NZ Mountain Film & Book Festival - wanaka programme - NZ Mountain Film Festival
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16t h Y E A R
NZ Mountain Film
& Book Festival
New Zealand’s very own mountain film festival!
Film • Art • Literature • Talks • Film and Writing School • National Film Tour
wanaka
programme
Friday June 29 to Wednesday
1 July 4 • www.mountainfilm.nz
Welcome to the 16th NZ Mountain Film Festival
In this programme, you will find an outline of events in Wanaka. There are 82 films in this programme,
including 10 world premieres and 37 NZ premieres. Full descriptions and discounted pre-sales are available
from our website. There is a separate programme for the Queenstown Film Festival (July 5 to 7)
and Cromwell Show (July 4).
We hope the Festival will inspire, thrill and educate you. There’s something in this programme for everyone to
enjoy; it amazes us how even people with absolutely no interest in doing adventure sports just love the Festival.
We hope you can join us, NZMFF Board of Trustees.
contents
Film Festival Events Pages 3 to 15 Other Events Page 16
Workshops Page 16 Book Festival Events Page 18 to 19
Adventure Film and Writing Schools Page 17
tickets
Tickets are sold from www.mountainfilm.nz and you can also buy tickets during the festival from the
Lake Wanaka Centre (we suggest pre-booking). There are single show tickets, a non-transferable Film
Festival Pass ($119) to all shows, and a transferable Platinum Pass ($250). There is a youth discount,
where indicated, for under 18-year-olds (bring your ID). See the website for more information.
LAKE WANAKA CENTRE TICKET WINDOW HOURS
Ph 020-4084-8775 - no answerphone, please text for a callback.
Friday: 5.00pm to 8.00pm • Saturday and Sunday: 10.30am to 8.00pm
Monday to Wednesday: 3.00pm to 7.30pm
CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED ONLINE, BUT NOT AT THE VENUE.
This programme may change at any time and times are approximate. The NZ Mountain Film Festival is a Registered Charity #CC49344.
thanks to
Our Benefactors: Sir Tim Wallis - Alpine Helicopters.
Our Patrons Plus: Aspiring Wealth Management, Richard Prout, Ross & Marg Turner,
Bob Campbell, Latin Link Adventures.
Our Patrons: Alan Wakelin, Nick Brown, Nic Blennerhassett, Bonny Teat, Matt Keown,
Raymond Key, Matt Laming, anonymous.
Our Funders:
2
Brought to you by:
Friday 29 JUne
SESSION 1 Opening Night
Live music, art exhibition and trade show opens, with official welcome by Festival Director
Mark Sedon. Presentation of the film competition awards followed by a medley of short
films, including the Best Short Film. A popular and social evening!
OFFICIAL GRAN
SELECTION PRIZ
Time: 7.00pm to 11.15pm Venue: Main Auditorium, Lake Wanaka Centre
Cost: $35 (online), $40 (at the door)
7.00pm - Social Session. View the trade show and enjoy some live music and complimentary nibbles
while catching up with friends. BEST FILM
ON CLIMBING
BEST FIL
ADVENTU
SPORTS & LIF
8.00pm - Festival Starts. Welcome followed by film awards and previews.
Short film session: Fire by David Walden, NZ; The Time Within, USA; Skidsville, Canada; Moonline,
France; Cabin Jams, Canada; A Door in the Sky, France; Fall Impressions, USA.
Where the Wild Things Play (4 mins), Director: Krystle Wright, USA. Friday night at the BEST BEST S
SHORT FILM SPORTS
local watering hole and … where the ladies at? Answer: BASE jumping from high desert
cliffs, performing tricks on slacklines, climbing granite routes, shredding singletrack,
skiing backcountry lines and generally just leaving the fellas behind.
Friday
OFFICIAL GRAND BEST
SELECTION AWARD
PRIZE SPECI
MADE
WINNER JURY AW
BEST FILM GRASS
BEST FILM ON BEST FIL
ADVENTUROUS MOUNT
ON CLIMBING ROOTS
SPORTS AWARD
& LIFESTYLES CULTU
Wadi Rum
BEST BEST SNOW PEOPL
SHORT FILM SPORTS FILM CHOI
ZAHHAK Hokkaido Calling Stumped
INTERMISSION Try a glass of locally-made Maori Point wine from the café
AWARD SPECIAL BES
Stumped (25 mins), Director: Taylor Keating & Cedar Wright, USA. “I don’t wantWINNER
to be JURY AWARD
ENVIROM
FILM
known as just a one-armed climber,” says Maureen Beck, “I just want to be a good
climber.” She may have been born missing her lower left arm, but that hasn’t stopped
her from climbing hard.
GRASS
ROOTS AWARD
Wadi Rum (33 mins), Director: Henna Taylor, USA. Set in the expansive landscape of Jordan’s distinctive
national park, follow the unlikely story of two Israeli climbers as they work together to complete a
massive climbing project.
INTERMISSION Try an Altitude beer from the café
We finish off the night with a collection of short films: ZAHHAK – Unicycling Mt. Damavand, Switzerland;
Pillars, UK; Escape, Canada; and Hokkaido Calling, Canada. Otemanu (15 mins), Director: Rudy Cassan
& Mathieu Rivoire, France, NZ Premiere, Subtitles. Otemanu rises abruptly from the turquoise waters
surrounding the tropical island of Bora Bora and for two wingsuit pilots it’s the perfect peak to jump off.
3
OFFICIAL GRAND BEST NZ
SELECTION PRIZE MADE FILM
Brought to you by:
saturday 30 JUNE
SESSION 2 Mountain Culture Show BEST FILM BEST FILM ON BEST FILM ON
ON CLIMBING
ADVENTUROUS
SPORTS & LIFESTYLES Workshop #1
MOUNTAIN
CULTURE
Kids on bikes in Kathmandu, punk rockers climbing peaks, and canoe Snow Photography - starts
at 7.30am, See page 16
making in Ecuador. This session delves deep into the stories of unique
Free Family Show
humans following their unique passions. Enjoy several NZ premieres 10.00am - Free films at
as well as the Special Jury Award film that offers an insightful view Edgewater Hotel, bookings
essential via the website,
into the life of Sir Chris Bonington. A beautiful and movingSPORTS
BEST
SHORT FILM
collection
BEST SNOW
FILM
PEOPLE’S
see page 16
CHOICE
of films. Free Book Event
10.30am - Kids reading with
Time: 10.45am to 3.00pm Venue: Main Auditorium, Lake Wanaka Centre Lee Lamb at the Wanaka
Cost: $17 (online), $20 (at the door), youth discount $5 Library, see page 16
AWARD
10.45am Bonington Mountaineer (80 mins), Director:WINNER
Brian Hall JURY SPECIAL Free
BESTArt Walk - Grab
ENVIROMENTAL
AWARD a map
FILMor join a free guided
& Keith Partridge, UK, NZ Premiere. This documentary looks tour at 10.00am from the
OFFICIAL GRAND BEST NZ
retrospectively, from his rock climbing days in the UK throughSELECTION PRIZE
Lake WanakaMADECentre FILM
to visionary ascents on the high peaks of the Himalaya and shares
the remarkable and poignant life of one of the world’s best-known mountaineers – Sir Chris Bonington.
GRASS
ROOTS AWARD
12.05 INTERMISSION Try a freshly-baked cookie from the café
BEST FILM BEST FILM ON BEST FILM ON
12.30 RJ Ripper (19 mins), Director: Joey Schusler, USA, NZ Premiere,
ON CLIMBING Subtitles. Kids and
ADVENTUROUS MOUNTAIN
SATURday
SPORTS & LIFESTYLES CULTURE
bikes; wherever you are in the world, they go together. The chaotic streets of Kathmandu
may not seem like a typical breeding ground for world-class mountain bikers, but then
again nothing is typical about Rajesh (RJ) Magar.
Mothered by Mountains (16 mins), Director: Renan Ozturk, Nepal, NZ Premiere, Subtitles. Nepal’s leading
female mountain guide has been on top of the tallest peaks on Earth.
BEST When she teams
BEST SNOWup to make a
PEOPLE’S
SHORT FILM SPORTS FILM CHOICE
first ascent with an unlikely partner, a local punk-rock icon, they both find that the paths to the greatest
summits lie within.
Loved by All: The Story of Apa Sherpa (14 mins), Director: Eric Crosland, Canada, NZ Premiere.
Apa Sherpa has climbed Mount Everest 21 times, more than
AWARD SPECIAL BEST
any other human. But he wouldn’t wish this upon anybody. WINNER JURY AWARD
ENVIROMENTAL
FILM
Having grown up in the remote Khumbu region of Nepal,
Apa was forced to leave school and work as a porter at the
age of 12, his dreams of being a doctor forever lost. Best
Mountain Culture Film at Vancouver Mountain Film Festival. GRASS
ROOTS AWARD
Choices (21 mins), Director: Teresa Hoerl, Germany, NZ
Premiere. Steph Davis left school in her early twenties and
followed her passion for climbing and BASE jumping. A
decision she‘s never regretted, living an unconventional life
- a life full of extraordinary choices proving that what seems
to be a wrong decision at first can be the right one.
BREAK Try a Wanaka made ice cream from the café
Dugout (53 mins), Director: Benjamin Sadd, UK, NZ Premiere,
a few subtitles. Ben and James travel to the Ecuadorian
Amazon to live with an indigenous community and to learn
from them how to build a canoe, then take that canoe on a
journey. The film covers the two-month trip, documenting
their time in the Huaorani community as they build a dugout
canoe, then the journey downstream through Ecuador’s
Yasuni region – one of the most biodiverse areas of the world.
4
Brought to you by:
saturday 30 JUNE
SESSION 3 Pure NZ
An audience favourite! Kiwi filmmakers on stage to introduce their films then take us
climbing in the Faroe Islands and caving the Bulmer cave system. This NZ-only session
features inspirational journeys skiing and following in the footsteps of Shackleton. Enjoy
Perspective, Trollfinger, and The Sky Piercer - this year’s winner of the Hiddleston/MacQueen
Award for Best NZ-made Film!
Time: 3.30pm to 6.30pm Venue: Main Auditorium, Lake Wanaka Centre
Cost: $20 (online), $23 (at the door), youth discount $5
Young Stroke Thrivers (5 mins), Director: Andy Vause, NZ. Meet two young children who have
had a stroke at a young age who both had the opportunity to partake in what most of us take
for granted: the ability to go skiing. OFFICIAL
SELECTION
GRAND
PRIZE M
Perspective (5 mins), Director: Nat Warburton, NZ. 11-year-old Nat Warburton presents his
short film that showcases the perspectives of an adventure lifestyle rock climbing, mountain
biking, river surfing and kayaking.
BEST FILM BEST FILM ON
ADVENTUROUS
The Last 36 Trollfinger The Sky Piercer ON CLIMBING SPORTS & LIFESTYLES
SATURday
BEST BEST SNOW
SHORT FILM SPORTS FILM
AWARD SPECIAL
E
WINNER
The Last 36 (20 mins), Director: James Blake, NZ. Follow an expedition to South Georgia to mark theJURY AWARD
centenary of the first crossing of the island on Shackleton’s heroic journey to get help for the crew of the
ill-fated ship, ‘Endurance’. Three young people take on the crossing including NZer; Tom MacTavish.
Trollfinger (29 mins), Director: Jason Blair, NZ. Three Kiwis go to the Faroe GRASS
ROOTS AWARD
Islands to climb the iconic rock spire, known locally as Trollkonufingur.
Weather and loose rock threaten to keep them from the elusive summit.
INTERMISSION Try a Wanaka made ice cream from the café
Fly (5 mins), Director: Fenella Bowater, NZ. A documentary about two of NZ’s best speedflyers.
Explore the world from above and see what binds and drives these best of friends.
Once Again Beneath the Mountain (37 mins), Director: Kieran Mckay, NZ. Success or failure, it
all depends on attitude. This is a story deep underground in the 76-kilometre-long Bulmer cave
system. 15 cavers head underground for 17 days with 600 kgs of gear ready to dive, climb and
dig their way through the mountain.
INTERMISSION Try a freshly-baked cookie from the café
The Sky Piercer (40 mins), Director: Jason Hancox,OFFICIAL
NZ. A team, led GRAND
by Sam BEST NZ
SELECTION PRIZE MADE FILM
Smoothy, hit the road with the objective to climb and ski the East Face of
Aoraki/Mt Cook. They are being beaten down by the weather with the
possibility of meeting the objective looking less and less likely.
5 FILM
BEST BEST FILM ON BEST FILM ON
ADVENTUROUS MOUNTAINBrought to you by:
saturday 30 JUNE
SESSION 4 Premiere Guest Speaker Event
A night not to be missed! Conrad Anker will kick off the evening talking about
his incredible life of adventure. The theme continues with the Grand Prize-winning film of
Liv Sansoz’s truly inspiring movie. Follow a foodless bike-pack journey and the world’s first
attempt to conquer a grade 39 climb. Some epic little short films to finish, altogether an
unbelievably action-packed and awe-inspiring evening! OFFICIAL GRAND
SELECTION PRIZE
Time: 7.00pm to 11.00pm Venue: Main Auditorium, Lake Wanaka Centre
Cost: $35 (online), $40 (at the door)
7.00pm - Social Session. View the trade show and enjoy some live music while catching up with friends.
BEST FILM BEST FILM ON
ADVENTUROUS
ON CLIMBING
8.00pm - Talk by Conrad Anker, USA. SPORTS & LIFESTYLES
With over 30 years of experience under his belt, Conrad is still chasing first
ascents. In 2011, he summited the Shark’s Fin, one of the last unclimbed
Himalayan peaks, and in 2012, led an expedition to recreate the historic
1963 American Mount Everest Expedition. He’s a visionary, a champion for
the environment, a pioneer and the best comrade you’ll find at 25,000 feet. BEST BEST SNOW
SHORT FILM SPORTS FILM
Legendary doesn’t even begin to describe him.
SATURday
Co-sponsored by: Edgewater Hotel
INTERMISSION Try a glass of locally-made Maori Point wine from the café
AWARDdream
Foodless Odyssey (11 mins), Director: Anthill Films, Canada, NZ Premiere. A longtime SPECIAL
WINNER JURY AWARD
to bike-pack through hundreds of kilometres of wilderness on a remote island, living
entirely off the land. The rules were simple: carry all the survival tools needed to bike, fish,
hunt and camp. but absolutely no food.
GRASS
The Land of Maybe (15 mins), Director: Will Lascelles, NZ, NZ Premiere. The Faroe
ROOTS Islands
AWARD boast some
of the most untouched and picturesque landscapes in the world. Three of the world’s best rock climbers
head to the Nordic country to attempt a first ascent on the world’s highest sea cliff. But there may be a
problem?
Liv Along the Way (24 mins), Director: Mike Douglas, Canada, NZ Premiere. Since she first
OFFICIAL GRAND
SELECTION PRIZE
summited Mont Blanc as a teen, Liv Sansoz knew she would make her life in the mountains.
She was twice crowned World Champion in sport climbing, and eventually expanded her
professional horizons to mixed climbing, ski mountaineering, and BASE jumping. In 2017 Liv
set out in an attempt to climb all 82 4000m peaks in the European Alps in a single year. As she’s learned
several times throughout her life, things don’t always go as planned. BEST FILM
ON CLIMBING
BEST FILM ON
ADVENTUROUS
SPORTS & LIFESTYLES
INTERMISSION (Trade show closes for 2018) - Try a bottle of Altitude beer
Silence (18 mins), Director: Bernardo Giménez,
Czech Republic, NZ Premiere. What does it take
to climb the world’s first grade 39 (9c/5.15d) route?
Let’s find out as we watch Adam Ondra, currently BEST
SHORT FILM
BEST SNOW
SPORTS FILM
one of the best climbers in the world try his
project in the spectacular Hanshelleren Cave
in Norway.
We finish off the evening with three short films, an
AWARD SPECIAL
animation, skateboarding and ocean photography: WINNER JURY AWARD
Uruca II – Bugaboos Edition, Canada/Brazil; Dawn
to Dusk, USA; and In Perpetual Motion, Australia.
6 GRASSBrought to you by:
sunday 1 JULY
SESSION 5 Nature and the Environment
Some of the most important stories of our times. ‘Blue’, the Free Family Show
10.00am - Free films at
Environment Film Award recipient, tells a breathtaking tale of the Edgewater Hotel,
degradation of our oceans. This insightful film is both eye-opening bookings essential via
the website. See page 16.
and moving. Enjoy watching the harvest of wild hallucinogenic honey Free Art Walk - Grab a
and how the folks of Bow Valley live side-by-side with grizzly bears. map or join a free guided
tour at 10.00am from the
Watch the evolution of Bangladesh in the face of climate change and Lake Wanaka Centre
the reality for the critically endangered orangutans in Borneo.
All this AND a 30 minute talk by Crystal Brindle!
Time: 11.00am to 3.00pm Venue: Main Auditorium, Lake Wanaka Centre
Cost: $17 (online), $20 (at the door), youth discount $5
Person of the Forest (17 mins), Director: Melissa Lesh & Tim Laman, USA, NZ Premiere, Subtitles. In the
vanishing lowland rainforests of Borneo, research is underway to uncover and understand the unique
cultural behaviours in wild orangutans. With their habitat disappearing at an alarming rate, this research
may prove to be key in protecting this critically endangered species.
Adaptation: Bangladesh (12 mins), Director: Justin DeShields, USA, Subtitles. At a time when doomsday
Sunday
narratives dominate the current climate conversation, adaptation plays an increasingly vital role for
both its practical application and as a hopeful reminder of our resilience as a OFFICIAL
species. This film GRAND
presents BEST
SELECTION PRIZE MADE F
a collection of remarkable real-life examples of how people are adapting and innovating in the face of
environmental change.
Living with Wildlife (23 mins), Director: Leanne Allison, Canada, NZ Premiere. The Bow Valley of Alberta,
BEST FILM BEST FILM ON BEST FIL
Canada is the busiest place in the world where people and grizzly bears still coexist. The communities
ON CLIMBING
ADVENTUROUS
SPORTS & LIFESTYLES
MOUNT
CULTU
have come together over the past 20 years to live with grizzlyOFFICIAL
bears and other wildlife.
GRAND BEST NZ
SELECTION PRIZE MADE FILM
12.00-12.30pm INTERMISSION We’ll have some thick yummy soup and bread available
TALK BY CRYSTAL BRINDLE. Crystal is a ranger for DOC, a passionate photographer, an avid tramper
BEST BEST SNOW PEOPL
and a keen trail runner. She will give a 30 minute talk about what it’s like to live
BEST FILM
the
SHORT
BEST FILMlifestyle
FILM
ON ofSPORTS
aBEST
ranger
FILMFILM
ON CHOI
ADVENTUROUS MOUNTAIN
and what she learned during a summer spent high in the mountains of Fiordland,
ON CLIMBING seeking an CULTURE
SPORTS & LIFESTYLES
endangered alpine species, the iconic and tenacious rock wren. Co-sponsored by TSL Outdoor NZ
The Last Honey Hunter (36 mins), Director: Ben Knight, Nepal, NZ Premiere, Subtitles.
AWARD SPECIAL BEST
ENVIROME
Follow one of the few remaining cultures to harvest the wild hallucinogenic honey from
WINNER JURY AWARD FILM
BEST BEST SNOW PEOPLE’S
jungle cliffs deep in the remote valleys of eastern Nepal. Grand Prize
SHORT FILMwinner at Vancouver
SPORTS FILM CHOICE
Mountain Film Festival.
GRASS
INTERMISSION Try a freshly-baked cookie from the café ROOTS AWARD
Blue (77 mins), Director: Karina Holden, Australia. A story everyone
AWARD
needs to hear. The
SPECIAL BEST
ENVIROMENTAL
industrialisation that has occurred in the oceans over the lastWINNER
century mirrors theAWARD
JURY events FILM
that triggered mass extinctions on land. Industrial scale fishing, habitat destruction,
species loss and pollution have placed the ocean in peril. The very nature of the sea is
being irretrievably altered. Our ocean has been the guardian of life on Earth. Now it is our turn to be
GRASS
ROOTS AWARD
guardians for the ocean.
7Brought to
sunday 1 JULY you by:
SESSION 6 Bike, Paddle and Fly Show Book Event #1
Words & Wine. 5:30pm to
19 days of solo paragliding across Pakistan anyone? How about biking 6:30pm, Armstrong Room.
a holy trail in Tibet or kayaking the intrepid Rondu Gorge on the Indus See page 18
River? Winner of a Special Jury award, ‘Surf the Line’ is a wonderful film showcasing the
culmination of two years’ work to pull off an outrageous feat - to surf the sky.
Time: 3.30pm to 6.15pm Venue: Main Auditorium, Lake Wanaka Centre
Cost: $17 (online), $20 (at the door), youth discount $5
Flying to 8000m (42 mins), Director: Antoine Girard & Jérémie Chenal, France, NZ Premiere, Subtitles.
A paraglider spends 19 days flying across the north of Pakistan, covering over 1200km. On a solo mission
over the Himalayas, he flew through this stunning mountain range and reached 8157m of altitude to view
Broad Peak from above. Nominated by National Geographic for 2017 Adventurer of the Year.
INTERMISSION Try a freshly-baked cookie from the café
Sunday
OFFICIAL GRAND
SELECTION PRIZE
Fly to 8000m
BEST FILM BEST FILM ON
ADVENTUROUS
ON CLIMBING SPORTS & LIFESTYLES
OFFICIAL GRAND
SELECTION PRIZE
BEST BEST SNOW
SHORT FILM SPORTS FILM
Inside the Indus Surf the Line BEST FILM BEST FILM ON
ADVENTUROUS
ON CLIMBING SPORTS & LIFESTYLES
AWARD
Inside the Indus - a Pakistani Odyssey (27 mins), Producer: Mike Dawson, NZ. Kiwi kayaker SPECIAL
WINNER JURY AWARD
Mike Dawson and two friends head to Pakistan to attempt a descent of the fabled Rondu
Gorge on the Indus River. This film shows the true beauty of Pakistani people, as three
friends attempt to conquer a river that is far from friendly.
BEST
GRASS BEST SNOW
Nekor – A Bike Pilgrimage in Tibet (14 mins), Director: Sebastian Doerk, Switzerland,
ROOTS NZ Premiere,
SHORTAWARD
FILM SPORTS FILM
Subtitles. Four friends set out to ride the arduous track that surrounds the “Kawa Kharpo”, one of the
eight holy mountains in Tibet.
INTERMISSION Try a Wanaka-made ice cream from the café
Surf the Line - FULL MOVIE (52 mins), Director: Jeremy Frey, France, NZ Premiere,
AWARD SPECIAL
WINNER JURY AWARD
Subtitles. Have you ever dreamed of surfing in the sky? The Flying Frenchies did, requiring
two years of preparation, complex calculations, the creation of a kilometre-long cable and
a custom surfboard.
GRASS
8 ROOTS AWARDBrought to you by:
sunday 1 JULY
SESSION 7 Premiere Guest Speaker Event
Guest speaker Dulkara Martig will talk about her pack-rafting adventures and life in the
wilderness. Ben Page’s Best Film on Adventurous Sports and Lifestyles takes us on a solo fat-
biking adventure, and Chris Sharma take us deep water soloing in the Mediterranean. The
audience will go back-country skating in Alaska and BASE jumping in Australia. An action-
packed evening of progressive adventure!
Time: 7.30pm to 10.30pm (live music from 7.00pm) Venue: Main Auditorium, Lake Wanaka Centre
Cost: $30 (online), $35 (at the door)
7.30pm - Talk by Dulkara Martig (NZ)
Dulkara has carved out a lifestyle for herself, incorporating her passions
for wilderness adventure, travelling and working with youth. In the
past year alone, she has been part of four multi-week expeditions: a
ski-mountaineering packrafting journey in SE Alaska, alpine hiking and
packrafting in the Arctic, packrafting in the remote Kimberleys in Western
Australia, and an all-women traverse of NZ’s Southern Alps. Dulkara will OFFICIAL GRAND BEST
share stories about her multi-discipline wilderness journeys. Co-sponsored by: Good Rotations
SELECTION PRIZE MADE F
Sunday
INTERMISSION Try a glass of locally-made Maori Point wine from the café
The Frozen Road (25 mins), Director: Ben Page, UK, NZ Premiere. Compelled by Jack
BEST FILM BEST FILM ON BEST FIL
ADVENTUROUS MOUNT
London’s assertion that ‘any man who is a man can travel alone’, Ben drops everything
ON CLIMBING
to SPORTS & LIFESTYLES CULTU
fat-bike the world, completely alone. He encounters the threat of wolves, well below-
freezing temperatures, and solitude. The film is an honest reflection on a solo trip; of the
wonder, terror and frustration he experienced when riding through the unforgiving emptiness of one of
the world’s ‘last great wildernesses’.
BEST BEST SNOW PEOPL
SHORT FILM SPORTS FILM CHOIC
The Lorax Project (34 mins), Producer: Simon Blair, Australia. Six friends embark on a determined quest
to climb and BASE jump a formidable climb in remote western
Tasmania. Surrounded by some of the most pristine wilderness
in all of Australia, they contend with extreme weather and
AWARD SPECIAL BEST
rugged terrain, relying on each other’s skills and humour to WINNER JURY AWARD
ENVIROME
FILM
reach their goal.
INTERMISSION Try a bottle of Altitude beer
GRASS
Above the Sea (17 mins), Director: Josh Lowell, USA. Chris ROOTS AWARD
Sharma remains the world’s greatest practitioner of deep
water soloing - climbing ropeless above the sea. Ten years
after his generation-defining ascent of a majestic arch, Chris
returns to the Mediterranean island of Mallorca where he
discovers a beautiful, sweeping wall.
We finish off the evening with three short films, a persistent
rock climber, creative mountain biking and cross country
skating: 9b, UK, Wild Ice - Backcountry Skating Alaska, USA,
and DreamRide 2, Canada.
9Brought to
monday 2 JULY you by:
SESSION 8 Adventure Film Matinee Workshop #2
A number of reasons to watch this Adventure Matinee! Three climbers, Bike Tuning - starts at
4.00pm. See page 16.
one big wall, 19 days. Two skiers attempting a high mountain in East
Siberia. Mountaineering in Iran and a thoughtful film on the mental
balance climbing and danger allows you to have.
Time: 3.30pm to 6.30pm Venue: Main Auditorium, Lake Wanaka Centre
Cost: $17 (online), $20 (at the door), youth discount $5
The White Maze (52 mins), Director: Matthias Mayr, Austria, NZ Premiere, Subtitles. A whole year of
planning, scouting and guesswork sees two adventurers trying to reach the Chersky Mountain Range to
climb and ski the highest peak of Eastern Siberia: Gora Pobeda. But travel in Eastern Russia is not that
easy, especially in winter!
INTERMISSION Try a freshly-baked cookie from the café
Notes from the Wall No Turning Back
monday
Inside Iran
OFFICIAL
SELECTION
No Turning Back (30 mins), Director: Damiano Levati, NZ Premiere. A beautiful film about BEST FILM
one man’s motivations that drive him to the mountains. Until Alex Honnold’s free solo of ON CLIMBING SP
El Capitan, Hansjörg Auer’s free solo of The Fish Route, an 850-metre grade 27 route
(5.12c/7b+), was an easy contender for the boldest free solo ever completed.
Notes from The Wall (35 mins), Director: Siebe Vanhee & Guillaume Lion, Belgium, NZ Premiere, Subtitles.
Follow three of the world’s best climbers as they spend 19 days on the wall trying to free-climb one of the
BEST
hardest routes of Patagonia, a 1200-metre-high route on the east side of Torre Central, Torres del Paine.
SHORT FILM
INTERMISSION Try a Wanaka made ice cream from the café
Inside Iran (19 mins), Director: Puria Ravahi, Iran/Germany, NZ Premiere, Subtitles. Three friends decide
to go and climb Mt Damavand, in Iran. The aim is to ski from the 5610m summit. Their perception of Iran is
AWARD
from mainstream media, but wait until you see the real Iran and make your own judgment. WINNER
Mixtress (20 mins), Director: Dawn Glanc, USA, NZ Premiere. Over the past 20 years, a few women in
North America have put their mark on mixed climbing history. The women in this film have raised the bar
in mixed climbing and have helped shape the genre into what it is today. GRASS
ROOTS AWARD
10OFFICIAL GRAND BEST
Brought to
monday 2 JULY SELECTION
you by:
PRIZE MADE
SESSION 9 Snow Show
BEST FILM BEST FILM ON BEST FI
Workshop #3
A festival fave! First up, Special Jury Award winners offer a reflectiveON CLIMBING ADVENTUROUS MOUN
SPORTS & LIFESTYLES CULTU
FREE Avalanche talk and
look at the love of snow sports. World premiere from Kiwi freeskier ‘Backcountry Ski-Touring
Janina Kuzma takes us volcano skiing on Taranaki. Best Snow Sports in NZ’ book launch - at
Film chases a world record - one not to be missed! The usual pow 5.30pm. See page 16.
shots, steep and epic terrain and magical far off lands of snow. Enjoy
a variety of snow chasing adventures. BEST
SHORT FILM
BEST SNOW
SPORTS FILM
PEOP
CHO
Time: 7.30pm to 10.30pm (live music from 7.00pm) Venue: Main Auditorium, Lake Wanaka Centre
Cost: $25 (online), $30 (at the door)
The Curve of Time (23 mins), Director: Jordan Manley, Canada, NZ Premiere. Due to climate
AWARD SPECIAL BES
change two veteran professional skiers contemplate the impact their love for adventure
WINNER JURY AWARD
ENVIROM
FIL
has on the very environment that sustains and fulfils them. As they peer into the future,
they realise there is a more sustainable path ahead, but it won’t be easy.
Becoming History (15 mins), Director: Mike Douglas, Canada, NZ Premiere. Twenty
GRASSyears ago, the
ROOTS AWARD
sport of skiing was in danger of fading away as the younger generation passed it by in favour of more
progressive sports like snowboarding. But what saved it?
monday
A Line in The Snow – Greece (10 mins), Director: Ben Tibbetts, UK, NZ Premiere, some subtitles.GRAND
OFFICIAL Skiing BEST
SELECTION of the north
in Greece? Really? A ski adventure to Greece not just exploring the beautiful mountains PRIZEbut MADE
OFFICIAL GRAND BEST
meeting the people that live there. SELECTION PRIZE MADE
Men Who Stare at Sheep (12 mins), Director: Riley Leboe, Mike Henitiuk, Matt Margetts & Joe Schuster,
Canada, NZ Premiere. Never far from the mountains, nor far from the sea… follow the journey ADVENTUROUS
BEST FILM from the
BEST FILM ON BEST FI
MOUN
high reaches of NZ’s Southern Alps to the cold-water surf breaks that pound the intricate
ON CLIMBING
BEST FILM coastlines.
SPORTS
BEST&FILM
LIFESTYLES
ADVENTUROUS
ON CULTU
BEST FIL
MOUNT
ON CLIMBING SPORTS & LIFESTYLES CULTU
INTERMISSION Try a glass of locally-made Maori Point wine from the café
Taranaki (7 mins), Producer: Janina Kuzma, NZ. Three girls plan to climb four volcanoes on
the North Island of NZ but due to poor weather concentrate on Mt. Taranaki.
BEST BEST SNOW PEOP
SHORT FILM SPORTS FILM CHO
BEST BEST SNOW PEOPL
2.5 Million (23 mins), Director: Tyler Wilkinson-Ray, USA. Follow skier Aaron Rice as he
SHORT FILM SPORTS FILM CHOI
sets out to ski 2.5 million human-powered vertical feet in the backcountry and set a new
world record. To be successful, Aaron will have to ski over 330 days in the calendar year
and chase snow around the world.
AWARD SPECIAL BES
ENVIROM
Fountain of Youth (28 mins), Director: Mike Douglas, Canada, NZ Premiere. AfterWINNER
an JURY AWARD FIL
AWARD SPECIAL BES
ENVIROM
WINNER to
extraordinary career as a professional skier and filmmaker, Mike Douglas is beginning JURY AWARD FILM
wonder how long his health and his luck will hold out. He heads to Japan in his quest for the
secret of perpetual youth and meets with Yuichiro Miura, the Man Who Skied Down GRASS
Everest in 1975.
ROOTS AWARD
GRASS
INTERMISSION Try an Altitude beer from the café ROOTS AWARD
Searching for Gold (22 mins), Director: Johannes Hoffmann & Julia Brunner, Austria, Subtitles. In the
ongoing search for steep powder this passionate group heads deep into the remote Ak-Shirak mountains
in Kyrgyzstan. Both fascinated and appalled by the clash of the mining industry and the mountains, this
group of five sets out on their adventure in search of gold.
We finish the evening with three short ski and snowboard films: The Space Within, USA; Imagination,
Canada; and In Limbo, Director: Mike Handford, NZ.
11Brought to
tuesday 3 JULY you by:
SESSION 10 Cave, Bike and Ski Show
Ready for action? Go deep into the deepest cave system in Europe for Book Event #2 -
those last remaining unconnected links. The history of extreme at 5.00pm. Some of NZ’s
literary best; Laurence
mountain biking from its roots until today plus the usual TGR ski Fearnley, Shaun Barnett
OFFICIALand Paul Hersey.GRAND
(and bike) extravaganza. SELECTION PRIZE
See page 18
Time: 3.30pm to 6.30pm Venue: Main Auditorium, Lake Wanaka Centre
Cost: $17 (online), $20 (at the door), youth discount $5
The Ario Dream (42 mins), Director: Paul Diffley, UK, NZ Premiere. Explore the deep caves
BEST FILM BEST FILM ON
of Ario in the Picos de Europa mountains, Northern Spain. The film follows an ON
expedition
ADVENTUROUS
CLIMBING SPORTS & LIFESTYLES
as they try to make the last few connections that could result in the deepest cave system
in Europe. The tension, as each diver disappears into the blackness, is genuine…
INTERMISSION Try a freshly-baked cookie from the café
The Ario Dream The Moment BEST BEST SNOW
SHORT FILM SPORTS FILM
tuesday
AWARD SPECIAL
WINNER JURY AWARD
GRASS
Rogue Elements ROOTS AWARD
OFFICIAL GRAND
SELECTION PRIZE
BEST FILM BEST FILM ON
ADVENTUROUS
ON CLIMBING SPORTS & LIFESTYLES
Rogue Elements - Festival Cut (39 mins), Director: Todd Jones, Steve Jones & Blake Campbell, USA. Since
the dawn of time, everything that has lived and breathed on this planet has beenBEST
subject to theBEST
whims
SNOWof
SHORT FILM SPORTS FILM
Mother Nature. We are unequivocally drawn to nature’s rawest fury and deepest mysteries, irreverent
souls who pursue the edge of skiing, snowboarding and mountain biking.
INTERMISSION Try a Wanaka made ice cream from the café
The Moment (75 mins), Director: Darcy Hennessey Turenne, Canada, NZ Premiere. In the
AWARD SPECIAL
WINNER
backwoods of British Columbia, three small but dedicated crews of adventure seekers JURY AWARD
were quietly changing the course of a sport and carving their paths in history. This film is
the story of a small movement of mountain bikers and filmmakers who rose up,
challenged the status quo, and turned the sport of cycling on its head. All they wanted
GRASS
was to
feel free with no rules, no sponsors, and no claim; just the raw freedom of riding
ROOTStheir bicycles down the
AWARD
unthinkable. This is the story of the moment that changed everything and was the birth of the sport that
nobody wanted.
12Brought to you by:
tuesday 3 JULY
SESSION 11 Premiere Guest Speaker Event
Mark Sedon will speak about his immense 1,700km kite and climbing expedition to
Antarctica. Check out Naresh Kumar’s ordeal running the length of NZ in 87 days, in sandals
no less. Enjoy watching a 19-year-old woman rock climbing a grade 37 route and expedition
biking in South West Bolivia. An action-packed session, not to be missed!
Time: 7.30pm to 10.30pm (live music from 7.00pm) Venue: Main Auditorium, Lake Wanaka Centre
Cost: $30 (online), $35 (at the door)
7.30pm - Talk by Mark Sedon (NZ).
The Lake Hawea’n will talk on his recent 1,700km kite and climbing expedition
to Antarctica. Accompanied by 2017 Festival speaker Leo Houlding (UK), Mark
ventured on an expedition to climb one of the most remote mountains on Earth:
Mt Spectre in the Gothic Range of the Transantarctic Mountains. They spent
55 days in Antarctica, travelling over 1,700km with loads nearing 200kgs each!
It’s thought to be the first time anyone has done this style of expedition in
Antarctica, using kites to access the mountains. Co-sponsored by World Expeditions.
INTERMISSION Try a bottle of locally-made Altitude beer
tuesday
OFFICIAL GRAND BEST
SELECTION PRIZE MADE F
Break on Through Riding the Ruta Lagunas Stirb Langsam
BEST FILM BEST FILM ON BEST FIL
ADVENTUROUS MOUNT
ON CLIMBING OFFICIAL
SPORTS & LIFESTYLES GRAN
CULTU
Stirb Langsam (16 mins), Director: Jakob Schweighofer, Austria, NZ Premiere. A portrait about SELECTION
a young PRIZ
alpinist who accomplishes one outstanding performance after another until this one day when his body
reveals his limits after a banal training session, causing his life to turn upside down. The film deals
intensively with the effects of the mountain as a drug on a young, motivated person.
Break on Through (26 mins), Director: Matty Hong, Peter Mortimer & Nick Rosen,BEST USA. In BEST FILM
BEST SNOW
ON CLIMBING
BEST FIL
PEOPL
ADVENTU
SPORTS & LIF
SHORT
high-end modern rock climbing, 5.15 (NZ grade 37) is near the top of the difficulty FILM a
scale, SPORTS FILM CHOI
grade achieved by only a few men and never by a woman. Margo Hayes, a little known
19-year-old from Boulder, Colorado, is determined to change that.
INTERMISSION Try a glass of locally-made Maori Point wine from the café
AWARD SPECIAL BEST
WINNER BEST
JURY AWARD BEST S
ENVIROME
Riding the Ruta Lagunas (17 mins), Director: Jimmy Purtill, Germany, NZ Premiere. Two SHORT FILM SPORTS
FILM
cyclists ride across South America, in the Ruta Lagunas in South West Bolivia. Facing
strong winds, high altitude, freezing temperatures and a bumpy sandy track, they try to
reach the Salar de Uyuni, the world’s largest salt plain. GRASS
ROOTS AWARD
We finish off the evening with four short films, including a NZ made World Premiere. AWARD SPECI
Naresh Kumar - The Man in Sandals, Germany; Ascend, USA; Slacker, USA; and Riding East, WINNER JURY AW
Director: Matthew Girvan, NZ, World Premiere.
13OFFICIAL GRAND
SELECTION PRIZE
Brought to
wednesday 4 JULY you by:
SESSION 12 Adventure Film Matinee BEST FILM BEST FILM ON
ADVENTUROUS
ON CLIMBING
Book Event #3 -
SPORTS & LIFESTYLES
at 5.00pm. A Melting Pot
El Capitan is the backdrop for a wonderful story of friendship, challenge of American and Kiwi
and celebration, a heartwarming tale of triumph. Carla Braun-Elwert Literature; Sequoia
Schmidt and Neil
and her sister Elke retrace the steps of history in the Southern Alps and Silverwood. See page 18
Pete Whittaker makes history with a record-breaking solo up El Capitan.BEST BEST SNOW
This adventure matinee is action packed with rich stories and wonderfulSHORT characters.
FILM SPORTS FILM
Time: 3.30pm to 6.30pm Venue: Main Auditorium, Lake Wanaka Centre
Cost: $17 (online), $20 (at the door), youth discount $5
Hold Fast (55 mins), Director: Jim Aikman, USA, NZ Premiere. As you’ll know from seeing
AWARD SPECIAL
WINNER
his talk, Conrad Anker is one of the greatest and most notorious professional mountain JURY AWARD
climbers in history. His friend Alex is a novice big-wall climber who recently recovered
from stage 4 lymphoma and intense chemotherapy. They team up to climb Yosemite’s El
Capitan and put their traumatic brushes with mortality behind them. GRASS
ROOTS AWARD
INTERMISSION Try a freshly-baked cookie from the café
Hold Fast
wednesday
OFFICIAL GRAND
SELECTION PRIZE
BEST FILM BEST FILM ON
ADVENTUROUS
ON CLIMBING SPORTS & LIFESTYLES
Symphony on Skis
BEST BEST SNOW
SHORT FILM SPORTS FILM
Solo (29 mins), Director: Pete Whittaker, UK, NZ Premiere. Follow Pete Whittaker as he becomes the first
person to rope solo El Capitan in Yosemite in under 24 hours.
INTERMISSION Try a Wanaka Pure ice cream from the café
Symphony on Skis (60 mins), Director: Carla Braun-Elwert, NZ, a few subtitles. In 1985,
AWARD SPECIAL
WINNER JURY AWARD
Gottlieb Braun-Elwert and two friends set out on a spectacular ski crossing of our
Southern Alps. They covered over 40km and 4000 vertical metres, from Godley Valley to
Fox Glacier, in only 18 hours. He named the route Symphony on Skis. Thirty years later,
Carla Braun-Elwert pays tribute to her late father by creating this film with her sister
GRASSElke.
ROOTS AWARD
14wednesday 4 JULY Brought to you by:
SESSION 13 Premiere Guest Speaker Event -
Old Fashion Story Telling
Enjoy what has become a Festival favourite, the fire side story telling, with the People’s
Choice film of 2017 involving singing and climbing from a small barely floating yacht. Still on
the slightly reckless side is Safety Third, an edge of your seat, funny and scary film, plus a
bunch of thoughtful short films to round off another year of Mountain Film Festival.
Time: 7.30pm to 10.30pm (live music from 7.00pm) Venue: Main Auditorium, Lake Wanaka Centre
Cost: $25 (online), $30 (at the door)
7.30pm - Talk: Old Fashion Story Telling
Intimate. Real. Anything goes. Our speakers step across the threshold and go unscripted and
unsupported by notes, lecterns or audio visual equipment. This is storytelling at its unabashed best.
Witness unique stories on the theme of mountains, wild places and misadventure as they are shaped in
the moment. Featuring well-known local skier Whitney Thurlow, Americans Conad Anker and Sequoia
Schmidt, local freeskier Sam Smoothy, and prolific caver Neil Silverwood.
Co-sponsored by Wild Wire
wednesday
INTERMISSION Try a bottle of locally-made Altitude beer
OFFICIAL GRAND BEST
SELECTION PRIZE MADE F
BEST FILM BEST FILM ON BEST FIL
ADVENTUROUS MOUNT
ON CLIMBING SPORTS & LIFESTYLES CULTU
Dodo’s Delight Safety Third
Dodo’s Delight (28 mins), Director: Sean Villanueva-O’Driscoll, Josh Lowell, NickBEST
Rosen & PeterBEST
Mortimer,
SNOW PEOPL
USA. After numerous requests we bring back the People’s Choice film from 2017, and
SHORT quite possibly
FILM SPORTSour
FILM CHOI
most liked film ever! Jump on board a madcap sailing adventure to the biggest rock walls in the Arctic
Circle with climbers as zany as they are talented, voyaging to Greenland and Baffin Island amongst rough
seas, falling rocks and freezing temperatures. PEOPLE’S CHOICE FROM 2017
AWARD
Safety Third (28 mins), Director: Cedar Wright & Taylor Keating, USA, some coarse SPECIAL BEST
ENVIROM
WINNER JURY AWARD FILM
language. Brad Gobright is beyond bold. From his runout and poorly protected trad climbs
to his unimaginable free solos, watch as Gobright recovers from a back-breaking fall and
attempts some of the hardest ascents of his career.
GRASS
INTERMISSION Try a glass of locally-made Maori Point wine from the café ROOTS AWARD
We finish off the 2018 Festival with three short films on fishing, rock climbing in Palestine, and slack lining,
including a repeat of 2018’s Best Short Film, Where the Wild Things Play. Also screening is: River, USA;
Beyond the Wall, UK; and Moment, USA.
Wanaka Film Festival closes for 2018
15workshops
We run a variety of workshops at the Lake Wanaka Centre, all included for FREE with your Film Festival Pass.
Saturday 30 June Brought to you by:
WO RKSH O P #1 Snow Photography Lumix
Time: 7.30am (dawn) - approximately 2 hours Venue: Treble Cone or lakeside
Cost: $25, Free with Film Festival Pass, but you must RSVP
Improve your winter photography with local award-winning photographer Ross Mackay.
There’s no better place to learn the fine art of snow photography than surrounded by
mountains, at dawn! Email us for carpooling options.
Brought to you by:
monday 2 July Racers Edge
WO RKSH O P #2 Bike Tuning
Time: 4.00pm to 5.00pm Venue: Lake Wanaka Centre
Cost: Free with Film Festival Pass or $10 (online), $15 (at the door)
Discover how to perform roadside repairs, washing and lubing, brake adjustments, smoothing
our gear shifts, simple DIY troubleshooting and safety checks.
Brought to you by:
monday 2 July
Harris Mountains Heli-ski
WO RKSH O P #3 Avalanche Talk and
‘Backcountry Ski-Touring in NZ’ book launch WIN
a spot priz
Time: 5.30pm to 6.30pm Venue: Armstrong Room, Lake Wanaka Centre of a day
e
Cost: Free, but you must reserve seats via our web page heli-skiing!
Are you a backcountry enthusiast? Then you don’t want to miss this. We’ll start
the evening with a short talk and book launch for the NZAC’s new; ‘Backcountry
Ski-Touring in NZ’, hot off the press. Followed by a discussion on the current snow and
avalanche conditions in the Wanaka/Southern Lakes Region.
OTHER EVENTS
Free Family Shows
Time: 10.00am Saturday and Sunday, June 30 and July 1 (same programme each day)
Venue: Edgewater Hotel Conference Room, 54 Sargood Drive
Cost: Free, but you must reserve seats via our web page but adults cannot come without kids!
The NZ Mountain Film Festival Charitable Trust invites you and your family to the free hour-long showing
of films suitable for all ages.
Free Kid’s Story Time with Lee Lamb
Time: 10.30am Saturday, 30 June Venue: Wanaka Library
Bring the young ones to enjoy stories and activities with Lee, author of the ‘On the Farm’
series of children’s books. The book’s heroes are the two farm dogs, Jack the huntaway and
Tom the heading dog, who experience all the adventures of life on a high country farm; from recovering
escaped deer, to helicopter rescues of snow bound stock.
16Queenstown Film Festival
Thursday 5 July to Saturday 7 July at Queenstown Memorial Centre.
See separate programme and/or website for details (www.mountainfilm.nz).
Cromwell Programme
Best of Wanaka Show. Wednesday 4 July, 7.30pm to 9.30pm at the Harvest Hotel Conference Centre
at The Gate. Cost: $25 (online), $25 (at the door – cash only)
See website for film details (www.mountainfilm.nz)
Adventure film and Writing Schools
An amazing opportunity to learn the art of film and word, in small groups and with industry experts.
NOTE: None of these schools are included in the Festival Passes.
Sunday 1 July Supported by:
A DV E NT URE W R I T ING S CHO O L
From pen to publication
Time: 9.00am to 12.00pm Venue: Faulks Room, Lake Wanaka Centre
Cost: $40, Youths $25
How do you turn the memories of a great adventure into an engaging and compelling story
suitable for publication? Join Shaun Barnett, award winning author of several tramping
culture and guide books, past editor of Wilderness Magazine and current editor of FMC’s
Backcountry Magazine to learn how. Shaun will teach you to define your audience, choose
an angle and critically examine and edit your own work.
Saturday and Sunday, 7 & 8 July Supported by:
weekend after the Film Festival
A DV E NT URE F ILM S CHO O L Two days
Time: 8.30am to 6.00pm Venue: Faulks Room, Lake Wanaka Centre
Cost: $195, Youths $150
Our Adventure Film School has been running since 2011 and has an impressive reputation.
It’s a unique opportunity to learn how to improve your skills (or start from scratch) making
adventure films, tutored by professionals. It covers developing a storyline and filming, as well
as finally pulling it all together and editing the footage. This intense two-day course offers
a hands-on introduction to film-making in a small group. Ask about our youth scholarship
programme for 16 and 17 year olds.
No experience or gear required, but bring it if you have some.
Adventure Film School
17the third NZ Mountain Book Festival
We’re delighted to bring you a celebration of books and literature, with a great line up of events that include
author readings and presentations, world premiere book launches, and our popular adventure writing
school. There is also a free children’s story telling (see page 16).
Entry to book events is included with your Festival Pass, or you can buy single tickets to each show.
sunday 1 July Supported by:
BO O K #1 Words & Wine Maori Point Wine
Time: 5.30pm to 6.30pm Venue: Armstrong Room, Lake Wanaka Centre
Cost: $15 (online), $15 (at the door)
With a complimentary glass of Maori Point wine, you’ll enjoy full-bodied tales featuring hints of
adventure and danger, with subtle undertones of humour and humility. Join Peta Carey, reading from A
Place for the Heart, as well as Neville Peat, Shackleton’s Whisky, Colin Monteath’s Under a Sheltering
Sky, and local author Annabel Wilson reciting her poems from Aspiring Daybook. We’re
also privileged to have Michael Gill, who will be recounting tales about Sir Ed, as BOOK
he reads from his recent biography of our world-famous mountaineer. SALES
Get a copy from
book stall th our Festival
along to the en come
sess
tuesday 3 July and have th ion
author sign e
BO O K #2 Some of NZ’s Literary Best; it!
Laurence Fearnley, Shaun Barnett and Paul Hersey
Time: 5.00pm to 6.30pm Venue: Armstrong Room, Lake Wanaka Centre Supported by:
festival
Cost: $12 (online), $15 (at the door) Paper Plus
book
World premiere book launch, To The Mountains with authors
Laurence Fearnley and Paul Hersey.
A school girl races from class to join a weekend trip to the hills.
A young climber is shown the best route over the Main Divide by a
big bull thar. A mountaineer pays tribute to the Máori guides from
south Westland, while a fighter pilot tries to recapture an ascent of
the Minarets from his tent in Nigeria during World War II. From the
Darrans to Denali, New Zealand climbers have captured their alpine
experience in letters, journals, articles, memoirs, poems and novels.
Drawing on 150 years of material, Laurence and Paul, have compiled
a fascinating glimpse into New Zealand’s mountaineering culture and
the people who write about it. Both authors will share some of the
stories within, and about the journey of compiling the book during
this world premiere launch. To the Mountains has been shortlisted
for an award in our 2018 Book Competition.
BREAK Complimentary nibbles and the bar will be open for a drink.
Book signings.
The Backcountry and Hut Culture of NZ with Shaun Barnett. Aotearoa has a unique backcountry culture,
which has come about in no small part, due to our fantastic wealth of wilderness huts. Shaun is a well-
known and highly accomplished author and outdoor photographer. He’s certainly an expert on Kiwi
backcountry and hut culture, with three acclaimed titles on those very subjects: “Shelter from the Storm,
The Story of NZ’s Backcountry Huts”, “Tramping, A New Zealand History” and “A Bunk for the Night,
A Guide to New Zealand’s Best Backcountry Huts”. We’ll be fortunate to hear Shaun’s thoughts on our
fantastic mountain heritage and what makes our situation in NZ so special and worth defending.
18WEDNESday 4 July Supported by:
BO O K #3 A Melting Pot of American and Kiwi Literature; NZ Wildernes
Sequoia Schmidt and Neil Silverwood Magazine
Time: 5.00pm to 6.30pm Venue: Armstrong Room, Lake Wanaka Centre
Cost: $12 (online), $15 (at the door)
NZ Premiere Book Launch of Changing Gears, Ups and Downs on the New Zealand Road with
Sequoia Schmidt. Sequoia has bravely continued on through the heart rending experience of losing her
father Marty, and brother Denali in a climbing accident on K2. The book describes her experiences of
grief, loss and recovery, interwoven with adventures on the roads of NZ, as she returns to her homeland
to re-connect with Aotearoa.
BREAK Complimentary nibbles and the bar will be open for a drink. Book signings.
Caves: Exploring New Zealand’s Subterranean Wilderness with Neil Silverwood. Though nearly every
corner of the country has been explored and mapped, exploration beneath our land is still in its infancy.
This book takes readers on a journey into New Zealand’s longest and deepest caves, through one of the
world’s most dangerous cave dives, and prospecting for a totally new kind of cave on a South Island
glacier. Caves was recently awarded the Union International Speleology (UIS) Best Caves Book award,
while images featured within the book led to co-author Neil Silverwood being honoured as New Zealand
Geographic Photographer of the Year. Caves has been shortlisted for an award in our 2018
Book Competition.
The third Mountain Literature Competition saw
37 entries from all over New Zealand, as well as
Australia, Germany, USA and Nepal! The entries
festival
were competing for prizes for Non-Fiction (sponsored by Bike it Now), Fiction (sponsored by
book
Relishes) and Essay categories (sponsored by NZ Wilderness).
The finalists for Non-Fiction are: Caves: Exploring New Zealand’s Subterranean Wilderness by
Marcus Thomas and Neil Silverwood; To the Mountains: A Collection of New Zealand Alpine Writing,
by Laurence Fearnley & Paul Hersey; and Edmund Hillary, A Biography, by Michael Gill.
The finalists for Fiction are: Aspiring Daybook: The Diary of Elsie Winslow by Annabel Wilson;
Sticking with Pigs by Mary-Anne Scott; and Himalaya Gold by Dr Arne Drews.
The winner for the Essay competition is Christopher Tuffley, for Climbing Lessons, which will be
published in the July issue of Wilderness Magazine.
The winning books, plus the grand prize will be announced at the Festival and online.
Watch for our films coming to your town this winter, or host
your own show and raise funds for your community or a local
cause. Also check out our free FMC schools programme.
Check out mountainfilm.nz for venues or contact us
for details: info@mountainfilm.nz.
Notes from the Wall
19OUR PRESENT ING PARTNERS
OUR GO LD EL I T E SPONSO RS
OUR SILVER SPONSO RS
Cover photo: Mark Sedon
www.mountainfilm.nz
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