This weekend we went to the Banff Mountain Film Festival. You must be thinking "Wait a minute, isn't that in Banff?" Yes the original show is in Banff but every year the best films tour the world so everybody can enjoy them! We have been attending the Banff show for many years, so it was great that we didn't miss this year even though we are in New Zealand!
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| Banff in New Zealand! |
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| This ticket did not win a door prize |
The films were really great! Since only certain films are selected to travel, we actually got to see the best ones (mostly award winners). The films had more stories and less action which I actually preferred, though we still got a healthy dose of adrenaline rush! I've realized that most sports action films that are longer than ~15min usually are very repetivite and contain a lot of filler. The best ones condense the action down and release as a short film. There are of course some exceptions: That's It That's All (think Planet Earth meets ski film), The Fine Line, All.I.Can (short cut played at the saturday show, but we've seen the feature film and it's fantastic). There were more climbing films than anything, I'm assuming because the NZ BMFF is put on by the Alpine Club. Here's what we saw, I've starred my favourites.
Friday June 8:
*SKI BUMS NEVER DIE - Canada, 2011, 4 minutes www.switchbackentertainment.com
What does it take to be a ski bum? An unending dedication to powder skiing? The ability to do anything in your ski boots? A lifelong quest for deep snow? Find out with this unusual and inspiring band of skiers in the Kootenay region of British Columbia.
*REEL ROCK: SKETCHY ANDY - USA, 2011, 22 minutes www.senderfilms.com
American climbing dirtbag Andy Lewis is taking the discipline of slacklining into the future as he solos the world’s longest high-lines and masters the hardest aerial tricks, while pushing his equipment to the limit. As Andy goes higher, harder, and faster with climbing, slack, and B.A.S.E., we all wonder how far he can go before it’ll be one step over the line.
GRAND LIBRE AU GRAND CAP - France, 2011, 18 minutes www.bertranddelapierre.com
Join Arnaud Petit and Stéphanie Bodet as they attempt what might be the toughest route in the Alps, a majestic 3,900-metre pinnacle that juts from the Mont Blanc Massif: Grand Capucin. Close camera work and lively discussion along the route allow us intimate access to a refreshing and effective climbing partnership. French with English subtitles.
*KADOMA - Best Film on Exploration and Adventure www.clearh2ofilms.com
“Kadoma” is the nickname for Hendri Coetzee, a legendary South African kayaker who is known for exploring some of Africa’s wildest rivers. In December 2010, American pro kayakers Chris Korbulic and Ben Stookesbury followed Coetzee into the Democratic Republic of Congo for a first descent of the dangerous Lukuga River. Seven weeks into the expedition, tragedy struck.
REEL ROCK: ICE REVOLUTION - USA, 2011, 13 minutes www.senderfilms.com
A revolution is taking place, led by Canadian maniac Will Gadd. After 30 years of ice climbing, Gadd has finally realized his dream of climbing radically overhanging, heinously difficult ice at British Columbia’s spectacular Helmcken Falls. Gadd and Tim Emmett dodge exploding icicle bombs and send the hardest pure ice climb in the world.
ON ASSIGNMENT: JIMMY CHIN - USA, 2010, 6 minutes www.camp4collective.com
A brief portrait of a passionate athlete who has melded climbing and photography. Jimmy Chin believes that “the most honest photos happen when both the subject and the photographer are just in the moment, and the rest of the world has just fallen away.”
HANUMAN AIRLINES - USA, 2011, 26 minutes www.theultimatedescent.com
Two Nepali adventurers channel the Hindu God of Wind on their mission to launch a paraglider from
Mount Everest’s summit and travel to an ocean they have never seen.
*THE FREEDOM CHAIR - Best Film on Mountain Sports www.switchbackentertainment.com
Josh Dueck was an aspiring skier and coach until a ski accident in 2004 changed his life forever. Despite his comeback and success in the world of competitive sit-skiing, he wasn't content. Josh’s dream is to tackle the backcountry and the steepest and wildest mountains in the world — and with his infectious outlook, he may just catch his dream.
Saturday June 9:
WHITE WATER GRAND PRIX - Canada, 2011, 4 minutes www.tribealliance.com
Some of the world’s best kayakers come together for a six-stage competition on spectacular whitewater.
*REEL ROCKS: RACE FOR THE NOSE - USA, 2011, 22 minutes www.senderfilms.com
Welcome to the wildest competition known to man – the speed record on the Nose route of El Capitan. For 50 years, the best climbers in the world have been one-upping each other on this massive granite monolith in Yosemite National Park, racing up 3,000 feet of vertical rock in under three hours, and risking life and limb to shave mere seconds off the record time.
BLUE OBSESSION - USA, 8 minutes www.blueobsessionfilm.com
The beautiful and ever-changing icefalls of Alaskan glaciers provide a stunning setting for some unusual ice climbing adventures.
ON THE TRAIL OF GENGHIS KHAN: THE LAST FRONTIER - People’s Choice Award - Australia, 2011, 46 minutes www.timcopejourneys.com
Tim Cope, his band of horses, and his dog Tigon travel overland 10,000 km from Mongolia to Hungary, following the footsteps of legendary warrior and nomad Genghis Khan. Cope visits distant parts of the world rarely seen, places on the cusp of modernity yet proud of nomadic traditions. The Last Frontier captures the culmination of his stunning three-year journey, the crossing of the Carpathian Mountains.
*ALL.I.CAN: THE SHORT CUT - Best Feature-length Mountain Film - Canada, 2011, 11 minutes www.sherpascinema.com
Stunning time-lapse sequences, creative visuals, great skiers, and deep powder are highlights of this excerpt from the award-winning feature film that looks at snow sports and the environment.
*CHASING WATER - Best Short Mountain Film - USA, 2011, 18 minutes www.petemcbride.com
Pete McBride grew up on a ranch in Western Colorado, a child of the Colorado River. After a life spent visiting other countries to tell stories as a National Geographic photojournalist, in 2008 Pete decided to follow the water from his family’s ranch to see where it ends up. This is the story of Pete’s journey, and a story about the lifeblood of the American West.
COLD - Grand Prize, Best Film on Climbing - USA, 2011, 19 minutes www.forgemotionpictures.com
Experience Gasherbrum II in the middle of a deep, dark winter as seen from the raw, honest perspective of alpinist Cory Richard’s camera. This film deftly captures the interwoven roles of pain, fear, and doubt — and reveals a harrowing descent that amplifies their isolation and exposure.
*REEL ROCK: ORIGINS — OBE & ASHIMA - USA, 2011, 23 minutes www.senderfilms.com
There’s a nine-year-old girl from New York City taking the bouldering world by storm, and her name is Ashima Shiraishi. Guided by her coach and former bouldering star Obe Carrion, this tiny master is crushing competitions and raising the bar for her peers. A trip to the bouldering mecca of Hueco Tanks provides a glimpse of the past for Obe and the start of amazing new adventures for Ashima
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