Becoming Who I Was takes Grand Prize at the 2017 Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival
By
Louise Healy
Posted on
November 05, 2017
Scene from the film, Becoming Who I Was
BANFF, AB, November 5, 2017 – The Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival is honoured to announce the film Becoming Who I Was, directed by Moon Chang-yong, has won the Grand Prize for the 2017 Banff Mountain Film Competition.
Padma Angdu is ten years old. He is also a Rinpoche — a “Living Buddha” or reincarnate of a high Tibetan Lama reborn in Ladakh, India. His appointed destiny is to be reunited with his predecessor’s monastic order — but seemingly insurmountable geographic, political, financial, and existential obstacles lie between him and that goal. The usual trials and tribulations of fifth grader are nothing for Padma as he and his elderly guardian seek to overcome struggles when no disciples from his former monastery in Tibet come to claim him and, as a result, he is expelled from his local monastery.
“The film takes its viewer on a strenuous journey, a journey begun when its characters are ostracized from their own community,” said Shannon O’Donoghue-Child, a member of the 2017 Banff Mountain Film Festival jury. “Facing immense burdens, including poverty, political upheaval and extreme geography, the protagonists are shown not only in poignant and intimate scenes of daily life, but also as small figures in expansive landscapes.”
She added: “But what comes through from the opening scene to closing credits, more impactful than the hardships, is the overwhelming sense of humanity, the innocence of childhood, and the extraordinary bond between two people, whose love and support for each other transcend all the struggles they face. That element of hope was beautifully captured by the filmmakers.”
Jury members in 2017 included adventure filmmaker Paul Diffley (UK), journalist and filmmaker Gilles Chappaz (France), producer Katie Moore ( UK), former Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival Director Shannon O’Donoghue (US), and journalist Keme Nzerem (UK).
Category winners for the 2017 Banff Mountain Film Competition include:
Grand Prize – Sponsored by MEC
Becoming Who I Was
(Republic of Korea, 2017, 96 min)
Director and Producer: Moon Chang-yong and Jin Jeon
Production Company: Sonamu Films & Prosum
Creative Excellence Award- Sponsored by The Camera Store
Planet Earth II: Mountains
(UK, 2017, 60 min)
Director and Producer: Justin Anderson
Production Company: BBC Natural History Unit
Best Film – Exploration and Adventure - Sponsored by Treksta
Blood Road
(USA, 2016, 96 min)
Director: Nicholas Schrunk
Producer: Sandra Kuhn
Production Company: Red Bull Media House
Best Film – Mountain Culture- Sponsored by Helly Hansen
The Last Honey Hunter
(USA, 2017, 36 min)
Director: Ben Knight
Producer: Ben Ayers, Renan Ozturk, Travis Rummel
Production Company: Felt Soul Media
Best Film – Climbing - Sponsored by the Alpine Club of Canada
Psycho Vertical
(UK, 2017, 64 min)
Director and Producer: Jen Randall
Production Company: Light Shed Pictures
Best Film – Mountain Sports- Sponsored by Experticity
Intersection: Micayla Gatto
(USA, 2017, 5 min)
Director and Producer: Lacy Kemp
Production Company: Juicy Studios
Best Film: Snow Sports - Sponsored by Boreale Explorers
Imagination: Tom Wallisch
(Canada, 2017, 4 min)
Director: David Mossop
Producer: Mitchell Scott
Production Company: Sherpas Cinema
Best Film – Mountain Environment and Natural History - Sponsored by lululemon
Samuel in the Clouds
(Belgium, 2016, 70 min)
Director: Pieter Van Eecke
Producer: Hanne Phlypo
Production Company: Clin d’oeil Films
Best Short Mountain Film - Sponsored by The North Face
Johanna
(UK, 2016, 4 min)
Director and Producer: Ian Derry
Production Company: Archer’s Mark
Best Feature Length Mountain Film - Sponsored by the Town of Banff
Dirtbag: The Legend of Fred Beckey
(USA, 2017, 95 min)
Director: Dave O’Leske
Producer: Jason Reid, Andy McDonough, Colin Plank
Production Company: Fred Beckey Film LLC
Special Jury Mentions
Into Twin Galaxies: A Greenland Epic
(Germany, 2016, 52 min)
Director: Jochen Schmoll
Senior Producer: Niko Jäger
Producer: Nicola McQuiston
Production Company: Red Bull Media House, Drehxtrem
The Frozen Road
(UK, 2017, 24 min)
Director and Producer: Ben Page
People’s Choice Award - Sponsored by Osprey
Dirtbag: The Legend of Fred Beckey
(USA, 2017, 95 min)
Director: Dave O’Leske
Producer: Jason Reid, Andy McDonough, Colin Plank
Production Company: Fred Beckey Film LLC
Next Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival: October 27 to November 4, 2018
For more information on the 2017 Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival, please visit www.banffmountainfestival.ca.
About Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival: Created 42 years ago, the Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival has become the premier event of its kind in the world. The nine-day Festival hosted by Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in Banff, Canada, showcases the world’s best films, books and photographs on mountain subjects – climbing, culture, environment and natural history, exploration and adventure, wildlife, and sport – and attracts the biggest names in mountaineering, adventure filmmaking, and explorers as presenters and speakers. An international jury will also award over $50,000 in prizes for films and books submitted to this year’s Festival competitions.
About Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity: Founded in 1933, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity is a learning organization built upon an extraordinary legacy of excellence in artistic and creative development. What started as a single course in drama has grown to become the global organization leading in arts, culture, and creativity across dozens of disciplines. From our home in the stunning Canadian Rocky Mountains, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity aims to inspire everyone who attends our campus – artists, leaders, and thinkers – to unleash their creative potential and realize their unique contribution to society through cross-disciplinary learning opportunities, world-class performances, and public outreach. banffcentre.ca