In 2023, the Festival celebrated its 40th anniversary, giving us the opportunity to take a quick look back at 40 years of aerial filmography…
we tell you all about it:
Looking back over 40 years of cinema
After the 1979 World Free Flight Championships, Daniel Raibon Pernoud, President of the Coupe Icare, was looking to breathe new life into the St Hilaire site.
With the help of Nicole Raibon (who later became the Festival Director) and Martine Lange – and with the advice of Jeannot and Janine Lamberton (organisers of the Caving Film Festival at La Chapelle en Vercors) – they embarked on the adventure of a Film Festival!
In 1983, the Coupe Icare celebrated its 10th anniversary and inaugurated the 1st International Free Flight Film Festival in the auditorium of the Rocheplane Medical Centre.
Pierre François Degeorges, producer of the TV programme “les carnets de l’aventure”, was the first president of the Festival jury and a loyal friend of the event.
The overall Grand Prize went to Léo Dickinson for “Sailing above the Alpes”.
Daniel
Nicole et Martine
Pierre François Degeorges
The public
From the very first edition, the public was there! A public of enthusiasts and flyers. During the Coupe Icare, people fly during the day and meet up in the evening in a festive and friendly atmosphere where paper planes punctuate the film screenings!
Very quickly, links were forged…
Between the organisers and the film-makers, like Léo Dickinson, Charlie Jöst and Gilles Santantonio, but also free-flight enthusiasts such as Jean Daniel Carrard, Philippe Bernard and Didier Favre… Unfailing loyalties were born.
Didier Favre à l’harmonica
Jean Daniel Carrard
Philippe Bernard alias “Super Max”
The films
Initially devoted to hang gliding, the festival quickly opened up to other disciplines, particularly in 1985 with the arrival of paragliding. This was followed by paramotoring, aeromodeslime, speed-riding, base jumping…
Under this big top, what emotions!
Very quickly, the Rocheplane cinema was too small… In 1993, the Festival set up its big top in the heart of the Coupe Icare.
The Festival is first and foremost about screenings, but it’s also about encounters and highlights such as :
• In 1997, the American Francis Roggalo, a NASA engineer and one of the fathers of the delta wing, received a standing ovation.
• In 2002, the Brazilian Tura and his paper balloons, discovered thanks to Etienne Chambolle’s film, …
• In 2015: a meeting between 2 giants of the free-flight world, the Australian Bill Moyes, pioneer of hang-gliding, and the Swiss Bertrand Piccard.
Francis Rogallo and his wife, surrounded by Nicole, Daniel and Martine
Tura with Daniel Raibon Pernoud and Nicole Raibon
Bill Moyes and Franck Piccard
The public is always there!
Always faithful, always numerous, delighted to discover each year a fine selection of films devoted to aerial sports!
The entire organising team looks forward to seeing you on 16 September for another edition of this unique film festival!
La 53e Coupe Icare vous attend du 15 au 20 septembre 2026 à St Hilaire (Plateau des Petites Roches) - Lumbin.
Suivez l'actu tout au long de l'année sur notre site : www.coupe-icare.org
