Snow Business
Sochi, February 2014: for the first time in their history, the Winter Olympics are held in a country without a tradition of alpine skiing. This is a striking symbol of the global expansion of the mountain industry. Still in its infancy, it is undergoing rapid globalization. This globalization is all the more crucial as, in its original basin—the Western Alps—growth has slowed and the number of skiers has stagnated for years.
Type (Documentaire / Documentaire fiction / Série documentaire)DocumentaryGenre en anglaisSociety & Economy Written and directed byLaurent Cibien, Pascal Carcanade EditingPascal CarcanadeCinematographyPascal CarcanadeSoundHerbert VerdinoOriginal score Karwan MaroufSupported by CNC, Fernsehfonds Austria, MEDIABroadcasted by TSR - Télévision Suisse Romande, France 5Distributed by France Télévisions Year2014Duration52min
The filmmakers, from middle-class backgrounds of the Glorious Thirty and city dwellers passionate about skiing, embark on a journey behind the scenes of this global snow sports industry. Without nostalgia but with humor, they seek to understand what has changed since their first descent. They question this model of development, which today spreads wherever there are slopes, and even where there aren’t, moving beyond its original condition: snow falling from the sky. Their investigation takes them to France, Austria, Italy, as well as the Russian Caucasus, China, South Africa, and even… Belgium.
They meet visionary entrepreneurs in the “snow business,” whose goal is to have the largest number of skiers on the planet. They talk to ski resort managers who demonstrate how “they throw money out the window, but inwardly.” They consult marketing gurus who reveal that “with current techniques, you can do anything, even build a glacier!” They engage with alpine industry screenwriters who explain how to “enhance the natural” by “playing with virtualization, image, and sound”…
With relentless real estate expansion and widespread concrete construction, technological overkill to combat climate change, and transformation of mountain ranges into amusement parks for the wealthy, does gaining a broader perspective offer a clearer view of our world? Is it a reflection of a predatory capitalism capable of turning natural spaces into sources of profit? At the risk of making those who are not willing to do anything to keep skiing want to hang up their skis.
Press coverage
This is what we call the 'snow business,' an industry that has also globalized, from Africa to China. This documentary explores ski resorts, confronts an avalanche of marketing, and humorously questions whether it might be time to take a moment to think before racing down a slope that is more winding than it appears.
Télérama
Will our winter sports resorts be imaginative enough to remain profitable while preserving nature? This well-conducted investigation raises that question.
Le Pélerin
A rather terrifying picture of our leaders' desire to artificialize the territory, to the point of absurdity.
La Vie
A cheeky tone that adds freshness to this serious analysis.
Télé Loisirs