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Banff, Alberta. August 6, 2014 - The Banff Mountain Film and Book festival is proud to announce the headline films and presenters for its 39th Festival including the new film DamNation with climbing pioneer and Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard, the North American Premier of Cerro Torre – A Snowball’s Chance in Hell, a Red Bull Media House production, featuring David Lama’s first free ascent of Cerro Torre’s southeast ridge and many more. Both Chouinard and Lama will be in attendance for the events and will join dozens of the world’s best in mountain culture for #NineEpicDays of the festival, Nov 1-9th, 2014. The full schedule is available online and tickets can be purchased from The Banff Centre Box Office.
The Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival takes place during the first #NineEpicDays of November 2014 and presents the very best in mountain culture through film, photography and literature. The Festival, hosted by The Banff Centre, presents over 75 films where audiences get the opportunity to meet, ask questions and learn from the world’s finest climbers, photographers, writers, explorers and more.
SCHEDULE HIGHLIGHTS
November 1st –Cerro Torre – A Snowball’s Chance in Hell, a Red Bull Media House production, features one of the world’s finest climbers, David Lama, in his first free ascent on Patagonia’s Cerro Torre’s southeast ridge. The film documents the scandal that Lama’s quest brought to the quiet town at Torre’s base and is as much about making a film on an incredibly challenging mountain as it is about Lama’s feat in itself. Lama will be on stage to present this film and will participate in an extended Q&A session with the Festival audience following the film.
November 6th - Extreme adventurer Will Gadd presents the World Premiere of his latest film Frozen Titans which documents his climb up an extremely difficult seven-pitch mixed climbing route through more than 150 meters of sketchy rock, hazardous ice, and freezing cold mist during the bitter Canadian winter of 2014. American alpinist Steve Swenson joins Gadd on stage for an in-depth interview following the film screening.
November 7th - Photographer Krystle Wright and American Amber Valenti present images and stories from their unforgettable all-female expedition paddling from Mongolia to Russia, followed by Skip Armstrong’s film of their adventures, Nobody’s River.
November 7th - Artist, climber and filmmaker Jeremy Collins presents the World Theatrical Premiere of his live multi-media art, film and music performance, Drawn.
November 7th - The North Face Climbing Team presents Impossible Rock: Climbing Expedition to Oman which charts the adventures of athletes who set about establishing dozens of first ascents in the maze-like fjord-land called Ru?us al-Jibal on Oman’s Musandam Peninsula. Expedition members and world class climbers Hazel Findlay, Jimmy Chin, and Mark Synnott will be there on the evening to share stories from their expedition.
November 8th - Canadian alpinist and Piolet d’Or winner, Raphael Slawinski presents his first ascent of K6 west which details his climbing expedition on the unforgiving Northwest face of the Pakistani mountain following a 2013 terrorist attack on the base camp at Nanga Parbat.
November 8th - Dams used to be considered one of America’s greatest ideas. But today, they are falling across the United States and, increasingly, around the world. A growing movement, led by Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard, is urging for the removal of ‘deadbeat dams’ – arguing that decades of watershed destruction can be turned around if we act now. DamNation is a new film that explores the economic, environmental and cultural value of a river. Executive produced by Chouinard, directed by Ben Knight and Travis Rummel (the team behind Banff past Festival favourites “Red Gold” and “Eastern Rises”) and produced by river biologist Matt Stoecker, DamNation goes behind the myths surrounding hydro energy and highlights what can happen when low value, high cost dams come down – rivers bound back to life, wild salmon thrive, wildlife flourish and communities of happy river people celebrate. With hints of sabotage, a strong political angle and plenty of fun, DamNation is a wild and adventurous ride through environmental politics in America.
Yvon Chouinard started a climbing revolution when he began selling hand-forged pitons out of his car in the ’60s. He went on to launch one of the world most successful – and respected – outdoor clothing companies. A surfer, fly-fisher, author, alpinist and unconventional businessman, Chouinard’s attention is turned these days squarely on furthering his company’s environmental mission. He will be at the Festival in Banff to present the film DamNation and participate in a discussion on its provocative ideas. The winner of the 2014 SXSW Audience Choice Award, DamNation is Patagonia’s first feature-length documentary film.
Notable authors in attendance for this year’s Banff Mountain Book Festival include Candace Savage, Barry Blanchard and John Porter.
Full film line-up and competition winners will be announced in October.
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About the
Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival: Created 40 years ago, the Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival has
become the premier event of its kind in the world. The Festival 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 extreme sports as presenters and speakers. More than 80 films
screen during the nine-day festival, and an international jury awards over
$50,000 annually in prizes.
About The Banff Centre: The Banff Centre’s mission is inspiring
creativity. Thousands of artists, leaders and researchers from across Canada
and around the world participate in programs here every year. Through its
multi-disciplinary programming, The Banff Centre provides them with the support
they need to create, to develop solutions, and to make the impossible
possible.