24/G3: Vom Dachstein zum Everest

**MY LAST 8000ER**
Austria 2024, Manuela Federl & Jens Börner, 35 min, German

**DIE WAWI**
Austria 2024, Eva Maria Nagl & Matthäus Weißenbacher, 46 min, German

“She went along with all my crazy expeditions and travels, supported me, and had my back,” says Otto Huber about his wife, Rita. And there were many adventures: the now 83-year-old from Traunstein, Bavaria, was part of the first European Wakhan expedition in Afghanistan, kayaked through the world’s deepest gorge in the Himalayas, and climbed 8000-meter peaks.

Now, the mountaineer faces a new challenge, as his wife suffers from dementia. “This is MY LAST 8000ER,” Huber says in the eponymous film by Manuela Federl. With gentle sensitivity, the film connects his pioneering spirit with the wisdom of a well-traveled man whose world has now narrowed to his immediate surroundings as he devotes himself to caring for his wife. It is especially remarkable that Otto Huber will be available on November 21 at DAS KINO to answer a few questions about his courageous life.

In a completely different way, *DIE WAWI* sheds light on the courage of Barbara Passrugger from Filzmoos. A dreamer, mountain farmer, lover, mother, and mountaineer, she was bold and multifaceted. In her books like *Hartes Brot. Aus dem Leben einer Bergbäuerin* (1989) and *Steiler Hang* (1993), Passrugger, who passed away in 2001 at the age of 91, spoke openly about childhood, sexuality, the church, and her work.

At 21, she was one of the first women to climb the Dachstein South Face. Against all conventions, she separated from her husband, later moved from the mountain farm to a small apartment in the village, and, at age 75, began writing her memoirs after a radio call-out. Pongau filmmakers Eva-Maria Nagl and Matthäus Weißenbacher trace the life of this modern-minded woman. They will be guests on November 16 and November 21.