Festival Grand Prize (Best Film Overall, sponsored by Petzl)
BOREALIS (Canada, 2008, directed by Frank Wolf)
Jury statement: The challenge of making this film was almost as severe as the challenge of the journey it depicts. The makers showed great imagination to get around the limitations of a zero budget, livening up the narrative with interviews, jokes, sight gags, even dance! It gently raised important issues along the way, allowing these issues to arise quite naturally out of the journey itself. trailer

Best Film on Mountaineering (The Alpine Club of Canada Award)
ANNAPURNA IN LIGHT STYLE (Poland, 2008, directed by Darek Załuski)
Jury statement: Beautifully and skillfully made, this reflects a tremendous effort by the film-maker as well as the climbers. The quality of camerawork is outstanding. Uniquely in this category, the director also gives his work a strong sense of authorship. A jaunty and idiosyncratic soundtrack nicely counterbalances the seriousness of purpose of the climbers, whose personality and style is intelligently drawn. trailer

Best Canadian Film (Mountain Equipment Co-op Award)
BOREALIS (Canada, 2008, directed by Frank Wolf)
Jury statement: A runaway winner in the Canadian category, this is an inspiring effort for low-budget film-makers, environmentalists and lovers of adventure. trailer

Jury's Award (Festival Award)
SOLO (Australia, 2008, directed by Jennifer Peedom & David Michôd)
Jury statement: One film stood out from all others in this festival for the disturbing nature of its content and the passionate debate it stirred in the jury.
On one side, this documentary was considered highly problematic. It was argued that the makers had encouraged unacceptable risk-taking, and then dramatized and exploited the resulting tragedy.
On the other hand, it was strongly felt that this film should be awarded precisely because of its ability to stir the emotions and provoke thought about the acceptable level of risk taking in adventure sports. It was a compelling, haunting view of one man’s physical and psychological journey. trailer

Best Film on Mountain Culture (B.C.M.C. Award)
JOURNEY OF A RED FRIDGE (Serbia, 2008, directed by Nataša Stankevič and Lucian Muntean)
Jury statement: An excellent example of what can be achieved on a low budget, this film beat off a number of well-funded contenders because of its narrative strength, integrity and sheer film-making nous.
The cinematography drew you through the landscape; the direction was natural, unforced and not over-stylized. Without banging you over the head, this documentary shows climbers, mountaineers and trekkers as part of a general tourist industry that rides on the backs of child labourers. trailer

Best Film on Rock Climbing (Katherine Rae Award)
URUCA 5.11 / 5.13c (Brazil, 2008, directed by Erick Grigorovski)
Jury statement: This category attracted more entrants than any other, and the winner was by some distance the most unusual of them. This is a parodic take not on climbing, but on climbing films. Yet by poking fun at the medium, the makers succeed in capturing more of the joy of climbing than any of their competitors. trailer

Best Film on Mountain Biking (Festival Award)
REVOLUTION ONE (USA, 2009, directed by Dan Heaton)
Jury statement: This was an easy choice – superbly shot and edited, and giving a strong sense of the past, present and future of a sport that is visually highly compelling. Were it a full-scale documentary rather than a précis of a work in progress, this would surely have been in the running for Best Film.

Best Film on Skiing (Festival Award)
ARBITRARY WINTER (Canada, 2008, directed by Andrew Hardingham)
Jury statement: Oddball, funny, and featuring jaw-dropping footage of its snowboarding protagonist - a quirky, endearing character whose travels we’ll be watching out for in future. trailer

Best Water Film (Festival Award)
THE ENDANGERED CREEKS EXPEDITION (Canada, 2008, directed by Mikkel St.Jean-Duncan)
Jury statement: This entry successfully captured the juxtaposition of two very separate uses of British Columbia’s pristine waterways: run of river energy projects and kayaking. The footage stood on its own without the need for a running narrative, which allowed the viewer to feel, rather than to think, their way through the film. Excellent footage of extreme kayaking adds entertainment to education. trailer

Best Environmental Film (Festival Award)
RED GOLD (USA, 2008, directed by Travis Rummel & Ben Knight)
Jury statement: This committed and at times lyrical documentary pits Alaska’s biggest mining project against the world’s largest sockeye salmon runs. This is already a burning issue for the communities directly affected; by focusing on the salmon’s role at the heart of local lives and cultures, the film-makers make a strong appeal to the heart. trailer