Banff Festival of Mountain Films - Fredericton 2007

[martha]

Here is the film list for the Film Festival coming up on Friday February 2nd and Saturday February 3rd. 7pm at MacLaggan Hall on UNB campus.

Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 at the door.

2007 Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour Film Menu

Friday Night

1st Half

Anomaly
The Simplicity Factor
Thrill Seekers(Film School)
Asiemut

2nd Half

Québec Givré (Crazy Québec)
Ride of the Mergansers
First Ascent: Didier Vs the Cobra

Saturday Feb. 03

1st Half
First Ascent: Thailand
Fatima's Hand
Tyrol - Land in the Mountains
Mission Epicocity
Yes to the No

2nd Half
Aweberg
The Best of Jo
Cobra Crack
Roam




Anomaly (custom edit)
USA, 2006, 16 minutes
Focus: Ski/Snowboard
ANOMALY n. (a•nom•a•ly) 1. Deviation or departure from the normal or common order, form, or rule 2. One that is peculiar, irregular, abnormal, or difficult to classify. Hard to define, never easy to apply. Yet, this has come to embody a year of extraordinary feats, tribulation and continued progression within the Ski & Snowboard arena. Anomaly, TGR's newest 16mm and HD ski and snowboard release, showcases the freakish and abnormal abilities of today's top athletes as they push the boundary of what is humanly possible.

Asiemut
People’s Choice Award & Special Jury Mention
Canada, 2006, 56 minutes
Focus: Cycling/Culture
In 2005, Olivier Higgins and Mélanie Carrier went on their first cycling expedition - 8000 kilometers across Asia. In six months they pedaled from Mongolia to Calcutta, India, traveling through Xinjiang, the Taklimakan Desert, the high Tibetan plateau and the jungle of Nepal. Why? Not only to discover the world, but also to discover themselves.

Aweberg
Special Jury Award
Canada, 2006, 26 minutes
Focus: Ice Climbing
Will Gadd and Ben Firth are two top Canadian ice climbers. They thought climbing "awesome" bergs would be a lot of fun, so the Aweberg trip was born. The bergs looked great, but the reality was somewhat different. Note that the sounds of the picks in the film are much quieter than in real life!

The Best of Jo
Canada, 2006, 3 minutes
Focus: Sport/Animation/Humour
"The Best of Jo" is a stop-action Lego film about a coffee-addicted guy named Jo. He is eager to try all the mountain sports available to him, such as climbing, skiing and fishing.

Cobra Crack
Canada, 2006, 12 minutes
Focus: Climbing
In 1981, Peter Croft and Tami Knight used aid to climb a wildly overhanging crack on the back side of the Squamish Chief, in British Columbia. Despite attempts from some of the world's top climbers, this route sat for 25 years without a free ascent. On June 23, 2006, Sonnie Trotter free climbed the 40-metre "Cobra Crack" after three years of work. It is currently recognized as the world's hardest traditional climb. This is his story...

Fatima’s Hand
Best Film on Mountain Sport
Germany, 2006, 38 minutes
Focus: BASE jumping/Culture
A 27-year-old woman from Norway plans to climb and BASE jump off an imposing mountain in one of the most remote and poorest area of Mali, West Africa. The project does not work out as planned. It turns into a risky adventure and opens the eyes of the filmmakers and athletes, to a different reality.

First Ascent: Didier Vs. The Cobra (Custom Edit)
USA, 2006, 25 minutes
Focus: Climbing
The elegant, granite Cobra crack in Squamish, British Columbia is perhaps the hardest crack climb in the world and the Swiss climber Didier Berthod is among the world’s best crack climbers. Far from the spotlight, Didier spends months in his epic quest to snag the first ascent.

First Ascent: Thailand (Custom Edit)
USA, 2006, 8 minutes
Focus: Climbing
Steep towers of untouched rock jutting out of the ocean. And the best part is, with only the sea below you, there’s no rope. Thailand is a dream come true for David Lama, perhaps the best on-site climber in the world, and purportedly the future of the sport. Amidst the exotic beauty of the Andaman Coast, Lama and friends take 60-footers into the drink, and bring deep water soloing to a new level.

Mission: Epicocity (Custom Edit)
USA, 2006, 15 minutes
Focus: Kayaking
This film features some of the world's best kayakers running mind-bending waterfalls and rapids in South America and Africa, with a section that highlights native African paddlers.

Québec Givré (Crazy Québec)
France, 2005, 27 minutes
Focus: Ice/Mixed Climbing, BASE jumping, Humour
A team of crazy ice climbers called "Les Givrés" head into the depths of Quebec in search of a mythical ice route that would be great to climb and would also allow for a BASE jump from its top. Along the way, in the midst of their performances, encounters and laughs, they end up getting caught off guard by two brutal accidents. Their approach will change but their humour remains intact. Finally, they find the treasure they’ve been seeking.

Ride of the Mergansers
USA, 2004, 11 minutes
Focus: Environment
The hooded merganser is a rare and reclusive duck found only in North America. Every spring, in the Great Lakes region, the wary hen lays and incubates her eggs in a nest high in the trees. Just 24 hours after hatching, the tiny ducklings must make the perilous leap to the ground below. Ride of the Mergansers brings this hidden drama to the screen.

Roam (Custom Edit)
Canada, 2006, 18 minutes
Focus: Mountain Biking
Roam is a mountain-bike film that follows the travels of the world’s top riders as they explore new places to ride, and visit some of the notorious meccas of mountain biking such as, Moab, UT and Whistler, BC.

The Simplicity Factor
Canada, 2006, 7 minutes
Focus: Climbing/Bouldering
The Simplicity Factor is a segment from The Top 20 Classic Boulder Problems of North America. Featuring an all-female cast of athletes, it looks at bouldering's overall appeal while showcasing ascents of several famous boulder problems.

Tyrol – Land in the Mountains
Austria, 2001, 10 minutes
Focus: Environment
Images of the Tyrolean Alps by Georg Riha combined with piano music composed by Philip Glass ("Koyaanisqatsi") form a symphony, a declaration of love for the beauty of the Tyrolean landscape.

Yes to the No
Canada, 2006, 10 minutes
Focus: Noboarding/Snowboarding
A look into the sport of noboarding, which is snowboarding without the use of bindings. The sport of snowboarding was essentially started by skateboarders and surfers looking for a winter alternative to the two summer sports. Now that snowboarding has reached its peak, there is only one way to change the way snowboarding is done, and that is to take the bindings off the board and really surf the mountain.

[Ken P]

I got the First Ascent DVD for Christmas and the segents on the Cobra Crack are awsome, a definately recommend. Can't wait to see it on the big screen!

[sand]

I had a lot of fun at that event last year and I am really looking forward to go again! There is going to be the climbing comp as well that weekend??

[granite_grrl]

Thanks for reminding me about this, Cara! I need to see when they're playing in Toronto. With the drive to Toronto I doubt I'd get go for both nights. I'm expectiong a review of which night's films are more enjoyable.

[dcentral]

Go just too see ROAM. It's an excellent movie, one of the best outdoor films I've seen.

I went to Premier in Whistler it was awesome.

Too bad it's only 18 minutes long.

[martha]

here is a reminder to everyone. banff film fest this weekend!

[granite_grrl]

So give me a list of films that are worth while to go see. The film fest plays for 3 nights in Toronto in March, but I'll only be going in for one night.

I've been patiantly waiting your reviews!

[*Chris*]

So give me a list of films that are worth while to go see. The film fest plays for 3 nights in Toronto in March, but I'll only be going in for one night.

I've been patiantly waiting your reviews!

Ok... here goes:

Great Films

Didier Vs. The Cobra - Truely impresses upon you how hard the line really is. Plus, he's funny. Plus, you get pretty much the entire Sonny Trotter video embedded within this one.

Fatima's Hand - Fairly worthy of epic status. Sports and setting impressive. I really disliked the starring chick but that's still better than a film where you don't care one way or another. Plus, she's hot.

Asiemut - Again, an epic. Kinda slow at times but you can connect with the people. Scenery is impressive

Conflict Tiger - Unfortunately not shown in Fredericton but I expect I'd put it here

I Expected More

Aweburg - Had seen most online or on T.V. before festival... some funny interviews but climbing is not as striking as you'd imagine.

Roam - Have seen much crazier bike vids in previous years and in other places. Good, but don't drive long distances for this one... that said, the North Shore stretch of this movie is pretty sweet.

Cobra Crack - Sonny Trotter's video is available free online... plus is captured in Didier's movie.

Others will perhaps see things differently?