Death on Nanga Parbat, a film about the 1970 expedition that claimed the life of Günther Messner, has taken the Grand Prize at this year’s Banff Mountain Film Festival. Directed by Ludwig Ott and produced by Jo Angerer, the German documentary includes previously unseen archival footage in its examination of the events surrounding the death of the brother of acclaimed alpinist Reinhold Messner.
“For the Grand Prize, we looked to a film that transcends category,” says jury member Julie Tait. “In giving us fresh insight into a historic event and the cult of hero, Death on Nanga Parbat offers the viewer a depth of experience that underlines the power of the medium. It’s a triumph of substance over style.”
The 2007 Banff Mountain Film Festival jury included Tait, co-director of England’s Kendal Mountain Film Festival, as well as China-based mountaineering journalist and filmmaker Charlie Buffet, American climber and filmmaker Rob Frost, Canadian film producer Kerrie Long, and Canadian mountaineer, photographer, and filmmaker Pat Morrow.
The award for Best Short Mountain Film goes to The Western Lands: Hoy (U.K.), directed by Grant Gee, the story of writer Jim Perrin’s attempted climb of the famous British sea stack on his 60th birthday. “The filmmaker creates a rich and beautiful canvas on which this story is told,” Tait says. “This is a sensual film with an experimental treatment, a story of life, love and loss.” Morrow adds that it’s “sex mixed up with climbing.”
Badgered (U.K.), the short animated story of a badger who just wants the world to let him sleep, takes the 2007 award for Best Film on Mountain Environment. “Director Sharon Colman has given us a refreshing look at the resilience of the natural world in the face of human impact,” Frost says. “She’s creatively delivered a serious subject in a light-hearted and humorous way.”
The Alpine Club of Canada award for Best Film on Climbing goes to King Lines (USA), directed and produced by Josh Lowell and Peter Mortimer. Shot on location on three continents, the film documents the life of nomadic professional climber and global citizen Chris Sharma. “He has everything,” says Kerrie Long. “He’s young, talented, beautiful and articulate. And yet, this is a gritty story of persistence and determination — he’s always reaching for the route he might not be able to do.”
Four men with typical professional careers and atypical appetites for adventure are the key characters in Loop (Norway), winner of the 2007 award for Best Feature-length Mountain Film. The film is directed and produced by Sjur Paulsen. “It’s very difficult to deal with the philosophical approach to life in the mountains, and do it visually, not just with words,” says Morrow. “This film does that, with its strong synergy among visuals, narration and dialogue.”
The award for Best Film on Mountain Sports goes to 20 Seconds of Joy (Germany). Directed by Jens Hoffmann (who also directed last year’s winning film in this category), it follows Norwegian BASE jumper Karina Hollekim through her high-risk career. “We get to know the central character over time, and the film combines precipitous physical locations with insight into the deepest recesses of this athlete’s mind,” Morrow says.
Nine Winters Old (U.S.A.), directed by Bill Heath, takes the 2007 award for Best Film on Mountain Culture. “Mountain culture is not just about folkloric traditions,” says Buffet. “It’s the way people live and dream their mountain experience. There was a sense of surprise, of playful curiosity, that carried me through this film.” The film celebrates winter in the mountains, and those who truly love the season.
Three films were selected for Special Jury Awards, including The Beckoning Silence (U.K.), directed and produced by Louise Osmond. The film follows mountaineer and author Joe Simpson to the Eiger to tell the story of a tragic and epic 1936 climb. Becoming a Woman in Zanskar (France), directed by Jean-Michel Corillion, “gives voices to two women from a remote and relatively closed culture,” Long says. “It moved me to tears.” Into the Wild (U.S.A.), directed by Sean Penn, brings to the screen Jon Krakauer’s best-seller about the short life and mysterious death of Chris McCandless. “Rarely does Hollywood treat a delicate story with this level of integrity,” Frost says.
20 Seconds of Joy won the People’s Choice Award; Trial & Error won the People’s Choice Award for Radical Reels.
Founded in 1976, the Banff Mountain Film Festival has become the biggest and best-known mountain film festival in the world. Accompanied by the Banff Mountain Book Festival, it is held annually at The Banff Centre in Banff, Alberta, Canada. Following the festival, films are selected for the popular Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour, which takes Banff films on a circuit around the globe.
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Downloadable images from the winning films
Award Sponsors:
- The $4000 Banff Mountain Film Festival Grand Prize award is sponsored by Mountain Equipment Co-op.
- The Best Film on Mountain Environment Award ($2000) is sponsored by Patagonia.
- The award for Best Film on Climbing ($2000) is sponsored by the Alpine Club of Canada.
- The Best Film on Mountain Sports Award ($2000) is sponsored by Big Rock Brewery.
- The Best Short Mountain Film Award ($2000) is sponsored by Mountain Hardwear.
- The Best Film on Mountain Culture Award ($2000) is sponsored by PETZL.
- The Best Feature-length Mountain Film Award ($2000) is sponsored by Camper’s Village.
- The People’s Choice Award ($2000) is sponsored by Ortovox.
- The People’s Choice Award for Radical Reels ($350 plus a selection of prizes) is sponsored by Fido.
More information on the 2007 Banff Mountain Film Festival.
Media Contact
Jill Sawyer
Media and Communications Officer, The Banff Centre
403.762.6475
The Banff Mountain Film Festival is presented by National Geographic and New Balance, and sponsored by Patagonia, Deuter, Outdoor Research, Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, Polartec, and Gore-Tex, with support from MSR, Lake Louise Mountain Resort, PETZL, World Expeditions, Mountain Hardwear, Mountain Equipment Co-op, Banff Lake Louise Tourism, CBC Radio One, Calgary Herald, and Alberta Foundation for the Arts.
