For three days we have had the opportunity to travel through dreamlike landscapes without leaving the Manuel España Theatre. The Mountain, Adventure and Nature Film Festival organised by the Culture Department of Mijas, which keeps alive the spirit of Juan Antonio Gómez Alarcón from Mijas, featured in its fourth edition presentations by people committed to nature, such as the adventurers Quico Taronjí, Nacho Dean and Lorenzo Ortas and the local writer Arita Aronaigo. During the sessions on Thursday and Saturday, the nine short films included in the Tour Pirineos Film Festival of Huesca were also screened. 

 

Nacho Dean, the sea walker

Friday afternoon, the 8th, featured the participation of Nacho Dean, an adventurer and explorer who loves the mountains and the sea, whose restless character, commitment to nature and desire to excel have led him to travel thousands of kilometres on land and water. Dean is the first man in history to have travelled the world on foot, an expedition he completed between 2013 and 2016 and which took him to see impressive places, landscapes and cultures. With that challenge completed, he set himself a second challenge: to unite swimming the five continents and organised the Nemo Expedition, a feat he completed between 2018 and 2019, with the aim of raising awareness of the situation of the seas and oceans and the need for us to care for, respect and conserve our planet. "I have swum in the Benji Strait with Eskimos, in Papua in the Bismarck Sea with aborigines, in the Red Sea between Egypt and Jordan. Behind these expeditions, in addition to the challenge and self-improvement, there is a very important anthropological, cultural and travel component that is very interesting", he explained to the audience. "It is not only the journey out there, the trip around the world, it is, above all, the journey to discover our inner self, a journey of personal growth and development; values and skills that you acquire to face life day by day", added Nacho Dean, who assured that "every day is unique, every day is new, because of the people you meet, the places you visit and the experiences you live".

After the screening of the documentary ‘El caminante del Mar’ (The sea walker), Nacho Dean shared the experience that led him to swim across seas and oceans with the participants, through an interesting dialogue. "The first day I jumped into the pool I didn't even do four lengths, I came from the mountains, water is a completely different environment, I almost drowned. But through training, perseverance and willpower, I managed to swim up to 2,500 kilometres, I became a fish. I was part of the water and the water was part of me", the speaker shared with the audience. About the festival, he stressed that "they are very valuable forums for society, because they provide many values from the experiences of the people who take part, speakers, adventurers, who have a lot to contribute in the field of adventure, nature or exploration. We live in very changing times where it is necessary to contribute that spirit of facing uncertainty, adapting to change", he concluded. 

 

Arita Aronaigo, ‘Airon and Naia in nature’

Friday afternoon also saw the participation of the audiovisual communicator and writer from Mijas, Arita Aronaigo, who presented her educational project 'Aaron y Naia en la Naturaleza' (Aaron and Naia in Nature). "They are two characters who tell their story while enjoying nature. They share their adventures in a dynamic and entertaining way", explained the author. Arita admits to being "in love with family, sport and nature", passions that she shared with the audience. "Mijas is full of green spaces, gardens and parks. We have 140,000 square metres here in Mijas to enjoy under the open sky". About the event, the writer stressed that "I think it is fabulous that people can come and see the projects, the works that are related to nature, to the environment, to the mountains, I think it is an exceptional way to raise awareness of the natural resources we have".

 

Lorenzo Ortas, ‘The landscapes I dreamed of’

On Saturday 9th the cycle of conferences and screenings closed with a talk by Lorenzo Ortas, an experienced mountaineer and climber who has completed important expeditions such as Ausangate in Peru, Baruntse in Nepal, Hidden Peak in Pakistan or Everest and K-2. He brought to Mijas an interesting talk entitled  ‘Los paisajes que soñé’ (The landscapes I dreamed of). "I have related the books that I have been reading throughout my mountaineering life, the landscapes that I have read and dreamed of seeing and thought that I would never have the opportunity to see, but that in the end I have been lucky enough to see. I have shown the ones that have impressed me the most", said Ortas, who is also vice-president of Peña Guara, a member of GAME (Grupo de Alta Montaña Español) and GPHM (Grupe Pireneiste Haute Montagne) and a teacher at the former ENAM (Escuela Nacional de Alta Montaña).

Journeys that, as this event has shown, not only show us other landscapes, other corners of the world, but also contribute to our personal growth and development. Experiences that become life lessons. "I believe that telling people about all this opens their minds, opens their global vision of the world. To get to know these places is to love them. When you love something, you protect it", Ortas concluded. 

In memory of Juan Antonio Gómez Alarcón 

The programme of this festival, dedicated to the memory of Juan Antonio Gómez Alarcón, a nature lover from Mijas who disappeared in July 2010 in the Sierra de Mijas, was completed with the screening of nine short films included in the Tour Pirineos Film Festival of Huesca. "We have seen wonderful landscapes, exciting videos, the speakers have shared their adventures, we have seen extreme feats, both in teams and in solo expeditions, with that spirit of overcoming, we have learned many things, as well as life lessons", said Carmen Gómez Alarcón, Juan Antonio's sister, who is also part of the organisation of the festival and who thanked the Culture Department for their work as well as the participants. "We are very happy, Juan Antonio's spirit is here, as well as his love for sport and nature, that is one of the objectives that this festival shares and promotes and with which we continue to move forward", she concluded. 

 

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