Fresh snow, floodlights on, wheels crunching on the powder... From December 3 to 7, 2025, Autrans-Méaudre-en-Vercors will host the 42nd edition of a festival unlike any other: here, people come to watch mountain films, but more importantly, they come to rethink our ways of traveling, creating, and sharing culture.
More than a film enthusiast's appointment, the International Festival of Autrans, Mountain, Cinema & Culture establishes itself as a full-scale laboratory of transition. For over four decades, it has been questioning the way we inhabit mountain peaks. In 2025, the event takes it even further: promoting soft mobility, enhanced accessibility, social and tariff inclusion... All supported by a region already very committed to ecology and cultural innovation.
First step of change: the journey. Autrans is not just a destination, it's a life-sized playground for experimenting with sustainable mobility. This year, several guests will join the plateau by bike, even at the start of winter. Among them, climber and activist Éline Le Menestrel, who will leave from Valence before being joined in the Bourne gorges by a festival delegation. A strong symbol, and a great warm-up, with 900 meters of positive elevation gain on the agenda! It serves as a reminder that the transition also involves our calf muscles.
According to the latest estimates from ADEME, the number of long-distance trips made by bicycle in France has increased by +17% per year between 2019 and 2023. The festival is riding this green wave: secure two-wheel parking, hitchhiking station, carpooling wall, educational quiz about travel... All these tools are there to dispel the notion that one can only travel by car in the mountains. (Spoiler: you can climb a pass with electric assistance, or share a van with your neighbors!)
To turn words into action, this year the festival is covering the travel expenses for guests and professionals who choose carpooling, train + bike, hitchhiking, or any other sustainable alternative. This financial (and psychological) boost proves that environmental policy is not just lip service... and puts Autrans on the map of truly virtuous events.
In the realm of movie theaters, the effort is equally tangible. Since 2023, the collective "Silence, on grimpe!" has been working with the team to make screenings more inclusive. The result: numerous screenings in VFSTFR, VOSTFR, and ST-SME. Deaf or hard-of-hearing audiences can finally enjoy the magic of high-altitude images without missing a single line of dialogue. A dedicated phone line even allows for the preparation of a personalized welcome, including wheelchair access and induction loops.
On Saturday, December 6th, the feature film "She Can't Hear the Motorcycle" by Dominique Fischbach will be screened in ST-SME version. This is a significant event as the director examines sensory perception and the role of silence in adventure. The screening will be held in the presence of Arnaud Guillemot (Silence, We Climb!) and Cécile Dumas (Ciné-Sens), prominent figures in the accessibility of cinema.
Another highlight is the workshop dedicated to audio description. With headphones on, participants will discover how a voice-over can describe a landscape, a change in brightness, or a subtle smile. It's often an emotional experience, reminding us that for blind or visually impaired individuals, every sound detail opens up a world of mental imagery. Bonus: leave with some best practices for one's own video content.
The Autrans Festival is not just five days of screenings. Throughout the year, the team plants seeds: school sessions, writing workshops, and filmmaker residencies in the plateau's schools. The Community of Municipalities of the Massif du Vercors brings these initiatives together with programs like M covoit, Signalez-vous, or Via Vercors. Culture, mobility, and ecological transition go hand in hand to shape a living, resilient, and creative mountain.
Located less than 1h30 from Grenoble and a stone's throw from Lyon, the Vercors plateau offers a rare mix: fir forests, karst ridges, Nordic tracks, and villages with authentic charm. In 2024, the Tourist Office recorded **1.3 million overnight stays**, nearly 38% of which were related to cultural events. The festival thus plays a key role in the four-season appeal of the destination.
Dates: December 3 - 7, 2025
Location: Autrans-Méaudre-en-Vercors (Isère, 38)
Ticketing: Online on the official website
Rates: Free, under 6 years old, discounts for youth, job seekers, RSA/AAH beneficiaries
In summary: If you're looking for a festival where you can truly breathe—pure air, wholesome values, inspiring lineup—pack your bags and head to the plateau. And if possible, come by bike: your calves will thank you, and so will the planet!
FVSTFR: French Version with French Subtitles. | SDH: Subtitling for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. | Audio Description: an additional audio track describing key visual elements for blind or visually impaired individuals. These tools, still too rare at festivals, are at the heart of the inclusion approach here.
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