2002 FILMS
link to
JURORS
link to 2002 winners
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African B.A.S.E.
South Africa, 2001, 26 min.
Directed by Nic Good, produced by Brian Valentine (Fresh Air Crew).
Some people live on the edge. Others step over it. We follow a small group of international base-jumpers on their trip down the East Coast, from Durban to Cape Town, South Africa. Their goal is to jump of all 4 B.A.S.E. objects. Their last jump (Earth) will be a jump that has never been done before.
Director/producer Nic Good
Nic Good became a cameraman because he wanted to share his experiences
with friends and to get his feelings across. He established Fresh Air
Crew production company with two other friends from Cape Town, Charles
Standing and Brian Valentine. Their tireless and fearless efforts have
resulted in an award-winning adventure sports production company. Their
previously awarded titles include San Valentin and Oceans of Fear. In
addition to filming their specialist services and safety rigging have
been called by broadcasters to shoot in the most extreme locations. They
have worked for SABC, BBC and ITV.
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Screening time: Wednesday, February 20, 7 pm (Centennial Theatre)
The Alpinist
Poland, 2001, 13 min.
Directed by Joanna Lancucka, produced by the Polish TV.
The Alpinist tells the story of Krzysztof Wiecha's adventure on the slopes of Mt. Denali back in 1991. He was trapped below the summit due to the dramatic weather change and had to survive almost four days facing fierce winter conditions with no food and no camping gear. This "survival" was considered as the longest one in the climbing history on Mt. Denali. As a result of severe frostbite Krzysztof Wiecha had to undergo an amputation of both of his feet.
N.B. The film will be show only its original Polish version with no English subtitles.
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Screening time: Friday, February 15, 7 pm (Planetarium).
blurr_film winners
blurr_film is a contest for strictly amateur film productions with a
maximum length of ten minutes. The following films have been selected
as the winners. More info at www.blurrstuff.com
blurr_ film grand prize winner
Catch: Bouldering in Newfoundland
Canada 2001, 9:57
Directed by John Redpath
Some of the best climbers in newfoundland bouldering at five locations on the island.
John Redpath
John Redpath is a 24 year-old film student living in Vancouver. Before
coming to Vancouver, John lived in St. John's, Newfoundland for four months,
where "Catch: Bouldering in Newfoundland" was conceived as an
interim project before film school. John is originally from North Bay,
Ontario, and was an Internet software architect in Toronto for five years.
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blurr_ film first runner up
The Experience
Directed by Dave Zieleniewski and edited by Jason Schelgel
8:20
Climbing in ontario - cranking hard moves on the Bruce peninsula.
Dave Zieleniewski
I count myself lucky to have grown up in Southern Ontario. To be so close
to world class limestone and countless, classic routes. This is the story
of a group of friends brought together by the beauty of Lion's Head and
the summer they spent pushing their limits.
David Zieleniewski is new to the filming world, "the experience" being his first film, but surely not his last.
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blurr_ film second runner up
Terrainspotting
Canada 2001, 5:11
Directed by Jonathon Wong
Early season telemarkers search for elusive runs.
Shot on super 8 film.
Jonathan Wong
Jonathan Wong is a filmmaker living in Vancouver, British Columbia. Born
in post-Clean Air Act South-East London, he spent his formative years
in the UK, subsisting on a steady diet of Scotch eggs and low budget sci-fi
on three-channel television. After careful contemplation of his snow globe
collection, Jonathan made "terrainspotting," a Super 8 film
celebrating volcanic rocks, electronic detection and year-round free-heel
skiing on credit. He is currently trying to get back into art school and
collaborating on a new film, "Ba!" with his 1 year-old son,
David.
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Screening time: Friday, February 22, 7 pm (Centennial Theatre)
Carrying The Burden
UK, 2001, 30 min.
Directed and produced by Sangita Manandhar
The trekking season is about to begin in Nepal, perhaps the ultimate
trekking destination in the world. Every year over £26 million is
generated in what is now a highly sophisticated trekking industry. But
for the 100,000 Nepalese porters, who carry the burden for over 125,000
Western trekkers annually, it's a dangerous and often life-threatening
occupation.
Sankha Guha uncovers the horrors that porters face to support their lowland
subsistence farmer income. He talks to porters who have suffered horrendous
frostbite, hypothermia and high altitude sickness, and conveys his own
experiences of mountain sickness whilst trekking on the Everest trail.
Director/producer Sangita Manandhar
Sangita Manandhar was born in Nepal but has lived most of her life in
the UK. She's been with the Asian Programmes Unit at the BBC for eight
years - during which time she has filmed in Bangladesh, Pakistan, India
and Nepal. In 1997 she worked on a BBC documentary on the Gurkhas. In
1999, her documentary Wedlocked - which looked at the plight of South
Asian girls who are forced into marriage - was nominated for a Midlands
Royal Television Society Award in the UK. Her most recent documentary
Dream Bollywood followed two British Asians trying to pursue a career
in the biggest film industry in the world.
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Screening time: Saturday February 16, 7 pm (Planetarium)
The Cases of Mrs. Anna
Poland, 2001, 25 min.
Directed and produced by Dariusz Zaluski
This documentary offers insight into the life of Anna Czerwinska, the most accomplished Polish high-altitude female climber. Anna speaks about her motivations and her inner strength to overcome the biggest obstacles.
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Screening time: Friday, February 15, 7 pm (Planetarium)
Desert Friction
South Africa, 2001, 26 min.
Directed by Nic Good, produced by Brian Valentine (Fresh Air Crew).
From the desolate landscapes of Namibian desert a magnificent granite spire rises over one thousand feet to create "Spitzkop", the Needle Peak. South Africa's current sport climbing champion and holder of the award for the past three years is ably assisted by a fellow leading climber in an attempt to be the second team ever to climb to the summit of Spitzkop via this route called INXS.
Director/producer Nic Good
Nic Good became a cameraman because he wanted to share his experiences
with friends and to get his feelings across. He established Fresh Air
Crew production company with two other friends from Cape Town, Charles
Standing and Brian Valentine. Their tireless and fearless efforts have
resulted in an award-winning adventure sports production company. Their
previously awarded titles include San Valentin and Oceans of Fear. In
addition to filming their specialist services and safety rigging have
been called by broadcasters to shoot in the most extreme locations. They
have worked for SABC, BBC and ITV.
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Screening time: Saturday, February 23, 7 pm (Centennial Theatre)
Dirt Divas
Canada, 27 min, directed by Anne Walton.
World premiere!
Dirt Divas follows several female mountain bikers as they ride and race throughout Canada and the US. Through personal interviews and amazing riding footage, the Divas reveal what motivates them to push their limits in this growing sport. Although each rider faces different challenges in her life, they all share a strong passion for the bicycle.
Through archival footage we discover how the bicycle represents a larger sense of freedom that was jus as important in the 19th century as it is today. This unique documentary, the first ever of female mountain biking athletes, brings this "extreme" sport back down to earth and inspires others to take part.
Anne Walton (in person) comes from a background of International Politics, Film and Languages. For the past three years, she has been downhill mountain bike racing, most recently in the pro category. An interest in motivational aspects of women and sport prompted her to begin the Dirt Divas project.
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Screening time: Thursday, February 21, 7 pm (Centennial Theatre)
Do You Like Clam Chowder: A Mt. Waddington Adventure
Canada, 2002, 26 min.
Directed and produced by Dave Sarkany (in person)
Do you like Clam Chowder was taped on DV in the Waddington and Whitemantle Ranges during a three-week trip in May 2001. This documentary profiles a ski trip of five skiers - Joan Paterson, Mike Traslin, Andy Traslin, Charles Olbery and Dave Sarkany. The 26 min piece follows the group's adventures skiing and climbing around BC's highest peak and kayaking out Bute Inlet. Aside from the introduction, which was filmed in Vancouver and Whistler, the film was all shot in the Waddington and Whitemantle Ranges and in the Bute Inlet.
Director/producer Dave Sarkany
Dave Sarkany started mountaineering in the Coast Mountains 20 years ago.
Since then he visited many other mountain ranges but he keeps getting
drawn back to these local mountains due to there vast glaciation and rugged,
raw beauty. Dave lives in Whistler where he works as a ski patroller and
a guide. For years he has taken photographs while on trips. Last year
he decided to add a little more weight to his pack and got a DV camcorder.
Do you like Clam Chowder is a result.
Higher than Lemurs
Poland, 2000, 28 min.
Directed and produced by Marcin Jamkowski.
Video album-style relaxed documentary from the Polish expedition to the Tsaranoro range in Madagascar.
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Screening time: Friday, February 15, 7 pm (Planetarium)
Lotus Flower Tower
Wales, 2001, 35 min.
Directed and produced by Alun Hughes.
Even far off corners of the Yukon are becoming accessible - but not that accessible! It is still a wild and rewarding journey. This film records a Welsh ascent of the beautiful walls and cracks of this remote tower in the Cirques of Unclimbables.
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Screening time: Friday, February 22, 7 pm (Centennial Theatre)
Makalu - A Winter Lottery
Poland, 2001, 25 min.
Directed and produced by Dariusz Zaluski
Documentary from the 2000/2001 Polish winter expedition to Makalu in the Himalayas, headed by the expedition leader Krzysztof Wielicki. Winter conditions in the highest mountains prove extremely difficult and the team is left to deal with a taste of defeat.
Director/producer Dariusz Zaluski
Dariusz Zaluski has been climbing for more than 20 years. He started in
the Tatra mountains in Poland and then continued in the higher regions.
He climbed Aconcagua, Denali, Kilimanjaro, Gasherbrum II, Cho Oyu, and
Lhotse. He was a member of the Polish winter expeditions to Nanga Parbat
and Makalu. He has been filming for fun for 10 years. His latest films
have participated at some mountain film festivals.
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Screening time: Friday, February 15, 7 pm (Planetarium)
Murph Goes to K2 - The International K2000 Expedition
USA, 2001, 50 min.
Directed by Bill Pierson, produced by Diane Broussalian.
A humorous documentary, chronicling the successful International K200 Expedition of K2, narrated by Murph, a six-inch gorilla in a Hawaiian shirt who reaches the summit. Interviews with the local Pakistani staff, the rugged terrain, team members of six nations, and the climb itself are featured. A very fine line between a serious, dramatic action and the humorous and absurd narration of the gorilla is drawn.
Director Bill Pierson
Bill Pierson grew up in Los Angeles where he started his career (if it
could be called that…) as a motion picture grip almost twenty years
ago. He has been climbing for about fifteen years, and has been on ten
Himalayan expeditions, as well as trips to Alaska, South America, Africa,
Scotland, New Zealand, and, of course, Canada. He lives in Seattle with
his girlfriend and video collaborator, Diane Broussalian.
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Screening time: Saturday, February 23, 7 pm (Centennial Theatre)
Mustang
(Slovakia, 2001, 25 min)
Directed and produced by Pavol Barabáš (K2 Studio)
Mustang, a kingdom whose existence has long been kept secret, is located on the territory of Nepal in the fabled land of Lo. It is hidden behind the high wall of the Himalayas, like a wedge driven into Tibet. The afternoon wind blows every day, tirelessly obliterating all trace of every caravan. In front of the royal palace monks intone ancient Buddhist prayers over and over again. The first tourist arrived only a few years ago…
Two friends are traveling along an ancient trade route over the main ridge of the Himalayas, in order to reach its capital Lo Mantang and make a film. Time seems to have stopped in this medieval fortress. Electricity, roads and cars are unknown to these people and yet in their incredible knowledge of nature and in their way of life they are ahead of us. The fortress of Lo Mantang, however, continues to guard its secrets…
Director/producer Pavol Barabáš
Pavol Barabáš has worked as a camera operator and director
for Sportfilm, ERPO Advertising Agency and K2 STUDIO. In addition to TV
advertising and promotional films he is the author of a broad range of
mountain films with the topic of the lives of people in extreme conditions.
His previous awarded titles include the highly acclaimed 118 Days in Captivity
of Ice and Mysterious Mamberamo. He is a member of the Slovak Film and
TV Academy.
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Screening time: Saturday, February 16, 7 pm (Planetarium); Wednesday, February 20, 7 pm (Centennial Theatre)
Mysterious Mamberamo
Slovakia, 2000, 65 min.
Directed and produced by Pavol Barabáš (K2 Studio)
This film documents a difficult and dangerous adventure into unknown and sometimes hostile territory in the Western parts of New Guinea.
Director/producer Pavol Barabáš
Pavol Barabáš has worked as a camera operator and director
for Sportfilm, ERPO Advertising Agency and K2 STUDIO. In addition to TV
advertising and promotional films he is the author of a broad range of
mountain films with the topic of the lives of people in extreme conditions.
His previous awarded titles include the highly acclaimed 118 Days in Captivity
of Ice and Mysterious Mamberamo. He is a member of the Slovak Film and
TV Academy.
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Showing time: Sunday, February 17, 7 pm (Planetarium)
Over the Mountains
Sweden 2001, 28 min.
Directed and produced by Fredrik Holmström
Swedish couple Tina & Thomas Sjögren is on their way to the summit of Mt. Everest. While the body is fighting to survive in the thin air, the mind is pushing for one final questions. What is for living for and what is worth dying for?
Director/producer Fredrik Holmstrom
Fredrik Holstrom has made a career in martial arts. He is the vice-world
champion in Thai-boxing (67 kg). Over the Mountains is his first film.
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Screening time: Wednesday, February 20, 7 pm (Centennial Theatre)
Realization and Unfinished Business
USA, 2001, 20 min.
Directed and produced by Josh Lowell.
Both Realization and Unfinished Business document Chris Sharma in his long-term attempts to establish what is now perhaps the hardest natural rock route in the world (Realization, 5.15a, Ceüse, Frnace). Chris had to come back a number of times and has spent hundreds of hours attempting the route before finally sending it in July 2001.
Director/producer Josh Lowell
Josh Lowell is a 29-year old climber and filmmaker from New York City.
Realization is excerpted from Dosage Vol 1, Lowell's fourth climbing video
for Big UP Productions. His previous video, Rampage, was awarded the prize
for best rockclimbing film at the 2000 Vancouver International Mountain
Film Festival. To see more of his work visit www.bigUPproductions.com
and www.climbXmedia.com
(The Monthly Dose).
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Screening time: Saturday, February 23, 7 pm (Centennial Theatre).
N.B. Both films will be show as part of Chris Sharma's live show.
Salathé: Blood, Sweat and Bagels
UK, 2001, 45 min.
Directed and produced by Rich Heap (Slackjaw Film)
Neil Bentley and Richard Heap had a dream to tackle one of the most spectacular and difficult free climbs in the world - the 3000 ft Salathé Wall on El Capitan and the Yosemite Valley. This film follows their adventure as they try to come to grips with the unremitting nature of the granite terrain, five days of living in a vertical world and, more importantly, the conflict that arises when dreams meet reality. Authentic, beautifully shot and intimate, the film is brimmed with humanity and shows that failure is as important as success when underpinned by strong friendship and a love for masochism.
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Screening time: Saturday, February 23, 7 pm (Centennial Theatre)
Second Coming
Canada, 2001, 35 min.
Directed by Mike Kinrade.
World Premiere!
Second Coming is a film based out of the Kootenays in BC. This sequel to Hidden Pleasures was made to have the same down to earth feel as before. The film shows a group of bros hangin' out and rippin' it up on some the gnarliest terrain Canada has to offer.
Director Mike Kinrade
Mike started out making ski movies out of White Water, BC when he was
about 16 years old with his cameraman Jeremy Grant and the rest of their
crew. Their equipment
consisted of 2 home video cameras donated by their parents. Later they
tried their hand in the bike film industry and worked their way up.
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Screening time: Thursday, February 21, 7 pm (Centennial Theatre)
Slave to the River
Canada, 2001, 18 min.
Directed and produced by Shawn Grono
Premiere!
Explore the life revolving around an isolated 35 km stretch of rapids on the Slave River in the wilds of Northern Canada. Our team of kayakers journey down this intricate labyrinth of whitewater, learning about the history of these rapids, the majestic white pelicans and the small town of Ft.Smith, built by the early explorers and traders due to the arduous portage around these monstrous obstacles. Join the team in their kayaking adventure into the 'land of the midnight sun'; and see why each of them has become a 'slave to the river'.
Director/producer Shawn Grono
Shawn Grono is a native of Edmonton. He has traveled extensively throughout
Canada, U.S., South America and New Zealand. His primary passions are
traveling, whitewater kayaking, photography and videography. He is a whitewater
kayaking and river rescue instructor, and the secretary for the Canadian
Kayak Club in Edmonton. Slave to the River is his first documentary film.
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Screening time: Friday, February 22, 7 pm (Centennial Theatre)
Unizaba
Canada, 2001, 10 min.
Directed by Sean White, produced by Sean White & Derek Westerlund
(Freeride Entertainment)
Unicyclists Kris Holm and Nathan Hoover climb volcanoes in Mexico then ride down on unicycles.
Sean White
Director and producer Sean White works for major newspapers and magazines
and is published by Sports Illustrated, Associated Press, Maclean's, Globe
& Mail, Toronto Star, and National Post. His acclaimed multimedia
show Himalayan High has toured museums and theatres across Canada and
his images are displayed in museums and galleries. A passionate climber,
Sean has made ascents in the Himalayas, Rockies, Squamish, Coast Range,
Cascades and Vancouver Island. He is a graduate of the Western Academy
of Photography in 1997 and the Eddie Adams Workshop in 1999. His previous
films include Beyond Gravity (2000).
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Showing time: Thursday, February 21, 7 pm (Centennial Theatre)
2002 film competition jurors
David Dornian
David Dornian lives in Calgary and has climbed for more than 30 years, in Canada and abroad, winter and summer. He has been skiing for just as long, and in previous lives has competed in alpine freestyle events and been a Nordic ski instructor. He is presently the Chair of the Alpine Club of Canada's Competition Climbing Committee and Director of the North American Council for Competition Climbing, as well as the negligent editor of the notorious Calgary Mountain Club World News.
David has a post-graduate degree in Philosophy, and works as a journalist and writer, reviewing films and books that feature the outdoor recreation community or that focus on the natural environment. He has rigged or served as talent for many sports filmmakers and photographers over the years, and has acted (briefly) in Hollywood movies. He hasn't tried to make a film himself since 1976, and believes the world is the better for it
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Jim Sinclair
Jim Sinclair is the Executive Director of Vancouver's Pacific Cinémathèque,
one of Canada's oldest and most active film institutes, and has been a
curator of Canadian and international films for almost 20 years. A native
of Edmonton, he holds a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) and a Bachelor of Laws
(L.L.B.) from the University of Alberta, and moved to Vancouver in 1986
to pursue graduate studies in the Department of Theatre and Film at the
University of British Columbia. Program Director at Pacific Cinémathèque
since 1988 and Executive Director since 1991, he is responsible for curating
the institute's program of year-round film exhibitions, now one of the
most extensive such programs offered in North America, with over 500 screenings
annually. He has served on numerous film festival, government arts council
and film industry awards juries, including, recently, the International
Jury at the International Film Festival Bratislava in Slovakia in 2000,
the Dramatic Jury for the Manitoba Motion Picture Industries Association's
Blizzard Awards in 2001, and the inaugural selection panel for Canada's
Top Ten, a new annual initiative launched in 2001 by the Toronto International
Film Festival.
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Pat Morrow
A native of Kimberley, BC, Pat's drive to see and document the world's wildest places led him from an early age to pursue a series of adventures whose imagery has filled several books, dozens of film documentaries and hundreds of magazine articles over the past 25 years. Perhaps best known for having initiated and completed the Seven Summits climbing project, Pat received the Banff Festival of Mountain Films Summit of Excellence award in 1990 for its documentation. His photos and films have won a number of national magazine awards.
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Jack Christie
Born in Toronto, raised in northern Alberta, the Ottawa Valley, California's Mojave Desert, and Paris, Jack Christie studied at York University and Rochdale College. He later worked in film until settling permanently in Vancouver in 1975. Since 1980 Jack worked as writer-broadcaster, first with CFRO (Co-op Radio), then CBC-Radio where he most recently contributed a weekly outdoors commentary, "Beyond the Backyard". In 1986 he was hired to write an outdoors column for the Georgia Straight, based on his CBC-Radio travel series "Hit the Road". In 1989 he published his first travel guide, Day Trips from Vancouver (revised in 1995 and 2000), followed with the Whistler Outdoors Guide (1991, revised in 1996), One-Day Getaways from Vancouver (1995, revised in 1999), Day Trips with Kids (1997), and Inside Out British Columbia (1998). Currently Jack Christie hosts the "Rec Report" broadcast weekly on Shaw TV's "Plugged In" where most recently he profiled mixed route climber Sean Isaac. For more information, visit www.jackchristie.com
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Katherine Monk
Born in Montreal in 1965, Katherine Monk moved to the West Coast in 1984 to study English at UBC. After completing her degree in 1988, she was elected City Editor of The Ubyssey student newspaper and returned to academic life as a post-graduate film student at UBC where she roamed the basement halls with the likes of Lynne Stopkewich, Bruce Sweeney and Mina Shum. In 1990, she was hired at the Vancouver Sun as a summer staffer. After a few stints in the world of low-budget filmmaking that included a four-month stay in South America, Monk returned to the Sun, where she has worked as a news writer, copy editor, production editor, political columnist and pop music critic. She has been nominated for a Western Magazine Award for arts reporting. She currently writes movie reviews and entertainment features for the Sun, in addition to being a contributor to CBC Radio One's Definitely Not the Opera and will soon be a regular contributor to the BCTV early news hour, broadcasting film reviews.
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Nazir Sabir
Nazir Sabir earned high respect in the mountaineering community for his achievements in 20 years of climbing. He climbed many 8000m peaks including K2, Everest, and four of the five highest peaks in Pakistan. He was honoured with the President's Award for Pride of Performance in 1982 for his outstanding achievements in mountaineering. He has been offering slide presentations in seminars around the world, voicing for the environmental issues concerning the mountains in Pakistan's Siachen Area and in the Himalayan countries. As a photographer and filmmaker he has been involved in a number of Pakistani and international projects. He also worked as a jury member at several film festivals.
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