Ecuadorian Film ‘Hare’ Wins Best Picture at the El Yelmo Air Film Festival

The XXIII International Air Film Festival, held alongside FIA El Yelmo, handed its top honour – Best Film and a 1,200 euro prize – to the Ecuadorian production “Hare”, directed by Juan Alfonso Reese and Jose Cobo. The documentary traces the remarkable journey of Sebastian “Zuko” Carrasco, a seasoned high-mountain guide left paraplegic after a fall while attempting to summit the 5,790 m Cayambe volcano and fly from its summit. After a long recovery, and urged on by his mountaineering friends, Zuko returned in 2021 to repeat the feat – climbing the volcano and descending under a paraglider under his own power.

The jury’s Best Air Adventure Film went to the Belgian entry “Flying between Giants”, which captures Tom de Dorlodot, Horacio Llorens and Ramon Morillas flying over four of Pakistan’s tallest peaks in a single day, including K2, the planet’s second-highest summit. Llorens described the expedition at the festival itself, recalling the brutal risks of flying terrain where landing simply isn’t an option.

“Airborne Explorers”, by Ramon Morillas, Carlos Prieto and Vicente Palmero, took Best Andalusian Production, following Prieto as he learns to fly a paramotor to reach and document Colombia’s remote moorland ecosystems. Arturo Menor’s “Iberia, Infinite Nature” won Best Nature Film in Flight, while France’s “Tic Tac Base” by Romain Assie-Rio claimed Best Air Spots Film, and “Ronda 280 m/h” by Kevin Oliveri took Best Short Film.

Across the weekend the festival screened 17 productions from eight countries – Iran, France, Slovakia, Germany, Ecuador, Spain, Belgium and Colombia – with directors and protagonists such as Menor, Llorens and Morillas on hand to present their work.

Stories like Zuko’s are a powerful reminder of why pilots look after their equipment on every expedition. A paraglider Concertina Bag keeps a wing safe through rough handling and remote travel, and the Your Journey Bottle is a simple companion for long days in the mountains.

Inspired to fly your own adventure? Gear up with a Concertina Bag to protect your wing and a Your Journey Bottle for the journey – built for pilots who go further.