October 20, 2000 

Climbing and Feature Films
Headline Record-Breaking Year at the Banff Mountain Film Festival

Awe-inspiring climbs and dramatic mountain stories highlight the finalists in this year’s Banff Mountain Film Festival competition. From the 213 films representing 24 countries entered in the 2000 competition, 41 finalists will be screened at the festival in Banff. The Banff Mountain Film Festival takes place November 3 to 5, 2000.

"This year’s film program is the strongest I've seen," says Bernadette McDonald, Director of the Banff Centre for Mountain Culture, which hosts the event. "Two new categories, short film and feature film, have definitely added to the variety. We have several young Canadian filmmakers in the short category, and the feature films screened on Sunday evening in the Margaret Greenham Theatre are powerful, moving mountain dramas. I think our audience is also going to appreciate the incredible strength and variety of the climbing category — from Dhaulagiri to Yosemite — featuring some of the most exciting climbers of our time."

An international jury will meet during festival week to select the winners in six categories and to choose a Grand Prize winner. The festival audience will vote for the People’s Choice Award. Winners will be announced on Sunday, November 5, at 5:30 p.m.

The 2000 jury includes Arlene Burns (U.S.A.), Mireille Chiocca (France), Giorgio Daidola (Italy), Stephen Venables (U.K.) and Roger Vernon (Canada). Jury biographies are attached.

This year’s finalists are:

• Annapurna, l'histoire d'une légende (Annapurna — History of a Conquest), Director: Bernard George, Producer: Luc Martin-Gousset, Production company: Point du Jour (France)
• Beyond Gravity, Directors/Producers: Aaron Black/Aaron Jackson/Sean White, Production company: Black & White Productions (Canada)
• Dhaulagiri Express, Director/Producer: Stipe Bozic, Production company: Third Eye (Croatia)
• Disaster on the North Face of the Eiger, Director/Producer: Gerhard Baur, Production company: ZDF (Germany)
• The Dizzy Heights’ Knights, Director: Fulvio Mariani, Producer: Krysia Binek, Production company: TSI Swiss Television (Switzerland)
• Downwalling, Directors: Lubomir Slavik/Jaromir Zid, Producer: LUJA Studio (Czech Republic)
• El Capitan, Director/Producer: Thomas Ulrich, Production company: Visual Impact (Switzerland)
• Lost on Everest – The Search for Mallory and Irvine, Producer: Peter Firstbrook, Production company: BBC TV (U.K.)
• No Strings Attached, Director/Producer: Brian Goldstone, Co-producer: Chris Atkinson, Production company: Five Point Productions (Canada)
• Reticent Wall, Director: Stipe Bozic, Producer: Gregor Garbajs, Production company: ITU (Croatia)
• Splinter, Director: Ben Pritchard, Producer: Richard Heap, Production company: Slackjaw (U.K.)
• Wild Climbs: Czech Republic, Director/Producer: Richard Else, Production company: Triple Echo Productions (U.K.)
• Yosemite – Ascending Rhythm, Directors/Producers: Sterling Johnson/Ron Kauk, Production company: The SnowCreek Consort (U.S.A.)

• A Life of My Choice – Thesiger, Directors: Allison Chase/Gordon Brown, Producer: Allison Chase, Production company: Ventana Pictures (U.S.A.)
• Caravan - The Making Of, Director: Debra Kellner, Producer: Jacques Perrin, Production company: Galatée Films (France)
• The Ice Mummies, Producers: Kevin Krug/Gail MacFaraquhar, Production company: National Geographic Television (U.S.A.)
• Millennium 2000, Director: Francesco Santullo, Producer: Grivelart, Production company: Grivel s.r.l. (Italy)
• Mysterious Mamberamo, Director/Producer: Pavol Barabas, Production company: K2 Studio (Slovakia)
• Tamangur, Director: Stephen Macmillan, Producer: Richard Walder, Production company: Forest Art Productions (Switzerland)
• Treasure Seekers: Tibet’s Hidden Kingdom, Series Producer: Graham Townsley; Executive Producers: Jason Williams/William Morgan/Bob Judson, Production company: JWM Productions in association with Crawford Communications (U.S.A.)

• Macquarie Island, Director/Producer: Wade Fairley, Production company: Australian Broadcasting Corporation (Australia)
• Mountain Rivals, Director/Producer: Rob Harrison-White, Production company: Off the Fence/Clyde Films (Netherlands)
• Neblina — Strange Islands in the Sky, Directors: Antoine de Maximy/Henri Herre, Producer: Emmanuel Priou, Production company: Bonne Pioche (France)
• The Sahara's Secret Garden, Director: Gauthier Flauder, Producer: Manuel Catteau, Production company: ZED — Zoo Ethnological Documentary (France)
• Searching Patagonia…, Director/Producer: Mark Carroll, Production company: Remote Dispatch.com (U.S.A.)

Best Short Mountain Film — Finalists

• Beyond Gravity, Directors/Producers: Aaron Black/Aaron Jackson/Sean White, Production company: Black & White Productions (Canada)
• Columbia, Director/Producer: Mark Karlstrom, Production company: Formula Films (Canada)
• El Capitan, Director/Producer: Thomas Ulrich, Production company: Visual Impact (Switzerland)
• Kranked III [short], Directors: Christian Bégin/Bjorn Enga, Producer: Bjorn Enga, Production company: Radical Films (Canada)
• No Strings Attached, Director/Producer: Brian Goldstone, Co-producer: Chris Atkinson, Production company: Five Point Productions (Canada)
• Nurpu [short], Directors: Arden Oksanen/Dirk CollinsTodd Jones/Steve Jones, Producers: Dirk Collins/Todd Jones/Steve Jones, Production company: Teton Gravity Research (U.S.A.)
• POW — Posse of Women, Director/Producer: Curtis Robinson, Production company: Funky Junkie Digital Productions (Canada)
• Resident Bruise, Director/Producer: Randy Waldschmidt, Production company: Resident Films (U.S.A.)
• Searching Patagonia…, Director/Producer: Mark Carroll, Production company: Remote Dispatch.com (U.S.A.)
• Skilletto, Director: Alex Fostvedt, Producer: Derek Westerlund, Production company: Freeride Entertainment (Canada)
• Splinter, Director: Ben Pritchard, Producer: Richard Heap, Production company: Slackjaw (U.K.)
• Wheel Women, Directors: Anne Walton/Selena Lawrie, Producers: Anne Walton/Selena Lawrie/Laurie Long, Production company: Dirt Diva Productions (Canada)
• Y2sKi, Directors: Didier Lafond/Dominique Perret, Production company: Vertical Zoo (Switzerland)

• Columbia, Director/Producer: Mark Karlstrom, Production company: Formula Films (Canada)
• Extreme Lives: Road to Certain Death, Director: Jenny Jones, Producer: Steve Robinson, Production company: BBC Wales (U.K.)
• A Higher Calling, Director/Producer: Neal Michaelis, Production company: Dawn Treader Productions (U.S.A.)
• Kranked III [short], Directors: Christian Bégin/Bjorn Enga, Producer: Bjorn Enga, Production company: Radical Films (Canada)
• The North Face Expeditions: Shishapangma — A Celebration of Life, Producers: John Wilcox/Michael Brown/Kara Klein/Claude Merkel/Cherie Silvera, Production company: American Adventure Productions (U.S.A.)
• Nurpu [short], Directors: Arden Oksanen/Dirk CollinsTodd Jones/Steve Jones, Producers: Dirk Collins/Todd Jones/Steve Jones, Production company: Teton Gravity Research (U.S.A.)
• POW – Posse of Women, Director/Producer: Curtis Robinson, Production company: Funky Junkie Digital Productions (Canada)
• Resident Bruise, Director/Producer: Randy Waldschmidt, Production company: Resident Films (U.S.A.)
• Skilletto, Director: Alex Fostvedt, Producer: Derek Westerlund, Production company: Freeride Entertainment (Canada)
• Stikine River Fever, Producers: John Bredar/Robert Poole, Production company: National Geographic Television (U.S.A.)
• There’s Something about McConkey, Director: Scott Gaffney, Producers: Steve Winter/Murray Wais, Production company: Matchstick Productions (U.S.A.)
• Wheel Women, Directors: Anne Walton/Selena Lawrie, Producers: Anne Walton/Selena Lawrie/Laurie Long, Production company: Dirt Diva Productions (Canada)
• Y2sKi, Directors: Didier Lafond/Dominique Perret, Production company: Vertical Zoo (Switzerland)

• Premier de cordée, Directors: Pierre-Antoine Hiroz/Edouard Niermans, Producer: Dominique Rappaz, Production Companies: Gaumont TV/J.M. Henchoz Prod./RAI/F2/TSR (Switzerland)
• La grande crevasse, Directors: Pierre-Antoine Hiroz/Edouard Niermans, Producer: Dominique Rappaz, Production Companies: Gaumont TV/J.M. Henchoz Prod./RAI/F2/TSR (Switzerland)

The Festival Grand Prize is sponsored by the Banff Centre for Management and Eagle Creek Travel Gear. The People’s Choice award is sponsored by The Hostel Shop, Calgary, Alberta.

The following films will be screened as part of the Saturday evening Radical Reels program.

• New World Disorder, Director/Producer: Derek Westerlund, Co-producer: Jeff Lawrence, Production company: Freeride Entertainment (Canada)
• Our Turn, Directors/Producers: Sky Rondenet/Tiffany Sabol, Production company: XX Productions (U.S.A.)
• Ski Movie, Directors: Steve Winter/Murray Wais/Scott Gaffney, Production company: Matchstick Productions (U.S.A.)
• Wicked Liquid II — 1000 Cunning Stunts, Directors/Producers: Alexander Nicks/Steve Fisher, Production company: Green Room Productions (Canada)

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Debra Hornsby, Marketing and Communications Manager,
  Mountain Culture, The Banff Centre
phone: 403-762-6446, fax: 403-762-6277,
email: debra_hornsby@banffcentre.ca
Web site: www.banffmountainfestivals.ca