Dominique Snyers
Film Maker
Wilderness stories that awaken universal bonds.
Production
Directorial Universe
I have always juggled research and teaching. When I go off the beaten track, deep into the wilderness, it's not just to find myself, but to explore and share the deep connections that bind us to everything around us.
My films speak of the power of co-operation and friendship to weather natural and personal storms.
Deep in the wilderness, learning to cooperate again.
Bio
With a Master's degree from Stanford University and a PhD from the University of Caen, I have been a researcher in artificial intelligence, a professor in engineering schools and the founder of many start-ups.
For more than 30 years, I have also accompanied many young people in their discovery of the wilderness, teaching them to mitigate and take responsibility for the risks involved.
More recently, as an extension of my passion for sharing, I have begun to make documentaries about the discoveries that these adventures bring.
My approach
For me, adventure films have always been about more than just showing incredible images. It has to tell a story and convey emotion. It has to take the audience on a transformative journey.
The camera becomes a true member of the adventure, sharing the same difficult conditions. It's the only way to capture the raw human interaction in action.
I shoot on a human level, without effects, dynamic and close, with just a few aerial shots to cast these interactions into the vastness of the great outdoors.
My new Film
Brussels Travel Ferstival
Grand Public Choice
2017
Feature Films
Kendal Mountain Festival
Best Climbing Film
2020
The Nahanni Whisperer - 2017
Four young climbers dream of climbing the Lotus Flower Tower, a legendary big wall somewhere in the Cirque of the Unclimbables in the far reaches of northern Canada.
For 800 metres of climbing, they will have to brave 550 km of the treacherous Nahanni River over a month of total independence.
Altaitude - 2018
Everything is bigger in the Altai, the mountainous frontier between Mongolia, China and Russia. This is what Damian and Dom discover as they spend three weeks skiing the high peaks and enduring early spring storms.
Loic and the Flolopapys - 2019
Twenty-two-year-old Loic has been a passionate climber since he got his first pair of climbing shoes at the age of six. Together with Florian, Pablo and Pierre, they form the inseparable "Flolopapys", bringing their energy and good vibes to the furthest reaches of the climbing world.
But can Loic use the energy of the Flolopapys to overcome his persistent fear of heights?
Short Films
Comete Resistance Network - 2024
From July 1941 to June 1944, the Comète network enabled 288 Allied airmen to reach England and return to duty.
Video made with Roméo Zabus for the exhibition "Resist to Exist" in Schaerbeek from 11 to 30 March 2024.
In French with English subtitles.
Founding Moments - 2018
Does it feel different to be a teenager from the New World or the Old World rafting down a rapid for the first time and sharing fish, pancakes and Belgian chocolate around a campfire?
Leo and Sinbad are cousins. They barely know each other. One lives in the United States and the other in Belgium. They meet on a packraft trip in the pristine wilderness of Quebec.
In English and French with subtitles.
Bushwhacking in Sápmi - 2022
With packrafts on their backs, Cyril, Emile and Dom set out for the tundra south of Sweden's most pristine national park, Sarek. Alternating between bushwhacking and packrafting in one of Europe's last wildernesses, they gradually learn the secrets of silence and slowness. The masks come off.
For ten days they meet no one, nothing human, except for a few remnants of Sami camps. They are alone, and the autumn lights above the Arctic Circle are so beautiful.
In the dragon's nest - 2022
Philippe joins Dom on one last expedition before the thaw. They want to explore the ski touring possibilities in the Kebnekaise massif, above the Arctic Circle in Sweden. Tuolpagorni, or the Dragon's Nest in Sami, awaits them.
In French
Sámi packraft - 2023
Eight years after his first packraft expedition to Canada at the age of 15, Réginald reunites with his uncle Dom. Together they set off to explore an uncharted river in the Sámi region of northern Sweden.
After three days of walking with their heavy packs and meeting no one, they finally reached the head of the river. The reward was well worth the effort. Three days of non-stop rapids await them.
In French with English subtitles.
Quentin the hero - 2023
What could be better than a studious Easter break in Lapland? Quentin didn't need to be told twice and joined Dom at his base camp in Kåbdalis, Sweden.
Together they will ski the last section of the Kungsleden in an epic race against time and spring.
Great moments of telemark skiing and laughter.
In French.
Dominique
Snyers
Contact
+32 495575184
dominique.snyers@agilebirds.com
Social
Free Streaming
The Nahanni Whisperer - 2017
Four young climbers dream of climbing the Lotus Flower Tower, a legendary big wall somewhere in the Cirque of the Unclimbables in the far reaches of northern Canada.
For 800 metres of climbing, they will have to brave 550 km of the treacherous Nahanni River over a month of total independence.
Brussels Travel Ferstival
Grand Public Choice
2017
Altaitude - 2018
Everything is bigger in the Altai, the mountainous frontier between Mongolia, China and Russia. This is what Damian and Dom discover as they spend three weeks skiing the high peaks and enduring early spring storms.
Mountain Film Festival
Grand Jury Foreign Film
2019
Loic and the Flolopapys - 2019
Twenty-two-year-old Loic has been a passionate climber since he got his first pair of climbing shoes at the age of six. Together with Florian, Pablo and Pierre, they form the inseparable "Flolopapys", bringing their energy and good vibes to the furthest reaches of the climbing world.
But can Loic use the energy of the Flolopapys to overcome his persistent fear of heights?
Kendal Mountain Festival
Best Climbing Film
2020