films:
Prizes for the film competition will be awarded for the following categories;
Grand Prize - award plus $1000
The MEC Best Canadian Film Award - award plus $250
Best Climbing Film - award plus $250
Best Adventure Film - award plus $250
Best Short Film (Max 16 min) - award plus $250
WINNING FILMS
Grand Prize winner - ECHO WALL
MEC Best Canadian Film winner - FEARLESS
Best Climbing Film - THE SHARP END
Best Adventure Film - QHAPAQ NAN
Best Short Film - MEDEOZ
THE FOLOWING FILMS HAVE BEEN SELECTED TO SCREEN AT THE
2009 SQUAMISH MOUNTAIN FESTVAL
Zero to Five
Sacred Flight
Fearless
The Can’tswer
The Sharp End (excerpt) – Jonny Copp and Micah Dash
The Sharp End (excerpt) – Steph Davis
The Sharp End (excerpt) - Ammon McNeely
The Sharp End
Lightning Strike – Arwa Tower
Brocation 1.5
Uruca (5.12c r/x)
Medeoz
Echo Wall
On Sight
Qhapaq Nan – The Great Inca Road
Luxury Liner
Zero to Five
(Canada, 2009) – 25 min
Produced by Flashed Productions
Directed by Rich Castillo
Rich Castillo provides a fresh interpretation of the Castle Hills remarkable climbing landscape, lodging, transportation, and all the necessary knowledge to make a trip to New Zealand one to remember.
Watch Rich and his friends climb classic problems from Quantum Field, Spittle Hill, and Flock Hill, while also getting local experts to provide insight to these areas.
view trailer
Wednesday, August 12 - Eagle Eye Theatre - 7pm
(Canada, Climbing, Adventure)
back to top
Sacred Flight
(Canada, 2009) – 25 min
Produced by Peter Chrzanowski
Directed by Peter Chrzanowski and Ivan Hughes
Beginning with a trip by camper van with his parents in 1973, an adventurer became obsessed with the snow capped peaks of South America. Then after reading a 1970's National Geographic article about he Sierra Nevada Mountain range of Columbia with its remote peaks, dense jungles and indigenous tribes that shuned the outside world, he became determined to explore to the region.
A lifetime of extreme skiing and near fatal accidents prevented him from accessing the area until 1998 when he teamed up with other adventure seekers and journeyed into the world of FARC guerillas, paramilitary forces and drug lords. Upon reaching the remote jungle peaks he and his group were turned back by the local gatekeeper to the sacred snows.
In 2008, he returned to try and learn more about the reclusive tribes and to fly from their sacred peaks.
view trailer
Wednesday, August 12 - Eagle Eye Theatre - 7pm
(Canada, Adventure)
back to top
Fearless
(Canada, 2009) – 15 min
Produced by Tavi Parusel
Directed by Tavi Parusel
Martyn Williams is a Canadian that has climbed mountains such as Mt. Everest and Mt. Vinson, two of the biggest peaks in the world.
During the height of his career, a few of his colleagues, including his best friend, die on various climbing accidents. This deeply impacts Martyn and his adventures seem to be at a close.
But when all seems lost to him, he then has a dream and that dream brings him to lead the greatest journey of all, a journey spanning across the globe.
Can he overcome his fears and achieve his greatest feat yet?
Wednesday, August 12 - Eagle Eye Theatre - 7pm
(Canada, Adventure, Short)
back to top
The Can’tswer
(Canada, 2009) – 16 min
Produced by David Thanh
Directed by David Thanh
Ten years after his leukemia diagnosis, Ryan is a survivor who is reluctant to take risks and move forward with his life. The opportunity to take a backpacking trip through the Andes Mountains changes him and his perception of his cancer experience from one of Survivor to Thriver.
view trailer
Wednesday, August 12 - Eagle Eye Theatre - 7pm
(Canada, Adventure, Short)
back to top
The Sharp End – Jonny Copp and Micah Dash
(USA, 2008) – 7 min
Produced by Peter Mortimer and Nick Rosen
Directed by Peter Mortimer and Nick Rosen
A tribute to the boldness and daring of Jonny Copp and Micah Dash: Alpine climbing in Kashmir, India. Excerpt from the feature film, The Sharp End.
Wednesday, August 12 - Eagle Eye Theatre - 7pm
(Climbing, Short)
back to top
The Sharp End – Steph Davis
(USA, 2008) – 5 min
Produced by Peter Mortimer and Nick Rosen
Directed by Peter Mortimer and Nick Rosen
Steph Davis finds solitude climbing in extreme locations where few climbers would dare to follow. Excerpt from the feature film, The Sharp End.
Friday, August 14 - Eagle Eye Theatre - 7pm
(Climbing, Short)
back to top
Lightning Strike – Arwa Tower
(Switzerland, 2009) – 50 min
Produced by Christoph Frutiger and Stephan Siegrist
Directed by Christoph Frutiger, Christine Kopp and Stephan Siegrist
An unusual mountain film: It tells the story of two teams of climbers, who in the early summer of 2007 take to the Arwa Tower, a wonderful six-thousand-meter peak in the northern Indian Garhwal-Himalaya. One team – comprising of world re-knowned Swiss mountaineer Stephan Siegrist, along with Thomas Senf and Denis Burdet – has the almost 1000 meter high, as yet unclimbed Northface as their goal.
The men are successful: On the 7th of June, after 12 days of climbing on the wall, and overcoming extremely difficult passages using free and artificial climbing, they stand on the summit. They name their first ascent “Lightning Strike“ (900 m, VI, M5, 5.9, A3). The name is derived from the distinctive pattern which runs through the lower part of the wall like the remaining traces of a lightning strike.
The other team is made up of two women: Ines Papert and Anita Kolar. They want to repeat the route on the West pillar, first opened by French in 2002. Unfortunately, however, the two strong alpinists – Ines Papert is the leading female ice and mixed climber in the world – have to abandon their attempt due to bad weather just 200 meters below the summit.
In the film, Stephan Siegrist tells us the story of this expedition as the first-person narrator.
The film accompanies the two teams to the mountain. Fantastic pictures in high definition show the teams arrive and then make their way to the mountain; you see the porters and the fantastic landscapes of the Garhwal from a new perspective and in amazing quality. The audience will experience the type of dramas that can unfold in an expedition at this altitude as they witness the rescue of Anita at the beginning of the trip – she becomes ill with pulmonary oedema and has to be taken immediately to a lower camp until she is able to get up again using her own strength.
The odd joke and quiet self-irony is also present: The film not only puts the mountain and the physical efforts of the climbers in the foreground, but also the cameraderie shared by a handful of friends. And even when at the end the men succeed and the women (unfortunately) don’t: The summit is not so important, the experience, however, is …
view trailer
Friday, August 14 - Eagle Eye Theatre - 7pm
(Climbing, Adventure)
back to top
Brocation 1.5
(Canada, 2009) – 15 min
Produced by Brock Anderson
Directed by Brock Anderson
Brocation is a mountain bike film produced by Brock Anderson, which focuses on the diversity of riding we get while living in British Columbia. It follows the travel of Wylie Easton on his bike trips around BC, and introduces the local riders from these locations along the way.
Friday, August 14 - Eagle Eye Theatre - 7pm
(Canada, Adventure, Short)
back to top
Uruca (5.12c r/x)
(Brazil, 2008) – 8 min
Produced by Erick Grigorovski
Directed by Erick Gregorovski
On a Sunday morning perfect for rock climbing, Hugo tries one of the most hard and desired climbing routes at the sugar loaf in Rio de Janeiro: “Uruca”. Extremely difficult and dangerous it will demand all of his skill and concentration. The film shows all the difficulties in a ascension in Rio de Janeiro.
Friday, August 14 - Eagle Eye Theatre - 7pm
(Climbing, Short)
back to top
Medeoz
(France, 2009) – 6 min
Produced by Guillaume Broust
Directed by Guillaume Broust
This short film was submitted and first shown at the 2008 Nissan Winter Outdoor Games Film Festival in Chamonix. To compete, it had to be filmed and edited over five days and feature mountaineering, skiing, snowboarding, paragliding and B.A.S.E. jumping. The film revolves around the story of a photographer attempting to photograph all 5 sports in a single shot.
Amazing footage with amazing athletes.
Friday, August 14 - Eagle Eye Theatre - 7pm
(Adventure, Short)
back to top
Echo Wall
(UK, 2009) – 44 min
Produced by Claire MacLeod and Dave MacLeod
Directed by Claire MacLeod and Dave MacLeod
Dave MacLeod is looking for the hardest challenges in traditional rock climbing. He finds a perfect project on the north face of Ben Nevis. Dave and his wife Claire move house to the foot of the mountain and Claire films his training, thoughts and eventual success on the Echo Wall project over the course of a year, including possibly the hardest free solo in the world (Darwin Dixit 8c).
Although ungraded, Echo Wall is likely the hardest trad route in the world. A thoughtful and atmospheric story of hard effort, dedication and outlook on risk, set in beauty of Ben Nevis and Lochaber.
view trailer
Saturday, August 15 - Squamish Adventure Centre - 1pm
(Climbing, Adventure)
back to top
The Sharp End
(USA, 2008) – 60 min
Produced by Peter Mortimer and Nick Rosen
Directed by Peter Mortimer and Nick Rosen
Enter the danger zone with legendary climbers Tommy Caldwell, Steph Davis, Matt Segal, Lisa Rands,Ammon McNeely, Alex Honnold, Chris McNamara, Dean Potter, Renan Ozturk, Jonny Copp and many others.
THE SHARP END is an adrenaline-soaked journey up the world’s most challenging walls: The French Alps, the Eiger, the Utah desert, the Diamond of Colorado, Indian Kashmir, Yosemite granite, and the sandstone spires of the Czech Republic.
Run-out routes, scary high-ball boulder problems, ice-covered alpine walls and all-or-nothing free-solo ascents will keep your palms perspiring.
view trailer
Saturday, August 15 - Squamish Adventure Centre - 1pm
(Climbing, Adventure)
back to top
On Sight
(UK, 2008) – 52 min
On Sight is a gripping adventure into the world of cutting edge rock and ice climbing documenting what is possible with a ground up, no pre-practice approach resulting in raw, compelling and often frightening footage. The climbers in this film aren’t necessarily the strongest but they have the biggest kahooners(!); willing to take a 30 foot fall for the ultimate on sight ascent. In the age of indoor gym climbing and pre-practiced ascents, On Sight gets back to the basics of climbing, the simple game of getting to the top using only your strength, skill and bottle! The risky game where you stand to loose so much more than you could hope to gain.
On Sight features an all star cast in spectacular locations on extraordinary routes produced in stunning High Definition.
Climbers include; Pete Robbins, James McHaffie, Leo Houlding, Adam Long, Ricky Bell, Dave Birkett, Steve McClure, Lucy Creamer, Mary Jenner, Ian Parnell, Neil Gresham, Jordan Buys, Sonnie Trotter, Dave Pickford, Ben Bransby, Jack Geldard, Jon Winters, Neil Dickson….. as well as insightful commentary by veterans of the game like Mick Fowler, Johnny Dawes and Andy Perkins.
view trailer
Saturday, August 15 - Eagle Eye Theatre - 7pm
(Climbing, Adventure)
back to top
The Sharp End – Ammon McNeely
(USA, 2008) – 5 min
Produced by Peter Mortimer and Nick Rosen
Directed by Peter Mortimer and Nick Rosen
Yosemite hard man Ammon McNeely shows what’s at the core of a seasoned big wall American aid climber. Excerpt from the feature film, The Sharp End.
Saturday, August 15 - Eagle Eye Theatre - 7pm
(Climbing, Short)
back to top
Qhapaq Nan – The Great Inca Road
(France, 2008) – 66 min
Produced by Gedeon Productions
Directed by Megan Son and Laurent Granier
A journey never before seen
Following the Cordillera of the Andes from north to south, a journey of over
eighteen months in six different countries, covering 6000 kilometers on
foot between 800 and 5000 meters in altitude: this is the crazy idea of an
unusual couple that leaves in search of the legendary route of the Incas,
Qhapaq Ñan.
From Quito, Ecuador, passing through Cusco, Peru to
Aconcagua, Argentina, it is the first time that this archeological treasure
has been walked and documented in its entirety!
An incredible human adventure
Megan and Laurent undertake this voyage on foot (at the time of the Incas,
the Grand Route was known for only being accessible by foot) with no outside
logistics, no tent or food supplies. In addition to harsh conditions and
dangerous situations, their journey is full of surprises. Relying on their passion,
their endurance and the help of the Andean communities whom they
meet along the road, the efforts of our two adventurers are not without
rewards: breathtaking landscapes, incredible ecosystems, majestic
archeological sites, and unforgettable encounters.
An exhilarating quest
Following the Grand Route of the Incas is not as easy as it may sound:
entire sections have been erased over time, and have been forgotten by
local populations. To find and reconstruct the puzzle of this epic route,
Megan and Laurent research information from both local inhabitants and
specialists. Much more than a physical achievement or a trip across the
continent, their project is motivated by the need to preserve the Qhapaq
Ñan, of a sincere desire to discover and better understand a region
through its exceptional archeological, natural and cultural heritage.
view trailer
Sunday, August 16 - Squamish Adventure Centre - 1pm
(Adventure)
back to top
Luxury Liner - The First Ascent of Supercrack
(USA, 2009) – 48 min
Produced by Chris Alstrin
Directed by Chris Alstrin
November 1976. Indian Creek Canyon, Utah. A crystal clear day with warm sunshine. Earl Wiggins launches up the first pitch of Supercrack, a perfect splitter hand crack that had been discovered and named in 1971 by Jim Dunn, Billy Westbay, and Stewart Green while heading down to climb the 5th ascent of North Sixshooter Peak.
Five years later, armed with a rack of hexentric nuts, Jim and Stewart returned with Earl, Ed Webster, and Bryan Becker to climb and film the first ascent of the world's most perfect crack. Earl flashed up the first pitch in ten minutes, proving these amazing parallel-side sandstone cracks could be safely climbed with the era's basic climbing equipment. Ed made this photograph, which appeared on the cover of Ascent magazine, by looking at Earl through the aperture of a chimney right of Supercrack.
“Luxury Liner – The First Ascent of Super Crack” retraces this historical climb using new footage as well as archival footage by Stewart Green.
view trailer
Sunday, August 16 - Squamish Adventure Centre - 1pm
(Climbing, Adventure)
back to top
MORE DETAILS:
The vision of Arc’teryx’s Squamish Mountain Festival is to provide a grass-roots gathering to celebrate the magic of Squamish climbing, bouldering and mountain culture during the peak of the climbing season in spectacular Squamish, BC.
The Squamish Mountain Festival takes place each summer in Squamish, BC, where it attracts filmmakers, climbers and adventurers from around the world who travel to Squamish to catch the showcase of the newest high adrenaline adventure and climbing films at the Eagle Eye Theatre in downtown Squamish.
Share your magical imagery of mountain places and the adrenaline of mountain adventure with an appreciative, international audience by entering your film in the 2009 Squamish Mountain Festival’s mountain film competition.
The film festival is soliciting films on mountain and adventure subjects to compete for screening at this year's event, held August 12 to 16, 2009 at Eagle Eye Theatre, Squamish, BC.
The deadline for entries is July 1, 2009.
Held in the spectacular Squamish, BC, during the peak of the climbing season so you can be sure your film will be seen by a wildly enthusiastic crowd.
In addition to continuous film screenings, the festival also features internationally renowned speakers, an adventure trade fair, a mountain photo exhibit, climbing clinics for all abilities, a DYNO competition and world-class parties.
