November 7, 1999

Vision Man, the powerful and moving story about a contemplative 87-year-old Inuit hunter looking back on his life in the Arctic, is the winner of the 1999 Banff Mountain Film Festival Grand Prize. The announcement was made during the festival's Awards Ceremony on Sunday, November 7.

The film is the tale of Utuniarsuak who within his lifespan has seen his community advance 4,000 years. But he also understands and tells the inevitable story of profound loss - a loss of connectedness and balance between man and nature in his remote region of northern Greenland.

"There was no dissent among the jury about the best film of the festival," said jury member Audrey Salkeld. "Vision Man was everyone's first choice. This elegy for a lost Arctic way of life - described in the memories of a dying Inuit hunter - moved us all with its eloquence and its beautiful camera work."

The international jury selected the Swedish film, produced by Lars Aby and directed by William Long, after viewing 37 films in four categories. Jury members included: Kitty Calhoun and Dr. Thomas Hornbein, USA; Leo Houlding and Audrey Salkeld, UK; and Junko Tabei, Japan. The finalist films were chosen earlier by a pre-screening committee from an impressive 138 entries representing 22 countries.

Other winners include:

Best Film on Mountain Sports
118 Days in Captivity of Ice

Slovakia. Director/Producer: Pavol Barabas
Four Slovak and Russian polar explorers try crossing the Arctic Ocean from Russia to Canada through the North Pole, using only their own strength and wit, without any aircraft support. This authentic story presents not only an incredible journey filled with constant risk, but reveals the beauty and immensity of this landscape.

It is simply unbelievable that these men could capture such a difficult, long, self-contained expedition on film as well as they did," said jury member Kitty Calhoun. "They have absolutely raised the standard against which future films will be compared."

Best Film on Mountain Environment
The Magic Trees of Assam

Austria. Director: Paul Reddish. Producer: Dr. Walter Köhler, ORF - Austrian Broadcasting Corporation.
Tigers, elephants and great Indian rhinos roam the tropical forests of Assam in northeastern India, but perhaps most thrilling are the teeming wild colonies of giant honeybees. A camera team shows Assam's impressive natural treasures from a bee's perspective and beautifully documents the life cycle of these amazing insects, which mysteriously return to the same "magic" trees each year.

"This imaginative and intelligent portrayal of the life and migration of the giant honeybees of Assam entranced us all. We marveled at the dedication of the cameraman, pushing his lens toward living curtains of bees, which are among the world's most aggressive insects. Using the latest macrophotography and technical effects, this film pushed wildlife documentaries into a new dimension," commented Salkeld.

Best Film on Mountain Culture
The Mountains of Yesterday

Spain. Director: Jesús Bosque. Producers: Guillermo Campo, Jesús Bosque
By the 1940s, nearly all of the peaks of the Riglos region in Spain had been climbed. All except one particular pillar - a dangerous, steep and crumbling tower of rock that, because of its shape, remained a fascinating goal. It took several attempts to finally climb the peak. This dramatic re-enactment captures the feeling of the era in a compelling way.

"It was difficult to decide which category this film fell under," said Leo Houlding. "Although it was very much a climbing film, well made and full of nail-biting reconstructions, we felt it also told a story of climbing's intimate history with a small Spanish mountain community and so also reflected mountain culture. Climbers, locals and events of the '50s and '60s, their ties with General Franco's regime, an inspiring yet tragic tale of human courage, loss and achievement - all are part of this film. A deep and captivating film."

Alpine Club of Canada Award for Best Film on Climbing
Oceans of Fear

South Africa. Director: Nic Good. Producers: Nic Good, Charles Standing
In 1984, Andy De Klerk and Greg Lacey aid-climbed a route up the centre of an overhanging expanse of rock in the Klien Winterhoek Mountains of the Western Cape, South Africa. Andy returned to freeclimb Oceans of Fear several years later and vowed to complete the experience by coming back to freeclimb it and then BASE jump off the summit. This is the documentary of that BASE climb.

"Every aspect of this film was outstanding," said Kitty Calhoun. "The joy of climbing and being in the mountains was expressed in this climbing film as in no other. We were totally captivated."

Special Jury Award
From Nowhere to the Middle of Nowhere

UK. Director/Producer: Alun Hughes
Using one solitary camera, From Nowhere to the Middle of Nowhere captures the raw adventure of the first crossing of western Nepal by paraglider, undertaken by pilot John Silvester and filmmaker Alun Hughes in May of 1999.

Jury member Leo Houlding commented: "Many of the adventure films in this festival are made with the aid of a helicopter. To make a film about flying over the Himalaya, without such assistance or ground support, is a truly remarkable achievement. An alpine-style production if you like! The film documents an adventurous quest to far-off inaccessible lands in an experimental and effective way, giving us a beautiful glimpse into the lives of the people who live here. Original, exciting, inspiring - we felt this film deserved special mention."

The People's Choice Award
True Fans

USA,1999 Director/Producer: Dan Austin
True Fans chronicles an epic, one-hundred-day bicycle tour from Venice Beach, Los Angeles, to the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. Although the three cyclists travel through the Rockies in order to reach their destination, this cannot honestly be called a mountain film. However, the spirit of adventure and the genuine humour that permeate their journey make the film an absolute must for this audience. True Fans is truly original!

The Banff Mountain Film Festival is a celebration of the world's best mountain films and videos and is organized by The Banff Centre for Mountain Culture. The three-day event also features seminars, an adventure trade fair, art show and climbing wall. This year's guest speakers included Swedish adventurer Göran Kropp. 

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

The 24th Annual Banff Mountain Film Festival,
presented by Eagle Creek Travel Gear,
Sponsored by the Sierra Designs Outerwear, Salomon Footwear,
the National Geographic Society, Air Canada, Moonstone/Gore, Polartec,
with assistance from Lake Louise Ski Area, Electrohome and Mountainzone.com.