Mary Hofstetter, President & CEO, The Banff Centre, and Shannon O’Donoghue, 2007 Festival Director

USA, 2007, 7 minutes

Directed and produced by Stephen Burgess

World Premiere

In person: Stephen Burgess

A sleepy climber has trouble distinguishing dream from reality as his climbing buddy bursts into song at the most inopportune moments. Who are those guys dancing in his driveway?

UK, 2006, 7 minutes

Directed by Keith Partridge

North American Premiere

The lives of the birdmen of St Kilda were intertwined with those of the sea-cliff birds they hunted. However, increasing contact with the wider world disrupted the old rhythms and balances. St Kilda was evacuated in 1930, but its story continues to resonate through many cultures today. Told in aerial dance, Duet represents the ebb and flow in a relationship between two lovers flying in the face of a dangerous existence.

Ireland, 2004, 51 minutes

Directed and produced by John Murray

Irish writer and mountaineer Dermot Somers travels with a group of nomads on a spectacular mountain journey across Iran. Dermot’s hosts are a family of shepherds who travel 400 kilometres on foot across a forgotten corner of this extraordinary country. Stunning landscapes and an isolated tribe reveal aspects of Iranian life almost never seen in the West.

9:00 a.m.

USA, 2007, 15 minutes

Directed and produced by Adrian Matthew Glasenapp

Canadian Premiere

In person: Adrian Matthew Glasenapp

Light in Liquid features expeditions and adventures on rivers and creeks in Colorado, Idaho, and Mexico. This kayak collage pushes the creative edge in the whitewater film genre and focuses on the process of travel, the paddlers themselves, and the world around us, just as much as it does on running waterfalls and creeks.

9:23 a.m.

The Netherlands, 2006, 53 minutes

Directed by Joe Kennedy

Produced by Michael Patrick Wong

Until very recently, Borneo’s forest elephants were thought to be tame elephants gone wild. However, DNA testing has proven that they are a new species unique to the island and now under threat from habitat loss and conflict with humans. This is the story of one man’s mission to track and monitor these mystery elephants in order to protect them.

10:17 a.m.

10:32 a.m.

USA, 2007, 14 minutes

Directed by Chris Alstrin and Alexander Lavigne

Produced by Chris Alstrin

In person: Chris Alstrin

Black Canyon features Josh Wharton and Phil Gruber, who explain the importance of friendship and of climbing efficiently while ascending the Free Nose (5.12c) in Colorado’s notoriously adventurous Black Canyon.

10:47 a.m.

Germany, 2007, 60 minutes

Directed by Jens Hoffmann

Produced by Clenonice Comino

World Premiere

In person: Jens Hoffmann

“I don’t want to die, I want to live. I’m pretty good at running away, and this is my escape!” This is how Karina Hollekim describes her dedication to BASE jumping. Documentary filmmaker Jens Hoffman first met the now 30-year-old Norwegian in 2002. He immediately started to film, accompanying her through many stages of her BASE-jumping career, until it comes to a sudden stop, changing all aspects of her life.

2:15 p.m.

Ireland, 2007, 52 minutes

Directed and produced by John Murray

This documentary follows a clan of Buddhist yak herders on a breathtaking journey unmatched anywhere on the planet. Starting from the nomads’ tiny village close to the Tibetan border, the film shadows the group through a soaring landscape, traversing some of the highest mountain passes in the world, until the exhausted caravaneers eventually reach their destination—the lowland valleys of southern Nepal.

3:08 p.m.

USA, 2007, 50 minutes

Directed and produced by Josh Lowell and Peter Mortimer

Filmed on location in France, California, Venezuela, Greece, Utah, and Mallorca, King Lines captures Chris Sharma’s most outrageous ascents and visionary projects, and explores his fascinating lifestyle as a nomadic professional climber and global citizen.

3:59 p.m.

4:14 p.m.

Canada, 2007, 16 minutes

Directed and produced by Jonathan Desrosiers

In person: Jonathan Desrosiers

A bike movie shot in North America, from the wildest areas of the rain forest, to the baking-hot sun of California, and the fastest trails on the east and west sides of Canada.

4:31 p.m.

UK, 2007, 73 minutes

Directed and produced by Louise Osmond

North American Premiere

Joe Simpson, whose battle for survival featured in Touching the Void, travels to the Eiger to tell the story of one of mountaineering’s most epic tragedies. Toni Kurtz was a brilliant mountaineer who in 1936 tried to be the first to conquer the Eiger. The climb started well, but disaster struck and Kurtz’s climbing colleagues were killed, leaving him alone and fighting for his life. The Beckoning Silence recounts Kurtz’s heroic battle for survival but it also forces Simpson to confront some fundamental questions of his own. Why continue climbing when you have come so close to oblivion?

Lincoln Hall is one of Australia’s best-known mountaineers. Hall’s eighth book, Dead Lucky: Life After Death on Mount Everest, is his personal account of his climb of Everest and of a tragic season on the mountain.

UK, 2006, 37 minutes

Directed and produced by Alastair Lee

Canadian Premiere

In person: Alastair Lee

U.K. trad-climbing legend Dave Birkett and his numerous hard climbs are profiled in this humorous and innovative film.

Switzerland, 2007, 5 minutes

Directed and produced by Nicolas Falquet and Loris Falquet

North American Premiere

Loris is a “classic” freerider. Jean-Yves, however, has a more or less “accidental” style. This film draws a parallel between two styles and two approaches to the same mountain, which are otherwise worlds apart.

France, 2006, 48 minutes

Directed and produced by Daniel du Lac

In person: Daniel du Lac

In this film about desert rock climbing in Mali, Africa, Daniel Du Lac, 2004 world champion and European bouldering champion, attempts an ascent of Harmattan Rodeo, a 400-metre route comprising 13 pitches graded between 5.12a and 5.13b. The culture of the people living in the Gourma desert forms the backdrop to the film.

Canada, 2007, 32 minutes

Directed by Bryan Smith and Lise-Anne Beyries

Produced by Bryan Smith

In person: Bryan Smith and Lise-Anne Beyries

Showcasing some of the world’s most sought-after sea-kayaking destinations, Pacific Horizons captures the essence of the ocean and inspires one and all to get out on the water and go kayaking! Blending wildlife, people, places, and action-packed kayaking, the film takes viewers on an unforgettable journey through the San Juan Islands, the Bunsby Islands off the remote coast of Vancouver Island, the Queen Charlottes, and along the Oregon coast.

9:40 a.m.

UK, 2007, 61 minutes

Directed by Paul Diffley and Dave Brown

Produced by Dave Brown

In person: Paul Diffley and Dave Brown

Held in awe by climbers around the world, the hard traditional rockclimbing scene in Britain commands both respect and bewilderment. This film accompanies many of the top climbers of the modern era on an astonishing journey through the world of hard trad and witnesses, first-hand, one of the most remarkable years in climbing history.

10:42 a.m.

10:57 a.m.

Canada, 2007, 2 minutes

Directed by Carlos Villarreal-Kwasek

Produced by Vancouver Film School

A climber attempts an icy route in this animated short.

11:00 a.m.

USA, 2007, 52 minutes

Directed by Michael Brown

Produced by David D’Angelo

In person: Michael Brown

In 1999, best friends Alex Lowe and Conrad Anker were overcome by an avalanche while climbing in the Tibetan Himalaya. Alex died and Conrad survived and suffered terribly from survivor’s guilt. In comforting one another after the tragedy, Conrad and Alex’s widow, Jennifer, unexpectedly found love. Now they must see if their love can survive and if Alex’s three boys can accept Conrad as a new father. To honour Alex’s name, Conrad and Jennifer try to find meaning beyond tragedy by supporting a mountaineering safety school for Sherpas.

2:15 p.m.

Canada, 2007, 30 minutes

Directed and produced by Will Gadd

World Premiere

In person: Will Gadd

What’s an ice climber to do in the age of global warming? Go underground. Deep underground. Five years ago Will Gadd heard rumours of ice hidden in the blackness of abandoned mines in Sweden. This is the story of what Gadd and his friend Spak found.

2:46 p.m.

USA, 2007, 50 minutes

Directed by Hunter Sykes and Darren Campbell

Produced by Darren Campbell

Canadian Premiere

In person: Hunter Sykes and Darren Campbell

Resorting to Madness addresses the impacts of the modern ski resort industry on mountain communities and the environment. Including footage of dozens of ski areas, experts, and concerned community members throughout North America, it reveals some disturbing trends and presents examples where efforts are being made to protect and maintain mountain environments and communities.

3:37 p.m.

3:52 p.m.

USA, 2007, 55 minutes

Directed by Jason Berry

Produced by Ken Bell

Canadian Premiere

In person: Jason Berry and Ken Bell

24 Solo follows the gut-wrenching story of Chris Eatough on his quest for a seventh world title in the unforgiving discipline of 24-hour solo mountain-bike racing. Dark horse Craig Gordon, who is the Australian national champion, challenges Chris to a level of intensity and exhaustion that leaves one rider with severe blood poisoning.

4:48 p.m.

Switzerland, 2006, 52 minutes

Directed and produced by Fulvio Mariani

North American Premiere

John Falkiner and Paolo Tassi — two charming characters, untiring powder hunters, and free telemark interpreters — tell us about their dreams and why they have chosen skiing as their true lifestyle. Whooshing through Fulvio Mariani’s camera shots, they guide us on journeys of discovery and friendship in the magnificent landscapes of Lebanon, Patagonia, the Dolomites, Mount Etna, and Kashmir.

Presentation to Bernadette McDonald. Sponsored by Canadian Mountain Holidays.

Introduction of the international jury and announcement of the 2007 Banff Mountain Film Festival awards