Dropping through one of the most remote and dangerous river canyons in Peru, Bryan Smith and a team of 5 paddlers attempted the first decent of the Rio Huallaga in 2007.  The Huallaga was the last remaining un-run tributary to the Amazon and presented the team with multiple challenges.  From class 5 whitewater to warnings that the valley was home to the Shining Path, Smith shares his Peruvian journey in an entertaining multi-media show that exposes great adventure and remarkable culture.

Bryan Smith
Bryan Smith is an adventure filmmaker and expedition kayaker based out of Squamish, British Columbia. His involvement in the paddling industry spans both the sea and whitewater realms.  Paddling first descents on steep, difficult rivers has taken him all over the world including Peru, India, Ecuador and across North America.  His involvement with the sport coupled with an intense passion for cinematography has allowed his production company Reel Water Productions to produce several award winning films in the past few years.

He was awarded “Best Over All Film” at the National Paddling Film Festival in 2007 with BC Summer 2006. His first documentary “49 Megawatts” was acclaimed both for its amazing kayaking footage and for exposing the controversy over British Columbia’s river based energy production at the 2007 Planet In Focus film festival in Toronto.  It then went on to win “Best Environmental Film” at the 2008 Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival.  His last year’s film, “Pacific Horizons: Exploring the Northwest Coast by Kayak”, was the first in a series of sea kayaking adventure films about the oceans of North America.  It was a finalist in the 2007 Banff Mountain Film Festival, official selection at the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival and San Francisco Ocean Film Festival and won “Best Sea Kayaking Film” at the 2008 Reel Paddling Film Festival.  Bryan’s most recent film, “Eastern Horizons”, documenting the great sea paddling destinations of North America’s east coast, will be also screened as part of the VIMFF Paddle Sports Show.