November 9, 2003

The Other Final Takes Grand Prize at Banff Mountain Film Festival

The Other Final, an uplifting film that examines the interplay of sports and culture, has taken the Grand Prize at the 28^th annual Banff Mountain Film Festival. The Other Final tells the story of an officially sanctioned match between the lowest-ranked teams in international soccer — Bhutan and Montserrat. Played against a mountainous Bhutanese backdrop on the same day as the World Cup Final, this match is more about the love of the game than the final score.

"This beautifully directed film shows how competition can bring two cultures together," says jury member John Catto. "Brilliant in concept, execution, and delivery — plus, it makes you laugh," adds fellow jury member Leo Dickinson. The Other Final is directed by Johan Kramer (The Netherlands, 53'). The festival’s Grand Prize award of $4,000 is co-sponsored by Leadership Development at The Banff Centre and Eagle Creek Travel Gear.

The 2003 Banff Mountain Film Festival jury included French filmmaker Jérôme-Cécil Auffret, Canmore climber Kim Csizmazia, Canadian film producer Ava Karvonen, American climber and filmmaker John Catto, and alpinist, skydiver, and British filmmaker Leo Dickinson.

This year’s award for Best Film on Mountain Sports, sponsored by Big Rock Brewery, went to an idiosyncratic film about cave exploration — Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place. "The camera work in this film was exceptional," says Karvonen. "I felt I couldn't breathe as the camera followed the cavers through impossibly tight spaces." "The film portrays tension and emotion without relying on the usual filmmaking tools — no special editing, no music; but it still manages to convey a great deal of raw emotion," adds Auffret. Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place is produced by Justine Curgenven, Tim Guilford, and Kate Snell (UK, 45').

Touching the Void, which tells the harrowing story of climber Joe Simpson’s near fatal 1985 fall, walked away with the Best Feature-length Mountain Film award, sponsored by MSR – Mountain Safety Research. "A well-known epic, potentially difficult to translate to film, Touching the Void tells this story with dignity," says Dickinson. Touching the Void is directed by Kevin MacDonald (UK, 106').

The People’s Choice Award went to the Canmore climbing mockumentary Sister Extreme, produced and directed by Glen Crawford and Brad Wrobleski (Canada, 30'). The award is voted on by the festival audience and is sponsored by The Hostel Shop, Calgary, Alberta and Ortovox.

In other awards, Eiger-Nordwand – Auf den Spuren der Erstbesteiger (Eiger North Face – In the Footsteps of Its First Climber), directed by Frank Senn and Thomas Ulrich (Switzerland, 52'), took the Alpine Club of Canada Award for Best Film on Climbing. "This film is an authentic trip back to the pioneers of climbing," says Auffret.

The award for Best Film on Mountain Culture went to A Man Called Nomad, directed by Alex Gabbay (UK, 39'). "This film portrays a profound world view without being worldly," says Karvonen. The Best Film on Mountain Culture award is sponsored by Petzl.

Northwest Passage – On Franklin’s Trail, directed by John Murray (Ireland, 68') took the award for Best Film on Mountain Environment, sponsored by Canadian Mountain Holidays. "This film looks at an extreme environment and explores how people move through it," says Csizmazia.

The festival’s Best Short Mountain Film award went to Das Rad (Rocks), directed by Heidi Wittlinger and Chris Stenner (Germany, 8'). The award is sponsored by Mountain Equipment Co-Op." A unique look at time, and a profound statement about how transient we humans are," Catto comments.

The jury also selected three films for Special Jury Awards:

Farther Than The Eye Can See, directed by Michael Brown (U.S.A, 46'). Dickinson comments, "just when we thought we'd seen every angle on Everest, Michael Brown did it better."

Tibet — Cry of the Snow Lion, directed by Tom Peosay (U.S.A, 104'). "A strong journalistic effort at explaining the situation in Tibet," says Catto.

Your Himalayas, directed by Alberto Iñurrategi (Spain, 40'). "A poetic deconstruction of death and a heart-felt journey," comments Karvonen.

Over 300 films from 38 countries were entered in this year’s Banff Mountain Film Festival competition. Fifty-four finalist films were screened during the festival. 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 next year's Banff Mountain Film Festival will be available in spring 2004 on the festival’s web site at www.banffmountainfestivals.ca

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.

Downloadable photos from the winning films are available at: www.banffmountainfestivals.ca/ftp

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