FTP Photos - The Banff Mountain Film Festival 2001 Winners

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November 4, 2001 Yellowstone Film Takes Top Prize at Banff Mountain Film Festival A film that explores the value of wilderness in a modern world takes top honours at this year’s Banff Mountain Film Festival. Yellowstone — America's Sacred Wilderness is the Grand Prize winner at the 26^thannual festival. The film portrays both the exquisite beauty and the savage brutality of the natural world in Yellowstone National Park. Film festival jury member Sharon Wood says Yellowstone "tells the story of an ever-balancing ecosystem beautifully. This film is a very direct and intimate story about wildness." Fellow jury member Antonio Cembran calls the film "all-encompassing" and notes that it examines all aspects of the value of wilderness—ecological, economical, philosophical and political. Yellowstone was directed and produced by Hugh Miles and Shane Moore for ABC/Kane Productions (U.S.A.). The Grand Prize award of $4,000 is co-sponsored by Leadership Development at The Banff Centre and Eagle Creek Travel Gear. The film festival’s 2001 jury included: George Band (U.K.), Gauthier Flauder (France), Antonio Cembran (Italy), Harish Kapadia (India) and Sharon Wood (Canada). Two hundred and fifty films from 27 countries were entered in this year’s competition. Other 2001 Banff Mountain Film Festival winners include:

Alpine Club of Canada Award for Best Film on Climbing: $2000 – sponsored by the Alpine Club of Canada Desert Friction (South Africa) Director: Nic Good, Producer: Brian Valentine, Production Company: Fresh Air Crew Desert Friction follows two leading South African sport climbers as they attempt to reach the summit of a 500-metre-high granite slab set in the desolate landscape of the Namibian desert. Jury member George Band comments: "Beautifully filmed in the Namibian desert, this film conveys the sense of fun and excitement of a serious climb."	Best Film on Mountain Culture: $2000 – sponsored by Petzl Mustang (Slovakia) Director/Producer: Pavol Barabas, Production Company: K2 Studio Mustang follows two friends who travel along an ancient trade route over the main ridge of the Himalayas in order to reach Lo Manthang, the capital of Mustang, and secretly shoot a film. Jury member Antonia Cembran comments: "This film lovingly rendered in images and words the living conditions of a mountain people who have maintained their identity."	Best Film on Mountain Sports: $2000 – sponsored by Yamnuska Inc. and Mountain Equipment Co-op Jump! (U.S.A.) Directors /Producers: Allen Hill/John Catto, Production Company: Alpenglow Film & Video Jump! profiles the remarkable sport of tower jumping in the fairytale-like countryside known as the Czech Paradise.	Best Film on Mountain Environment: $2000 – sponsored by Canadian Mountain Holidays Wild Asia: At the Edge (Japan/New Zealand) Director: Alan D'acrcy Erson Producer: Shinichi Murata, Michael Stedman, Production Companies: NHK/Natural History New Zealand Ltd./Discovery Channel/NDR Naturefilm Studios Hamburg Fernseh Allianz Set in Ladakh in northern India, Wild Asia is a rich portrait of life and death at the vertical limit of mammalian life on Earth. Jury member Gauthier Flauder praises Wild Asia as "a rare documentary on an unknown region".

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Best Short Mountain Film (15 minutes or less): $2000 – sponsored by Microcell Solutions, owner of the Fido Brand Will Gadd — This is Your Life (Canada) Directors: Melissa Forman, Pat Morrow, Producer: Melissa Forman, Production Company: Sun Bear Productions This is Your Life is a quick, humorous introduction to multi-talented athlete and adventurer Will Gadd of Canmore, Alberta.	Best Feature-length Mountain Fiction Film: $2000 – sponsored by National Geographic Channel Canada A Time for Drunken Horses (Iran) Director/Producer: Bahmar Ghobadi, Production Company: Mongrel Media Inc. A Time for Drunken Horses tells the moving story of five orphaned siblings struggling to survive in Iranian Kurdistan, very close to the border with Iraq. Jury member Harish Kapadia commends the young actors in this film for "their strong performances in conveying a very human story".	Special Jury Award Mountain Men: The Ghosts of K2 (U.K.) Director/Producer: Mick Conefrey, Production Company: BBC/TLC Mountain Men: The Ghosts of K2 chronicles the pioneer climbers of K2, Fritz Wiessener and Charles Houston, and their battle with the second-highest mountain in the world.	People’s Choice Award: $2000 – sponsored by The Hostel Shop, Calgary, Alberta Berserk in the Antarctic (Norway) Director/Producer: Kaare Skard, Production Company: TV2 Norway Berserk is the incredible story of a 19-year-old from Norway who, with no prior experience at sea, sets sail for Antarctica in a small yacht named Berserk. The result is an adventure film like no other.
The Banff Mountain Film Festival is an international competition featuring the world's best films and videos on mountain subjects. The annual event, organized by Mountain Culture at The Banff Centre, also features world-renowned guest speakers, seminars on current mountain issues, an adventure trade fair, mountain art and craft sale, and a climbing wall. Entry forms for the 2002 Banff Mountain Film Festival will be available in May 2002 by visiting the festival’s web site at www.banffmountainfestivals.ca Film stills For further information, please contact: Debra Hornsby, Marketing and Communications Manager, Mountain Culture, The Banff Centre Box 1020, Banff, Alberta T1L 1H5, Canada Phone: 403-762-6446, fax: 403-762-6277, email: debra_hornsby@banffcentre.ca website: www.banffmountainfestivals.ca The 26th Annual Banff Mountain Film Festival, presented by Eagle Creek Travel Gear and National Geographic Society, sponsored by Patagonia, Polartec, Air Canada, Dunham Bootmakers, and Chevy Avalanche, with assistance from Lake Louise Ski Area, Wenger North America and PETZL. Mountain Culture at The Banff Centre promotes understanding and appreciation of the world’s mountain places by creating opportunities for people to share – and find inspiration in – mountain experiences, ideas and visions.