The Cavern 24/7 Film Festival 2017

From its early days when the event was hosted in a packed out Cavern bar the 24/7 has consistently been one of the highlights of the Morzine winter calendar.

The festival eventually moved from the Cavern to the much larger Palais des Sports below the suspension bridge in the centre of Morzine and became a ticketed event, with tickets usually selling out in advance.

The concept was simple - two riders, a four minute film and seven days to film it (hence the name 24/7) Teams must display the event bibs in their videos to ensure they are not cheating and using old footage. Other than that there were no rules and it has allowed film makers to really let their imaginations run wild. Over the years there have been music videos, Only Fools and Horses, Pirates jumping off the suspension bridge, one piece licking, film parodies, snow skating, the Stash getting set on fire, Baywatch and many more.

In the last ten years film making has gone from being quite specialised to being something that anyone can have a go at if they have a go pro and a laptop, meaning that more and more people can get involved. The quality and variety has consistently risen throughout the years meaning that it has become even more important to come up with a truly original concept to entertain the crowds, as well as fitting in the kind of riding that has made Morzine one of the great freestyle resorts of the Alps.

As the event grew in size, the ticket money went to a number of different charities. The biggest legacy to Morzine itself will probably be the new skatepark. Without the hard work of Stew Monk and Russell Price over the years it is doubtful that the skatepark would have been built so soon, if at all. This year it will be raising money once again for the skatepark (there are plans for floodlights) as well as for the Leon Berard Cancer Centre. Many of the Cavern staff past and present volunteer their time to help out, as well as locals helping with the set up and the clear up the following day (probably with a few sore heads).

As one of this year’s organisers, Mickey Fitz of Shredits says “The cavern 24/7 brings Morzine together like no other event. It’s 100% community led and the entire town gets involved. Ten years ago it started as a film competition and it’s now grown to be a festival that celebrates Morzine and all the amazing people that live and work here.”

If you wish to enter a team, registration takes place at The Cavern on Friday the 17th March with filming starting the following day. Filming then finishes at midnight the following Saturday, the 25th March. The completed films will then be shown at The Palais Des Sports from 20:00 on Thursday 30t March. Tickets go on sale soon, priced at ten euros.

Whilst everyone will be sad to see the end of this amazing era in Morzine and the end of this huge event, there is some hope for the future. Mickey Fitz finishes by saying “It's sad to see it go, but the spirit of the festival will never die.” So keep an eye out next year for whatever might come next…

This years sponsors are The Cavern Bar, The Bec Jaune Microbrewery and Treeline Chalets.

Watch all the films from the last ten years and vote for your favourite.