October 8, 2002

A record-breaking number of films were entered in this year’s Banff Mountain Film Festival — reflecting the strength and diversity of the mountain film industry. Two hundred and sixty-three films representing 31 countries were received for the 2002 competition. The Banff Mountain Film Festival takes place October 29 and November 1–3 in Banff, Alberta.

"The mountain film industry has never been stronger — and this year’s entries reflect that fact," says Bernadette McDonald, vice-president, Mountain Culture at The Banff Centre. "From a 15-year-old novice filmmaker to some of the most respected directors and producers in the business, the story-telling is first-class. I don't think I've ever seen such variety — there is everything from Ethiopia to Patagonia, from mixed climbing in the Canadian Rockies to Lhotse Middle Peak, from an incredible portrait of Massoud the Afghan to an equally compelling depiction of the legendary characters of Yosemite’s Camp 4."

The festival today announced the 45 finalist films that will be screened during the festival. This year’s finalists are:

Bellavista – Adventure beyond the Vertical, Director: Heinz Zak; Producer: Michael Pause; Production Company: Bayerischer Rundfunk (Bavarian Broadcast Company) (Germany)

Eastern Tide, Director/Producer: Todd Foster; Production Company: Pull Down Productions Inc. (Canada)

Front Range Freaks [Part 1]: Urban Ape, Director/Producer: Peter Mortimer; Production Company: Axolotl Productions (USA)

A Matter of Doubt, Director: Shay Katz; producers: Katia Lafaille, Gérard Queray; Production Companies: Lafaille Communication/Totem (France)

Mountain Men: The Mystery of McKinley, Producer: Mick Conefrey; Production Companies: BBC/TLC (UK/USA)

Musashi, directors: Glen Crawford, Pat Morrow; producers: Glen Crawford, Pat Morrow; Production Company: Glen Crawford Production Services (Canada)

MX, Director/Producer: Rich Purnell; Production Company: M9 Films (USA)

Patacorta, Director/Producer: Elio Orlandi (Italy)

The Russian Eight-thousander, Director: Nikolai Zhidkov; Producers: Victor Kozlov, Pavel Kadoushin (Russia)

The Second Step – Warren Macdonald’s Epic Journey to Federation Peak, Director: Gary Caganoff; Producer: Suzanne Davies; Production Companies: Kaganovich Productions/Part Animal Part Machine (Australia)

Something about Anna, Director/Producer: Dariusz Zaluski (Poland)

They Don’t Want to Understand It... Cerro Torre, directors: Christoph Frutiger, Christine Kopp, Thomas Ulrich; Producer: Thomas Ulrich; Production Company: Visual Impact Production (Switzerland)

Uncommon Ground, Director: Rob Frost; producers: Rob Frost, Jack Tracy; Production Company: Chance Productions (USA)

Vertical Frontier, Director/Producer: Kristi Denton Cohen; Production Company: Peloton Productions (USA)

Visions of Everest, Director/cameraman: Michael Brown; executive producers: Glenn Timmons, Bill Waite; Production Company: Newport Productions (USA)

Cannibals and Crampons, Directors: Bruce Parry, Mark Anstice; Producer: Ed Stobart; Production Company: Ginger Productions (UK)

Escape over the Himalayas – Tibet’s Children on Their Journey into Exile, Director: Zazie Blumencron; Producer: Alecsander Faroga; Production Company: Tellux Film Munich (Germany)

Faut pas rêver: Porteurs de misère (Porters of Misery), Director: Philippe Lespinasse; Production Company: France 3 (France)

Gordon Wiltsie – View from Above and Beyond, Producer: Wayne Clague; Production Company: National Geographic Society (USA)

The Granite Ocean II, Director/Producer: Janet Roddan; Production Company: Benign Vertigo (Canada)

Indian Journeys: Shiva’s Matted Locks, Director/Producer: Hugh Thomson; Associate Producer: Laura Marshall; Production Company: Icon Films (UK)

Massoud, the Afghan, Director: Christophe de Ponfilly; Producer: Laurence de Rosière; Production Company: Interscoop (France)

National Geographic Explorer: Search for the Afghan Girl, Producer: Lawrence Cumbo; Production Company: National Geographic Television & Film (USA)

Omo – A Journey to the Primaeval Age, Director/Producer: Pavol Barabas; Production Company: K2 Studio (Slovak Republic)

Shepherd Women of Shambala, Producer: Joy Tessman; Production Company: BolderVision Films (USA)

Bears, Director: David Lickley; Producer: Goulam Amarsy; Production Company: National Wildlife Federation/Primesco (USA/Canada)

Deepest Patagonia, Director: Luc-Henri Fage; Producer: Sylvie Barbe; Production Company: Média Vidéo Compagnie (France)

In the Shadow of the Condor, Director: Michael Brown; producer: Kim Johnson; executive producer: Les Guthman; Production Companies: Outside Television/OLN/Serac Adventure Films (USA)

Rescue: The Cost of Risk, Director: Pierre-Antoine Hiroz; producer: Benoît Aymon; Production Company: Télévision Suisse Romande (TSR)/MC4 Production/ARTE G.E.I.E./Espace Production (Switzerland/France)

Wild Africa: Mountains, Director: Martyn Colbeck; Producer: Patrick Morris; Production Company: BBC/Discovery Channel (UK/USA)

Atanarjuat, Director: Zacharias Kunuk; Producers: Paul Apak Angilirq, Norman Cohn, Zacharias Kunuk; Production Companies: Igloolik Isuma Productions/NFB (Canada)

Kandahar – Journey into the Heart of Afghanistan, Director: Mohsen Makhmalbaf; Production Company: Makhmalbaf Film House/Bac Films (Iran/France)

Marooned in Iraq, Director/Producer: Bahman Ghobadi; Production Company: MIJ Film Company (Iran)

Vollgas (Step on It), Director: Sabine Derflinger; Producers: Michael Seeber, Heinz Stussak; Production Company: Prisma Film (Austria)