Dennis Ranalter

From dawn to dusk, a film crew chased storms from Austria to Montenegro, exploring familiar territory and venturing into the unknown. Their goal? Make a stunning ski film.

Dennis Ranalter is one of the world's most respected freeride skiers, his playful style and technical ability earning him a wide fan base and the widely used moniker: D-RAN. Yet away from a name that showcases his self-assurance on the steep slopes of Austria, Dennis’s struggles with identity run deep. At its heart, the question of race and what it means to be black in a sport that remains predominantly and conspicuously white. Descendance is Dennis’s story, a personal journey of self-exploration that examines his relationship with his own skin color, with those closest to him and all those who share his love of skiing. It’s a journey that takes him from his home valley in Austria to Accra, the capital of Ghana, shining a light on the power of family along the way.

Dennis Ranalter is one of the world's most respected freeride skiers, his playful style and technical ability earning him a wide fan base and the widely used moniker: D-RAN. Yet away from a name that showcases his self-assurance on the steep slopes of Austria, Dennis’s struggles with identity run deep. At its heart, the question of race and what it means to be black in a sport that remains predominantly and conspicuously white. Descendance is Dennis’s story, a personal journey of self-exploration that examines his relationship with his own skin color, with those closest to him and all those who share his love of skiing. It’s a journey that takes him from his home valley in Austria to Accra, the capital of Ghana, shining a light on the power of family along the way.