The Highlands

The Edinburgh Mountain Film Festival is seeking film and photo entries for the 2008 festival, which will run 17-19 October 2008. They are also running a new literary competition in association with the Mountaineering Council of Scotland.

The literary competition has prizes for both prose and poetry. There are cash prizes totalling almost £500 and the winners in each category will also receive a pair of weekend passes for this year’s EMFF. The closing date for entries is 31 August. Full details.

The categories for the 2008 photography competition are:

1. A Winter Adventure
2. Pushing My Limits

Open to everyone, professional or amatuer alike the prizes include cash, membership of the MCoS and a Harvey’s map of the Cairngorms. And, of course, there is the thrill of seeing your photo in a public exhibition! Closing date for entries is 31 July 2008. Full details.

The film competition will consider any film with a focus on adventure - be that climbing, kayaking, skiing, mountain biking or whatever. Short films and ‘mockumentaries’ will also be considered! Closing date for entries is 30 June 2008. Full details.

Of the things I love in the world Ale, Mountains and Festivals are all close to the top of the list - so the this years Cumberland Ale Keswick Mountain Festival is a must. It runs from Wednesday 14th to Sunday 18th May 2008 with an excellent line up of talks from explorers, climbers, mountaineers as well as mountain bikers, canoeists and photographers. All this plus an array of activities are on offer - in and around Keswick, the ideal base for exploring The Lakes (or ‘The Ponds’ as some north of the border like to call them). Some of the highlights include:

• The Birketts owt on’t Fjalls (Out on the Fells)
• Andy Kirkpatrick - Strange Penchant for the long, the cold and the difficult
• Doug Scott - A Crawl down the Ogre
• Chris Bonington and Tony Riley - Interactive Photography workshop The Everest Years
• The Life of Julia Bradbury - her recent adventures in the Great Outdoors
• Alan Hinkes - The Big 14
• Mick Fowler - Matterhorns of Tibet
• Stephen Venables - Higher than the Eagle Soars
• Full details at www.keswickmountainfestival.co.uk

The main screenings of the Dundee Mountain Film Festival were on Saturday at the Bonar Hall. Arrived in good time to take my seat for the morning session which included 5 films taken from the Banff Mountain Film Festival’s World Tour, followed by a presentation from Will Gadd (adventure film maker and one of the judges at Kendal).

• Tyrol - Land in the Mountain - 10′ / Austria / 2001
• Beyond Iraq - 8′ / USA / 2005
• Ride of the Mergansers - 11′ / USA / 2004
• Grand Canyon Dreams - 15′ / Canada / 2005
• Aweberg - 27′ / Canada / 2006
• Will Gadd - ‘how we rally make adventure TV explained’

The afternoon session saw another 5 films from the Banff World Tour, plus rare some rare footage of Currie boys. Following this came a talk from Slovakian Marko Prezelj, alpenist, photographer and seeker of experiences - once of them being film Cayesh.

• Roam - 18′ / Canada /2006
• Mountaineering without Barriers - 24′ / USA / 2006
• Yes to the No - 10′ / Canada / 2006
• Cayesh - The Calling - 20′ / USA / 2006
• Didier versus the Cobra - 25′ / USA / 2006
• Yo-Yo - 10′ / Scotland / 1960

Along side the films were 3 exhibitions of images, the best of these were Peter Sandground’s photos of the HMS Gannet - Royal Navy Search and Rescue Team.

This year there were 47 Kendal Mountain Film Festival finalists competing for Andy Parkin sculptures and cash prizes in ten categories. Judges were Sir Chris Bonnington, Leo Holding, Will Gadd, Saskia Anley, Mick Pause and Mark Batey with the awards themselves being presented in the Brewery Art Centre Theatre. With nods all round to all those who have worked so hard to make the festival run so smoothly it was a fitting end to an excellent weekend of films.

Grand Prize

• Winner - King Lines
• Special Mention - Edge of Eden
• Special Mention - The Beckoning Silence

People’s Choice

• Winner - Pscyche
• 2nd - The Beckoning Silence
• 3rd - Longest climb
• 4th - Amadablam

Special Jury Award

• Winner - Oil and Water Project
• Special Mention - Underdeveloped
• Special Mention - Call it Karma

Mountaineering

• Winner - The Beckoning Silence
• Special Mention - Patagonian Winter
• Special Mention - The Fastest Summit

Climbing

• Winner - Aerialist
• Special Mention - Underdeveloped
• Special Mention - King Lines

Adventure

• Winner - Psyche (Patagonia Winter)
• Special Mention - Oil and Water Project
• Special Mention - Call it Karma

Film Short

• Winner - Committed Keen Youth
• Special Mention - Zoltan
• Special Mention - I can do that

Culture

• Winner - Tribe: Darhad
• Special Mention - Call it Karma
• Special Mention - Land of Spirits

Environment

• Winner - The Edge of Eden, Living with Grizzlies
• Special Mention - Oil and Water
• Special Mention - Tepuy

Adventure Film Academy

• Winner - Gear Freak
• Special Mention - Adventure Shopping
• Special Mention - Stoned
• View all the Adventure Academy films

• Psyche
• Big Grey Man of Ben Macdhui
• Tempuy
• A snowy day
• Shisha in Winter
• Awards Ceremony

Back at the Brewery bright and early to present ‘The Big Grey Man of Ben Macdhui’ on day 2 of the Kendal Mountain Film Festival. Spent the morning in the lounge trying to make sense of what I’d seen the day before! Another full day of films after that, with light refreshment coming from the Berghaus sponsors party. Today’s films were:

• The Big Grey Man of Ben Macdhui
• Great British Journeys: Thomas Pennant
• Pure
• Light at the Edge of the World: Sacred Geography
• The Longest Climb
• Am Limit
• Lost Mountain

Made it to the Brewery Art Centre for 10am in time to catch the second film of the morning in the Kendal Mountain Film Festival. Exciting to be here, especially with ‘Big Grey Man of Ben Macdhui’ screening 3 times over the weekend. Managed to see a lot of films over the day, including the screenings of all 2 minute films made by participants of the Adventure Film Academy.

• King Lines
• Committed
• Land of Spirits
• The Alps
• I can do that
• Wings on their feet
• Zoltan
• Towers of Paine
• Adventure Film Academy

On Saturday evening there was a presentation of the 9 x 2 minute films produced by over the 48 hours of the Kendal Mountain Film Festival Adventure Film Academy. Coordinated by Brian Hall & Graham Hoyland and with mentoring and support from Keith Partridge, James Else and Dan Hodge the final films were all accomplished pieces, some displaying real flair which would not look out of place in the full programme.

• Gravity - bridge swinging
• The Outsider - rough sleeper finds friends in climbers
• Plain Sailing - disabled man finds freedom on the water
• Adventure shopping - try before you buy!
• End of the affair - the rock laments your departure
• Out for lunch - get out there
• Stoned - extreme skimming
• Sound of Revolutions - the sounds of single track
• Gear Freak - all the gear…

View all the Adventure Academy films