, a process that brought us closer to nature and played a significant role in our environmental consciousness.
2020 Best Cinematography/Editing
Woopackers
While clearing fallen trees from one of our favorite local trails, we decided to offer the creatures that live there a token of gratitude…
The Wolf’s Lair
We retraced the 400km Wolf’s Lair bikepacking route to film the experience and showcase the hidden beauty of Abruzzo that fascinated us during our initial exploration in 2016.
Home Wild Home
Home Wild Home is a sort of homage to our own native turf, filming the backyard trails that link their hometown L’Aquila, in central Italy, with the massif of Gran Sasso d’Italia. This is the environment where we formed an appreciation for wilderness and developed the outdoor skills that have allowed us to explore remote and wild places, farther afield.
2019 Best Cinematography/Editing
Iceland Divide
It is a short film that chronicles our bikepacking expedition across Iceland, where the incessant work of fire and ice traced a route that runs through a world of immeasurable desolation and enthralling beauty: the Iceland Divide.
Patagòn
Patagón recounts our bike and packraft exploration into a remote corner of southern Patagonia. There, between the Austral Andes and huge glacial lakes, the traditional Argentine culture of the gaucho survives.
2018 Best Cinematography/Editing
Wild Christmas
Tramontana
“Tramontana” is a journey through human ancestral fears and primordial virtues of the fire, the natural element that, since the dawn of time, allowed it to defeat the dark, the cold, the isolation and the wild beasts. A tribute to the human wild side that gets lost in the origins of our story.
2017 Best Cinematography/Editing
The Cold Vein
The call of the mountain is even stronger during winter, when the snow breaks the tree-tops and the cold weather freezes the bones. During this time, when most people put their bike to rest, the Cold Vein, come back to pulsate into the wilderness.