5Point Film Festival 2020 Program Guide

Together Under One Sky.

The 13th Edition of Our Flagship Festival Presented in a special online format

OCTOBER 14-18, 2020

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

LET THE OUTSIDE IN ®

Siblings Andrew and Jacqueline Pollard paint tracks side by side on their home turf at Alta Ski Area, Utah // Sam Watson

Contents 4 5 8 9 12

Welcome

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PROGRAM 1 / Wednesday, October 14

PROGRAM 2 / Thursday, October 15

PROGRAM 3 / Friday, October 16

PROGRAM 4 / Saturday, October 17

PROGRAM 5 / Sunday, October 18

Who We Are Festival Jury Festival Hosts Festival At-A-Glance

2020 Program Schedule

Festival Filmmakers Festival Awards Board of Directors Film Fund 5Point Film Team Dream Project Festival Special Thanks 3

Welcome 5Point is more than just an annual adventure film festival. It is a champion of creativity and authentic storytelling. A catalyst for positive change through empathy and understanding.

We are a diverse community from all walks of life - adventurers, filmmakers, and outdoor enthusiasts who strive to live by our five points - Purpose, Respect, Commitment, Humility, and Balance. This is our true north, our focus, and our guide for producing this year’s festival.

To muster the motivation and conviction necessary to pursue our highest aspirations in the face of adversity, is how 5Point defines Purpose. Though these are challenging and unprecedented times, great storytelling offers inspiration, hope, and a call to be the narrator of our own story as we embark on new journeys — as things we cannot control shift around us.

When our founder Julie Kennedy and friends were considering the “why” of starting the festival in 2007, they discussed the kind of lifestyle they desired for their children. They wanted to show the younger generation that an active and adventurous life in the outdoors was not just about the risk or the adrenaline, but that it was a way to build character and to connect to themselves and to others. Julie wanted to bring people together and to inspire the outdoor community by watching great adventure films from around the world, having fun, igniting conversations, and encouraging positive action in the world.

This year’s programming holds true to these founding core values, and though we cannot gather in person, we are still connected. The festival is different this year, but then again, so is our world. We are changing and evolving, and times like these require a boldness, a willingness to stay open-hearted, and the capacity to lean into the unknown. We hope you find a renewed commitment to your north star and the conviction to follow it. It is an honor to showcase the work of these remarkable filmmakers. Their inspiration and thoughtfulness, the pure joy, the incredible athleticism, and the sheer entertainment of these programs will recharge you and keep you coming back for more. Adventure truly does belong to everyone.

Welcome to the 13th Annual 5Point Adventure Film Festival. Enjoy!

With gratitude and love to Julie and the entire 5Point family,

Regna Jones

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Executive Director

Who We Are

WE BELIEVE that communities are made better when their people pursue adventure and intentionally live their own best story.

AND SO, OUR MISSION IS to ignite personal and communal adventure of all kinds through the experience of sharing meaningful stories.

WE ENVISION a national network of educated, engaged and multi-generational communities, inspired by storytelling to take action in their individual and collective lives.

when we change, the whole world changes

Our Five Points

5Point Film Festival is renowned for its valuesbased mission, centered around it’s 5 Points: Purpose, Commitment, Respect, Humility and Balance. We believe these same principles also form the foundation for individuals who lead lives of adventure. These shared values connect all of us who feel an elemental passion to explore and expand our boundaries.

RESPECT For each other, for the environment, for the experience, and for the knowledge we inherit from those who inspire and teach us.

COMMITMENT To overcome fear and give ourselves completely to the challenge at hand while leading a vital existence and never allowing ourselves to become complacent.

HUMILITY To summon the discipline to listen to our intuition and not our egos, always mindful of our place in the natural order.

PURPOSE To muster the motivation and conviction necessary to pursue our highest aspirations in the face of adversity.

BALANCE To maintain our focus and energy in life, in nature, and on the journeys we undertake while things we cannot control shift around us

ESTABLISHED IN 2007, 5Point Adventure Film Festival aims to inspire adventure of all kinds, to connect generations through shared experience, to engage passion with a conscience, and to educate through film. 5Point Film continues to deliver a unique film experience by drawing in passionate athletes, artists, filmmakers, and the community around short documentary adventure films. 5Point also facilitates the 5Point Film Fund, a grant program for established and emerging filmmakers, and organizes the Dream Project, a student scholarship program for local high school students.

5POINT ADVENTURE FILM FESTIVAL IS A 501(C)3 NON-PROFIT AND IS A PROUD MEMBER OF 1% FOR THE PLANET. FOR INFORMATION ABOUT CHARITABLE GIVING OR PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES, PLEASE CONTACT REGNA JONES, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, REGNA@5POINTFILM.ORG.

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2020 Flagship Festival Jury MICHAEL BROWN In his career, Michael Brown has excelled as both an adventure athlete and as a filmmaker. He has been to the summit of Mount Everest five times, each time with cameras rolling. His work as a director and cinematographer spans all seven continents and has won many festival and industry awards including three national Emmy Awards. Michael is also a recipient of the International Alliance For Mountain Film's Grand Prix, awards at the Banff Mountain Film Festival, the Explorers Festival's Camera Extreme, and the Giant Screen Cinema Association (IMAX) Outstanding Cinematography Award. Michael's lens has captured ice caves for NOVA, tornadoes for Discovery, science at the South Pole for National Geographic, avalanches for the BBC, and mountain climbing for four giant-screen IMAX movies. Michael has made a habit of going to the world's harshest, most dangerous environments and always comes back with incredible footage and compelling stories. Outside Magazine describes the cerebral filmmaker as a "swashbuckling librarian," and Men's Journal calls him "a master of gut-dropping action."

ADAM MONTGOMERY As Senior Manager of Programming for the Sundance Film Festival, Adam has overseen the selection process since 2005, with over 14,000 submissions received annually. In addition to programming feature films and documentaries, Adam also programs the Festival’s Midnight section and lends his past experience in television development to Sundance’s newest Festival program, Indie Episodic. Prior to joining the Institute, he spent five years at Imagine Entertainment, where he worked on acclaimed series such as Arrested Development and 24. From 2014-2017, he served as Director of Programming for CIMMfest, a film and music festival based in Chicago.

JAYME MOYE Adventure journalist Jayme Moye is one of the most highly decorated storytellers in the outdoor industry. Her writing has amassed more than 50 awards, most recently the 2019 Mountaineering Article Award for Mountain Literature given by the Banff Centre, which calls her work “deft, compassionate and extremely compelling.” Jayme is the first woman to have been named Travel Writer of the Year by the North American Travel Journalists Association more than once; in 2014, for traveling to Afghanistan to report on the country’s first female road-bike racing team, and in 2018, for breaking the story on sexual harassment in river-raft guiding in the U.S. Her work can be read in National Geographic, Outside, Bicycling, Alpinist and Rock and Ice, among others. She is co-author with Hans Florine of On the Nose: A Lifelong Obsession with Yosemite’s Most Iconic Climb, a 2017 Best Book Award Finalist.

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2020 Festival Hosts JEN ZEUNER & ANNE KELLER

When Jen and Anne moved to the tiny, conservative high desert town of Fruita, Colorado almost twenty years ago, it was not on the map as far as mountain biking was concerned. It was a small and tight-knit community without much economic vitality. Jen and Anne have left a big imprint on Fruita. At the outset they were on the fringe and a bit ostracized, they’re now at the very heart and soul of the community. When they arrived, Fruita was still underground as far as a mountain bike destination, but now it’s as renowned to cyclists as Moab, UT. Unlike Moab, Fruita isn’t just known for it’s riding – you go there to eat hot pie. Jen and Anne weren’t shy about using their lesbian innuendos to sell pizza, even from the beginning. Slogans like ‘friends let friends eat hot pie’ and ‘we snatch kisses and vice versa’ were on free stickers by the cash register even when Fruita wasn’t quite ready for it. Jen is a former competitive BMX rider and World Cup downhill mountain biker and Anne is a contributing photographer for Bike magazine. When they’re not slinging pizza until they literally run out of dough, you’ll find them out riding their favorite loops with their dogs.

RUSS CHAPMAN With hopelessly optimistic characters fashioning wildly impractical solutions to completely imaginary problems, songwriter, storyteller and performer Russ Chapman follows the adage: write what you know. Winner of the Telluride Emerging Blues Artist award and a featured speaker at Bozeman Montana’s TEDx conference, Mr. Chapman has performed for a diverse array of audiences on stages both big and small: from captivating congregations of children at the Corning Museum of Glass, to giving the inmates at the Delta Colorado Correctional Facility a breath of fresh air. While off stage, his video series — The UnMappable Happy Chapman, follows the exploits of a hopelessly optimistic, wildly impractical, completely imaginary wilderness wordsmith. Follow along on Instagram at: @unmappablehappychapman.

PADDY O’CONNELL My name is Paddy O’Connell, but you can call me PaddyO. I work in the outdoor industry as a word nerd and a professional chit chatter -- which essentially means I am a freelance writer, creator, storyteller, voice over talent, and multimedia producer. I write for the top magazines and dot coms in the outdoors. I work in front of and behind the camera as talent and producer, and on stage as an event emcee. I voice outdoor stories and products. I consult with leading outdoor brands on messaging and audience capture. I believe in the power of storytelling.

When I’m not practicing Footloose inspired dance moves, Patrick Swayze-esque hair flips, and grooming my mustache to resemble Tom Selleck’s lip caterpillar, I can be found in the mountains — mostly likely being a bit loud and doing something a lot weird. I am based out of Carbondale, Colorado. I am focused on creative storytelling in the outdoor adventure landscape. I want to tell stories, connect with and inspire people, and help those around me achieve their creative goals. I am an active participant in the outdoor community, attending annual conferences and events, developing and maintaining relationships, and staying upto-date with community happenings. I know the leaders, the athletes, the characters, and the stories that make up our world. I breathe the outdoor life and understand the essence of our community and lifestyle. And it is my mission to tell our stories. I make it happen.

WADE NEWSOM Wade Newsom is a man of mystery and wonder whose wonder is exceeded only by his mystery. He's traveled in many directions and now lays his head in Santa Barbara, California.

The stories he's collected along the way run through his veins and out his pen.

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You’re proud to call Colorado home. So are we. Since 1973, we’ve been giving back to the communities where we live, work and play across our great state, and we’re here to stay.

If you are looking for an independent, locally managed community bank, where the employees are also the owners, we would like to be your bank. We’re Alpine Bank.

INDEPENDENCE • COMMUNITIES • COMPASSION • INTEGRITY • LOYALTY ALPINEBANK.COM • MEMBER FDIC

40 LOCATIONS IN COLORADO

2020 Festival At-A-Glance

Offering five days of 65+ short films with all-star, 5Point hosts guiding your festival experience. You are in for a treat with special segments featuring filmmakers and their subjects woven throughout the programs. Programs air LIVE and are roughly two hours long with an intermission. Live Q&A to follow.

WEDNESDAY THURSDAY

FRIDAY

PROGRAM 1

PROGRAM 2

PROGRAM 3

Live @ 7pm (MT)

Live @ 7pm (MT)

Live @ 7pm (MT)

HOSTS

HOST

HOST

Jen Zeuner and Anne Keller

Russ Chapman

Paddy O’Connell

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

Stio

Gregory Packs

October 14

October 15

October 16

YETI

ON DEMAND FAMILY FUN PROGRAM HOST

Russ Chapman

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BROUGHT TO YOU BY | ValleyOrtho

TINCUP

ASTING VIRTUAL T M (MT) P 0 :3 5 Y A FRID DER WITH FOUN ER JESS GRAB

ALL PROGRAMS ARE BROADCAST

LIVE SO WE’RE VIRTUALLY TOGETHER https://watch.eventive.org/5pointfilm

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

PROGRAM 4

CHANGEMAKERS PROGRAM

Live @ 7pm (MT)

Live @ 3pm (MT)

HOST

HOST

Paddy O’Connell

Wade Newsom

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

NRS

Garfield County

October 17

PASSES ALL ACCESS $55 / person $75 / household

October 18

FESTIVAL AWARD WINNERS PROGRAM Live @ 7pm (MT) FESTIVAL JURY Michael Brown, Adam Mont-

SINGLE PROGRAM $20 / person AWARDS PROGRAM $25 / person FAMILY PROGRAM $10 / person

gomery, and Jayme Moye HOST Charlie Turnbull BROUGHT TO YOU BY TINCUP PLEASE CONSIDER MAKING A DONATION FOR ADDITIONAL VIEWERS

5PointFilm.eventive.org/donate

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Program 1

Wednesday, October 14 / Live @ 7pm (MT) CONCRETE SOLITUDE

A PRAYER FOR JOSHUA JACKSON

DIRECTOR | Perry Gershkow

DIRECTORS | Ryan Heffernan, Grayson Schaffer,

(USA, 4 min)

Kahlil Hudson (USA, 22 min)

As Covid-19 clears the streets of San Francisco, we find solitude amongst the concrete jungle. This film documents the emptiness throughout San Francisco during Covid-19, using skateboarding as the catalyst.

WHERE THE WILD THINGS KEEP PLAYING DIRECTOR | Krystle Wright

(USA, 3 min)

An ode to the athlete who relishes in getting dirty, who chuckles after a long day in the mountains, effortlessly glides through the crystal clear waves, and most importantly, is unapologetic in pursuing their love of getting rowdy in adventures. Director Krystle Wright brings this next installment since the wild things never stopped playing.

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What do you do when the dream you’ve spent your entire life working toward is taken away in a moment? It’s a challenge race car driver Joshua Jackson must navigate, after his promising career comes to a screeching halt. After first getting on the track at the age of four, not being a driver feels near impossible — but the reality isn’t so simple. A Prayer for Joshua Jackson is a story of loss, determination and recovery; examining the inherent risk and reward of being in the driver’s seat.

THE RIVER THAT FLOWS BOTH WAYS

TIME WISELY SPENT

DIRECTORS | Brendan Davis & Kirk Muir Horton

(AN EXCLUSIVE CLIP FROM RETURN TO EARTH)

(USA, 16 min)

DIRECTORS | Darcy Wittenburg, Darren McCullough,

Colin Jones (Canada, 5 min)

In August 2019, Brendan Davis and Kirk Muir Horton paddled 315 miles down the Hudson River, from its source in the Adirondacks to the sea and the Statue of Liberty. They encountered dry riverbeds and Class III whitewater, battled heavy tides, met strangers who became friends, and revisited Brendan’s childhood home in Cornwall, NY. The trip started off as a way for Brendan to pay tribute to the source of his childhood exploration. But the Hudson offered discoveries and challenges along the way that tested and formed a bond between new friends, and in turn, between them and the Hudson.

ONE STAR REVIEWS: NATIONAL PARKS DIRECTOR | Alex Massey

With more and more kids spending less time outside, this segment is a powerful reminder that the bike can be one of the best ways to counter a worrying trend. We hope that it inspires kids of all ages to get outside and shred! Filmed exclusively in the Whistler Mountain Bike Park, the segment features young riders from Squamish and Whistler, British Columbia between the ages of 10 and 15.

THE HIGH ROAD DIRECTORS | Peter Mortimer & Josh Lowell

(USA, 18 min)

(USA, 1 min)

These days people feel the need to rate everything online, and not even National Parks are safe. We hear from some unsatisfied customers who feel there’s plenty of room for improvement with some of America’s most beautiful places.

While the world’s best boulderers push standards close to the ground, Nina Williams’ sights are set higher. She is among the only women who climb elite-level problems that are 30, 40, even 50 feet tall -- with no rope. In this profile of an emerging star athlete, Nina Williams flexes her guns and tests her nerves well into the no-fall zone.

continued >>>

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Program 1 continued Wednesday, October 14

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NORTH COUNTRY

SPIRITUALITY AND STONE SKIMMING

DIRECTOR | Nick Martini

DIRECTORS | Austen McCowan & Will Hewitt

(USA, 20 min)

(Scotland, 5 min)

In the rugged White Mountains of northern New Hampshire, Lahout’s has remained open 365 days a year since 1920.

While technology and conglomerates have stripped the country of local, independent retailers, a family of Lebanese immigrants has prevailed for a century, beating the Great Depression, World War II, Dot Com Crash and Great Recession. With a family and staff who have spent their entire lives working at the shop, we arrive at their centennial during a vulnerable time. The patriarch (Joe Lahout, Sr) is in an intense fight with father time. Having skied, worked-out and traveled well into his 90’s, Joe has begun to struggle with his daily rehab and medication schedule, while his grandson (Anthony Lahout) has returned home to help with his recovery. As Anthony begins spending time with him, he explores his grandfather’s lineage as well as questions the source to the store’s success. As we approach 2020, the reality of life-without-Joe is introduced to the Lahout family and staff, sending shockwaves throughout the ranks.

Award-winning director Nick Martini and cinematographer Cam Riley have teamed up with executive producer Anthony Lahout to captivate a nation consumed with hashtags instead of history. This film tells a timeless short story of the American dream and the family that put a community on skis. After 100 years, Lahout’s is still a family business moving onto its fourth generation. Through past and present, we learn the true source of the store’s success. As their monarch passes on, we question and discover the backbone of its longevity.

We hope to inspire immigrants, military veterans, millennials, grandchildren, family businesses, and outdoor enthusiasts that all in America is not lost.

In a camper van tour of the UK, World Record Stone Skipper, Kurt Steiner searches for perfect rocks, witnesses the misplaced priorities of youth and explores the future competition of a sport still in its infancy. Created out of previously unseen footage from the BBC documentary Sink or Skim, this short film follows Kurt on his first ever trip to the UK as he critiques the sports of stone skimming & skipping from an international perspective.

A LOCKDOWN LULLABY DIRECTOR | Adam Warmington

(USA, 4 min)

A Lockdown Lullaby a film about the magic and madness of lockdown as seen through the eyes of my (then) 6 year old boy, Dylan. He put it best “Things are pretty weird right now, but also kind of awesome”. Every night at bed time I lay with Dylan, put my phone on my chest and used it to record our conversations. Equal parts relevant “I miss my friends” and fantastical “she can fly”.... Dylan is of the age where fantasy and reality start to blur. Maybe that’s the metaphor here, as currently we all seem to be questioning our own realities…. what the future may hold and how we can shape it. Shot this alone, with no crew in May 2020.

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Photo: Dan Bayer

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kellyalford.com

Program 2

Thursday, October 15 / Live @ 7pm (MT)

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SUPERBLOOM

UNNUR

DIRECTORS | Anya Miller Berg & Anne Cleary

DIRECTOR | Chris Burkard

(USA, 3 min)

(USA, Iceland, 17 min)

Today, images of the outdoors are focused on how people look, their gender, and what they are wearing while outdoors.

But how we feel out there seems more important. Colors zooming by. Nature as our second skin. Confetti leaves and trail parties, cake snacks and hard laughs. Superbloom envisions our shared technicolor experience in the outdoors.

This is where buds grow.

Elli Thor is an Icelandic photographer, surfer, and former kayaker. A decade ago Elli nearly drowned under a waterfall while kayaking a challenging Icelandic river. The near death experience became a catalyst for personal growth and his professional career. After walking away from kayaking, a newfound passion for surfing and the birth of his daughter Unnur gave him a new perspective worth living for.

BANKING ON BAILEY

HERE WE STAND

DIRECTOR | Tim Kemple

DIRECTOR | Chris Cresci

(USA, 9 min)

(USA, 11 min)

Banks, Idaho is home to 17 hearty residents; including Ryan Bailey, a white-water kayaker, former wildland firefighter, and unofficial Mayor of the town. Situated at the confluence of the North and South Fork of the Payette, Banks means something if you’re a kayaker - the same way that the North Shore of Hawaii means something to surfers, or Yosemite means something to climbers. Growing up, the river terrified Ryan, but it kept calling him. Twenty-one years after his first competition in Banks he continues to live his life unapologetically - as he’s not concerned about “what’s next”, but rather “what’s right now”.

For generations, conservation has been about keeping people out of places. By partnering with Save the Redwoods League and Teresa Baker, Here We Stand explores what the future of conversation looks like through inclusion and access, even to those who are normally in the margins.

THE SECRET OF BOTTOM TURN ISLAND

RIVER LOOTERS

DIRECTOR | Ian Durkin

DIRECTOR | Rebecca Hynes

(USA, 3 min)

(USA, 4 min)

Three river surfers turned into obsessed free divers hunting for lost belongings in the Deschutes River. When not on a quest to reunite people with their lost belongings, they dive for trash. The most water logged and shreddy good samaritans in Oregon.

WILL TO LIVE: THE GARY EDINGER STORY DIRECTOR | Adam Foss

(Canada, 17 min)

Snowboarder Alex Yoder searches for the lost art of “snowsurfing”.

HILL COUNTRY SLIDERS DIRECTOR | RC Cone

(USA, 2 min)

The legend of the Hill Country Sliders is real. We recently unearthed footage of this landlocked surf posse on a treacherous voyage away from their outpost. Take a look and see for yourself.

On a fateful February day, in remote Northern Wisconsin, a solo independent logger named Gary Edinger severed his left leg off. Twenty miles from help, alone, and in forty below temperatures, Gary summoned a remarkable willpower and crawled to his pickup, then drove to safety. Gary’s struggle for survival, however, didn’t begin on that winter day in the hardwoods. His whole life had been forged from adversity, rising above a meager upbringing as he learned to hunt, trap and fish alone, on his own terms. Will to Live: the Gary Edinger Story provides a glimpse of a unique perspective gained by cheating death and chasing the call of life-long adventure.

continued >>>

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Program 2 continued Thursday, October 15 LATITUDE

THE RUNNING PASTOR

DIRECTOR | Wesley Walker

DIRECTOR | Tim Kemple

(USA, Norway, 9 min)

(USA, Faroe Islands, 8 min)

LATITUDE is a poetic short documentary film that follows four daring young women to the 79th parallel, under 700 miles from the North Pole, to rediscover themselves while sailing Svalbard’s arctic ocean, summiting glacial peaks, and sharing ski descents. Shelby Dyer, Anna Marno, Brittney Ziebell & Jessica Baker are all former competitive skiers who revisit what skiing means to them, and find a new curiosity and love for a sport they’ve known all their lives.

In the middle of the cold North Atlantic, craggy mountaintops rise straight up out of the sea. And it’s here, in the rugged Faroe Islands, that local pastor Sverri Steinholm tends to his flocks. Plural. Born the son of a shepherd, Sverri is now a pastor. The job can get heavy, so to clear his mind and feed his soul, he runs over these weatherworn cliffs. For Sverri, trail running is spiritual.

THROUGH THE BREAKS DIRECTOR | Tom Attwater

(USA, 9 min)

Jason Cajune lives in Livingston, MT where he designs and builds wooden drift boats alongside his family. Last summer, Jason packed up one of his custom boats and led his family on a float trip down the Missouri River, through the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument to American Prairie Reserve. Their trip serves as a journey through family traditions, a protected landscape and layers of history over time.

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COLORADOMTN.EDU

Program 3

Friday, October 16 / Live @ 7pm (MT) NATURAL MYSTIC DIRECTOR | Maxime Moulin

(France, 3 min)

GONE TOMORROW — THE STORY OF KENTUCKY ICE CLIMBING DIRECTOR | Mike Wilkinson

(USA, 20 min)

Natural mystic, an original concept that sees Sam Favret’s mind-blowing performance filmed entirely by drone. Come aboard for three minutes of thundering skiing through the Aiguilles Rouges of Chamonix, no gimmicks or tricks and no music. Instead, the sound of the elements takes pride of place for full immersion into the tracks of this local Chamonix rider.

RUNNING THOUGHTS DIRECTOR | Fitz Cahall

(USA, 3 min)

Sometimes, an hour is all you get. Often, an hour is all you need. In those 60 minutes, for every question that gets answered, a new one gets asked. Tension releases into the passing wind. Goals are reaffirmed. Internal yarns are spun.

Knots get untangled, and everything makes sense — even if you’ve forgotten it all by the time you get home. Join trail runners Perry Cohen, Junko Kazukawa and José González to hear what runs through their heads as they run through nature.

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Ice climbing in Kentucky?! This adventure documentary takes the audience for a bourbon-fueled ride deep into the bushy hollers of Appalachia with a crew of harmless misfits as they race to search out and climb new ice routes before they’re gone, with a few surprises along the way.

STOKE CHASERS DIRECTOR | Jo Anna Edmison

(USA, 8 min)

In an interestingly subliminal way, many young girls are taught how to watch and not how to do. Girls are taught on to think that they are more fragile and weak. Stoke Chasers aims to get women to stand up and fight this notion of just watching and to break the connection between being feminine and being fragile. When the unspoken barriers of the male dominated surf and skate world are broken, women are celebrated for being a part of a similar community, but not necessarily the same community. Stoke Chasers poses the question, “what if we were told we were strong from the beginning?” We would be able to foster a community of girls that were not complacent with watching, but girls that are more inclined to be doing.

CHASING THE SUBLIME

DAY 1

DIRECTOR | Amanda Bluglass

DIRECTOR | Josh Berman

(UK, 6 min)

(USA, 4 min)

Why do we put ourselves into the path of discomfort and risk? What drives us to get too cold and too tired, to battle with fear, in the name of adventure? Follow the originators of The Outdoor Swimming Society, ‘swim twins’ Kate Rew and Kari Furre, in this hauntingly beautiful glimpse at the physicality of UK cold water swimming, as two friends set out to chase the sublime.

UNA RAZÓN PARA PESCAR (A REASON TO FISH) DIRECTOR | Simon Perkins & Henry Miles

(USA, 10 min)

Five years after breaking his back in a snowboarding accident and being left paralyzed from the waist down, Trevor Kennison returns to the backcountry with a new outlook and facing a new set of challenges. In a moment of redemption, Trevor hits a backcountry jump for the first time since his injury and lands the biggest backflip of his life, in his sit ski.

LE TOUR DE PANTS DIRECTORS | Lewie Kloster & Noah Kloster

(USA, 4 min)

Dan Diez loves to fish. It’s the reason why he spends many long nights under bridges in Miami, fly fishing out of a canoe for giant tarpon. On the surface, his passion flows from the thrills and wonder of a heart-pounding experience with rod and fly that connects him intimately with the natural world.

However, at a deeper level, the passion is rooted in a story--a story about Dan and his grandfather--that involves traditions born in Cuba, political imprisonment, the search for a new home, and a relationship with water that symbolizes a freedom often taken for granted.

When Alexi Grewal won gold in the 1984 Olympics, it wasn’t because he was wearing spandex. Filmmaker, Ali Selim, was one of the only few keen enough to understand why Grewal won.

continued >>>

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Program 3 continued Friday, October 16 PEDAL THROUGH

ONE MAN’S TRASH

DIRECTORS | Aly Nicklas & Analise Cleopatra

DIRECTOR | Oliver Sutro

(USA, 14 min)

(USA, 8 min)

Pedal Through invites us into the world of director-lead Analise Cleopatra as she discovers the healing and joy of mountain biking. Analise had never camped or ridden a bike off the pavement when she decided to plan a week-long mountain biking adventure with an all black female team: her best friend and fellow newcomer to the sport, Day Toliver, and professional mountain biker Brooklyn Bell. Together, they traverse the Oregon backcountry on an adventure full of exploration, curiosity, waterfalls, old growth forest, sparkling starscapes, and deep healing. With raw authenticity, Analise shares all the intimate foibles, fear, fun and beauty of discovering her place in the outdoors. The landscape opens to greet her as she learns to lean into uncertainty, accept support and trust herself on this wild ride.

After his father passed, Bennett uprooted his idyllic life as a fishing guide to try and get a “real” job in real estate. That plan flops and he spends the summer living on top of his 1990 Cadillac Deville in some of North America’s wealthiest summering locations like Martha’s Vineyard. Strapped for cash, Bennett picks up trash on the beaches to tie flies for fishing, and enters into a fishing tournament. The simple joys of life are exactly that: simple, and often free.

ODE TO DESOLATION DIRECTOR | Lindsey Hagen

(USA, 13 min)

SANDBAGGING JIMMY CHIN DIRECTORS | Dan Malloy, Keith Malloy, Jeff Johnson,

Scott Ballew, Jimmy Chin, Taylor Johns, Mark Healey (USA, 10 min)

Ode to Desolation shares the story of Jim Henterly, a naturalist, illustrator and fire lookout as he contemplates the dying days of Fire Lookouts in North America. With the influence of technology and AI threatening to make his role obsolete, we look into the future and ask ourselves what connections we will maintain to keep our human interpretation of the natural world alive.

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Jimmy Chin has done it all: climbed and skied Everest, crossed Chang Tang Plateau on foot, and won an Academy Award. But “getting barreled” still wasn’t checked off on his bucket list — until now.

WE MISS YOU 5POINT! PURPOSE RESPECT COMMITMENT HUMILITY BALANCE

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Program 4

Saturday, October 17 / Live @ 7pm (MT) THE LEGEND OF TOMMY G

GAMES OF SURVIVAL

DIRECTORS | Darren McCullough, Darcy Wittenburg,

DIRECTOR | Nicholas Natale

Colin Jones (Canada, 6 min)

(USA, 16 min)

The Belgian slopestyle rider Thomas Genon has been a bit aloof over the last year. But all rumours point to a legend rising in the new sovereign territory of Bike Kingdom. A place where Tommy G has defied the laws of physics by breaking the sound barrier, riding on water, and detonating berms with the sickest style.

Native Eskimos have competed in the World Eskimo Indian Olympics (WEIO) since 1961, which are a gathering of Eskimo people from all around the circumpolar region. WEIO is the largest annual celebration of Alaskan Native Heritage.

Through travelling to native villages and filming WEIO, this film provides a look into the lives of native Alaskan Eskimos and shares their traditions and culture with the audience.

TRANSENDING DIRECTOR | Marin Hart

(USA, 9 min)

UNITED STATES OF JOE’S DIRECTORS | Peter Mortimer & Nick Rosen

(USA, 22 min)

In rural Utah, a valley of world-class bouldering is nestled among a conservative community of Mormons, cowboys and coal miners. When a ragged band of punk rock climbers shows up, the two cultures inevitably clash. After years of antagonism, a group of climbers work with locals to build a more harmonious future. But in this divided era, is that even possible?

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TranSending follows the journey of Erin Parisi as she comes into her own identity as a Transgender woman and trains for the Seven Summits to create awareness and visibility for the Trans community. This is a journey of extensive vulnerability, heartbreak and courage. TranSending showcases the vulnerable journey into self discovery as experienced by Erin Parisi, the first Trans Woman to take on the Seven Summits.

CLIMB YOUR DREAMS

TEMPO. MOVEMENTS IN MOUNTAINS

DIRECTOR | Josh Greenwood

DIRECTOR | Thomas Woodson

(USA, 3 min)

(USA, 4 min)

For so many the outdoors and its related activities provide an outlet, a way of escaping the everyday and reconnecting with the natural world and like-minded individuals. For others still, a serious lack of diversity and representation within that same space and those same activities can be discouraging.

In the face of this glaring issue of much discussion we see Climb Your Dreams.

Tempo. Movements in Mountains is a conceptual exploration of the connections Kyle Richardson finds between his athletic pursuits in Boulder’s Flatirons and his background as a musician. Experienced through three short movements, Kyle performs a live score in a visceral interpretation of his expression in the hills.

THE LONELY STAR DIRECTOR | Frank Pickell

REFUGE DIRECTOR | Tim Kemple

(USA, 6 min)

(USA, 4 min)

An ill-fated explorer finds himself marooned on a desolate planet. Alone with his thoughts, he is caught between a sandy reality and snowy hallucinations of winters past.

Piseth was born in a refugee camp on the border of Thailand and at 5 moved to the U.S. with her family in search of better opportunities. Despite the constant change and uncertainty, Piseth was able to find a place that felt safer than anywhere else: the outdoors. Through a life filled with adversity and struggle, Piseth is now a leader in her community - a queer, immigrant powerhouse who found strength in her vulnerabilities. The outdoors continues to give her confidence and the safety to be herself.

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Program 4 continued Saturday, October 17 THE MYSTERY

BROKEN

DIRECTOR | Forest Woodward, Tommy Penick

DIRECTOR | Simon Perkins

(USA, 9 min)

(USA, 7 min)

Within the sport of kayaking, exists whitewater--and within that, the mysterious sect of “squirtboating”, which has been facing its slow demise since its heyday in the early 1990s.

After losing his leg to cancer as a young adult, Jon Wilson struggled with feeling broken. Challenging himself in the outdoors presented a possible remedy. Today, crutching up and skiing down mountains at night provides a distinct backdrop for Jon to explore, accept, and embrace the idea of “brokenness,” allowing him to find a more sincere, vulnerable and honest connection with life.

A WALK WITH DAD DIRECTOR | Ryan O’Connor

(UK, 7 min)

In 2001, my mum died. Her headstone stands atop the Haytor Summit in Devon. It’s been 12 years since I visited her last.

Recently, Dad and I returned.

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ValleyOrtho is what happens when the most renowned doctors and surgeons also happen to be your next-door neighbor.

At ValleyOrtho we believe exceptional care comes from more than just world-class surgeons and state-of-the-art technology. It also comes from having a caring person as your surgeon, the kind you’d love to join on a climbing adventure around the valley.

Meet ValleyOrtho’s orthopedic surgeons, caring for the people you love.

Schedule your in-person or virtual care appointment. vvorthocare.org 970.384.7140 Glenwood Springs Willits | Eagle | Silt

Formerly Glenwood Orthopedic and Foot & Ankle Centers at Valley View

Changemakers / Program 5 Sunday, October 18 / Live @3pm (MT) MATAGI MĀLOHI: STRONG WINDS

RIVER RUNNER

DIRECTORS | Forest Woodward, Canyon Woodward,

DIRECTOR | Heather Mosher

Aidan Haley (USA, Tuvalu, 3 min)

(USA, 15 min)

Tuvalu, the fourth-smallest country in the world by area, is a delicate ribbon of land in the Pacific Ocean whose inhabitants’ lives have long been intertwined with the sea.

With climate change, however, that sea might swallow their homeland; climate models predict the island’s current children may be the last native Tuvaluans. This short but striking film follows the activists working to change that fate.

Their rally cry? “We are not drowning, we are fighting.”

ELECTRIC GREG

For high school teacher and whitewater kayaker Crista Wiles, hucking 20-foot waterfalls isn’t a big deal. But to her, pushing her sport isn’t about getting sendy and taking on bigger risks. It’s about personal challenges, introducing new people to the rivers, and celebrating the tight-knit community that surrounds this niche sport.

VENTURE OUT DIRECTORS | Jamie DiNicola, Palmer Morse,

Matt Mikkelsen (USA, 15 min)

DIRECTOR | Anthony Bonello

(Canada, 19 min)

Record-breaking mountain endurance athlete Greg Hill has never shied away from a goal. Through his time spent in the mountains, he’s seen the effects of climate change firsthand and came to realize the way he was approaching the mountains was only making the problem worse. Two years ago he changed his approach and set out to climb 100 peaks without burning any fossil fuels. But the question is: will it make a difference?

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Venture Out is a story of overcoming odds, the power of resilience, and ultimately, the ever-lasting effects of LGBTQ community building. The Venture Out Project, founded by Perry Cohen, is a nonprofit organization that brings LGBTQ folks together outdoors on wilderness trips. In sharing Perry’s story, and hearing from the other TVOP participants, we get a glimpse into the healing qualities of nature and life-saving community bonds that are being forged as a result of Perry’s work.

HEADWINDS: SEAT AT THE TABLE

THE SHEPHERDESS

DIRECTOR | David Chang & Kody Kohlman

DIRECTOR | Katie Falkenberg

(USA, 4 min)

(USA, 6 min)

With careers in the service industry, living and working within the homogeneity of a mountain community through a pandemic, and a movement for racial justice fueled by ongoing tragedy for people of color, Darius Garvin and Kamron Odwin have firsthand perspectives on both.⁣

WE ARE CORAL GARDENERS DIRECTOR | Titouan Bernicot

A Navajo shepherdess perseveres despite extreme drought in this poetic short film about a rapidly vanishing way of life. “We didn’t even go up the mountain because there’s no water,” she recounts. “Hardships are just lessons and challenges in life and you just can’t dwell on it, you have to live through it.”

BEYOND THE BACKYARD DIRECTORS | Michael CB Stevens

(USA, 12 min)

(French Polynesia, 3 min)

It all started in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, on the island of Moorea. Here, coral reefs shape our lives below and above the surface of the ocean. We owe them everything: from the waves we surf to the food we eat and to the air we breath. Today, we are on the edge of losing an entire ecosystem. Coral reefs, as bountiful and beautiful as we have once known them, are going extinct. Join us to save them!

Two best friends from childhood go back to their roots for an adventure. Self-supported on pack-rafts and bikes, the two venture down the Potomac River for a roundtrip journey from their childhood homes. Like any good adventure film, it’s not fun until shit goes wrong, and boy does shit goes wrong.

Follow along as they find meaning in their struggle and come away with more than they ever imagined.

continued >>>

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Program 5 continued Sunday, October 18 LIMITLESS

VOICE ABOVE WATER

DIRECTOR | Hayden Griffith

DIRECTOR | Dana Frankoff

(Australia, 10 min)

(USA, Indonesia, 11 min)

Limitless chronicles the story of Jezza Williams, from life as a rogue adventurer to a life-changing accident that left him a C5 tetraplegic. Positivity bursts from every fibre of his being. He’s been to some dark, wild places yet it seems the journey is just beginning. He now runs an inclusive adventure tourism business whose mission is to make adventure sports accessible to all.

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Voice Above Water is the story of a 90-year-old Balinese fisherman, Wayan, who can no longer fish because of the vast amount of plastic in the ocean. Wayan instead uses his fishing boat and net to collect trash in hopes of one day being able to fish again. The story is a glimpse into how one human is using his resources to make a difference and a reminder that if we all play our part we can accomplish something much greater than ourselves.

2020 Festival Filmmakers TOM ATTWATER Tom is originally from Wichita, KS, but now lives in Missoula, MT. In the past he has worked seasonally as a backcountry instructor and river guide. He graduated from the University of Montana in 2016 with a BFA in Media Arts and Digital Video Production.

JOSH BERMAN Josh started his career in the New York City production scene while earning a degree in Film Studies and Photography from Dartmouth College, from which he graduated with honors in 2001. When a knee injury sidetracked Josh’s pursuit of skiing professionally he stepped behind the lens and founded Level 1 as a vehicle through which to produce his first films.

While his original plan was to pursue a more traditional filmmaking career in NY or LA, he instead forged his own path following the snow to Colorado and has been shooting, producing, directing, and editing award-winning ski films and outdoor commercial work over the past two decades for clients around the globe.

TITOUAN BERNICOT Freediver and photographer Titouan Bernicot grew up surrounded by the ocean. When he realized that his office, playground and sanctuary was under attack, he launched Coral Gardeners, which has been garnering support rapidly around the world. I grew up on Ahe, a small atoll in the North of the Tuamotu islands. My parents had a pearl farm there. Since I was a child, I have spent most of my time in the water, so I created a deep connection with the ocean. Coral reefs have given me everything in life, from the waves we surf to the fish we eat.

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AMANDA BLUGLASS Amanda Bluglass’ films and commercial work have been featured on the BBC, Oprah Winfrey Network, Channel 4, Huffington Post and The Atlantic, with commissions from clients as varied as NASA, London Olympics, Samsung, Etsy, the National Trust and Photobox. She’s also an Associate Lecturer in Media Arts at Plymouth University, UK. Her first career, spanning 12 years in BBC radio/TV news saw her working with national correspondents for the Six, One and Ten o’clock News. Since embarking on freelance directing in 2006, she’s won numerous festival selections and awards for her documentary portraits and experimental films.

ANTHONY BONELLO Anthony brings a honed style of storytelling that transports viewers beyond geography to convey the feel of a place and it’s people. The founder of b4apres Media, he independently directed and produced the documentaries AZADI:Freedom and STAND which have both won numerous awards internationally while screening in over 30 countries. Anthony has worked with Switchback for a number of years and joined the team exclusively in 2013 for their first feature documentary SNOWMAN. In 2015 Anthony directed the award winning Salomon Freeski film Eclipse. Anthony is also a published freelance writer and photographer.

CHRIS BURKARD Chris Burkard is an accomplished explorer, photographer, creative director, speaker, and author. Traveling throughout the year to pursue the farthest expanses of Earth, Burkard works to capture stories that inspire humans to consider their relationship with nature, while promoting the preservation of wild places everywhere. Layered by outdoor, travel, adventure, surf, and lifestyle subjects, Burkard is known for images that

are punctuated by untamed, energized landscapes and peak moments of adventure. He has accumulated an audience of over one million followers to become a globally recognized social influencer. Burkard is often central in synthesizing the creative projects he is involved in, across stakeholders. His holistic and visionary perspective has earned him opportunities to work on global, prominent campaigns with Fortune 500 clients, appear as a TED speaker, develop specialty product lines, teach national and international photography workshops and publish a collection of books, including a children’s book. Along with his team, Burkard is based out of his full-scale production studio and art gallery near his hometown in Central Coast California. At the age of 33, Burkard has established himself as a global presence and influencer, accomplishing a prolific portfolio, connecting people from around the world and producing some of the most recognized creative work of our time.

FITZ CAHALL Co-founder and Creative Director at Duct Tape Then Beer, Fitz started his career as a true dirtbag writer / naked subsistence hunter. He has an appreciation for fine (and not-that-fine) beers, behavioral economics, his wife and two sons, and helping others realize their creativity.

DAVID CHANG David’s love for filmmaking began early in his youth when he was gifted a miniDV handicam for a school project. As smaller cameras grew into production grade cinema cameras, his passion for storytelling and cinematography grew much faster. Now with extensive experience in documentary, commercial, and narrative video production, David has been immersed in a variety of projects all over the world.

ANNE CLEARY Anne Cleary is a filmmaker based in Seattle, Washington.

She has directed and produced over 60 short films and is the first female director at Crankworx. Cleary grew up with a father who was obsessed with photography and filmmaking and believes the camera is one of the best ways to tell a story. She worked on The Recipe (2019), a ski movie featuring Ingrid Backstrom, and co-directed Superbloom which focuses on the feeling and experience of being outdoors.

ANALISE CLEOPATRA Analise Cleopatra is a visual artist, designer and new filmmaker from Miami, FL. Born to a Trinidadian mother and a Jamaican father, she is incurably curious which she feeds by being a perpetual student of art & history. After living in Oregon for the past several years she has returned home to Miami where she has lovingly reunited with her family and entered her newest chapter as the Visual Brand Manger for Velocio Apparel. “I make the inanimate; emote” RC CONE RC moved from the flatlands to the big sky country when he was 18. Graduating from the University of Montana with a degree in Environmental Studies and a concentration in Photojournalism profoundly shaped his worldview and sense of aesthetic. Working with amazing companies such as Patagonia, Orvis and Howler Bros on a collection of adventure documentaries cemented RC’s love for outdoor cinema and the connections it creates. He and his camera have traveled around four continents and dream everyday of new adventures.

CHRIS CRESCI Chris Cresci gained an appreciation for wild things and the outdoors during his childhood in Walla Walla, Washington.

Today, he splits his passion between getting out — climbing, hiking and trail running — and working as a filmmaker and cinematographer.

Cresci has worked on a number of environmental film projects that often focus on the themes of conservation and the human connection to the natural world.

He is the founding member and director at Rainhouse Cinema.

BRENDAN P. DAVIS Brendan Davis is a photographer and filmmaker based in Boulder, CO, but often on the road living and running out of his mini-van. His work follows personal journeys on paths between adventure and humanity.

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Festival Filmmakers

continued

JAMIE DINICOLA Jamie is an activist, writer, and award winning filmmaker based in Brooklyn, New York.

As a queer transgender man, Jamie has made storytelling the cornerstone of his queer and trans activist work. Jamie wrote, directed, and produced the short narrative film Spot, which was created with an entirely transgender cast playing non-transgender specific roles. Spot has screened in festivals around the country and was the winner of “Best Short Screenplay” at the 2017 Rahway International Film Festival. Jamie was recently featured in Huffington Post’s “10 Trans Filmmakers You Should Know.”

IAN DURKIN Ian Durkin is the lead curator at Vimeo and a filmmaker.

JO ANNA EDMISON Jo Anna Edmison is a filmmaker and photographer from the South Bay of southern California. She experiments heavily with analog practices within her art and is constantly inspired by the beach culture that surrounds her. While studying Art and Design at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Edmison was able to continue her love for capturing the timeless essence of what it means to be surrounded by California culture.

Currently, she is working on projects that all revolve around film as well as music. She is the video director of Cal Poly radio, the manager of a funk and soul band, and a freelance photographer for various companies. Edmison is also passionate about breaking gender barriers within these fields and portrays this throughout many pieces she has created.

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KATIE FALKENBERG Katie Falkenberg is a documentary filmmaker and photographer based in Los Angeles.

Raised in Ohio, she began her career in Washington, D.C., covering the White House and other national news. Since then, assignments have taken her to the mountains of Pakistan, the jungles of eastern Congo, the coalfields of Appalachia, and many places in between. Her greatest passion now is working on environmental conservation and outdoor-themed photo and video stories that raise awareness and understanding, or spark interest and inspiration. Falkenberg is a Pulitzer Prize finalist in Feature Photography, and a recipient of the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for Domestic Photography. She has twice been named Multimedia Photographer of the Year by Pictures of the Year International (POYi), and the National Press Photographers Association (NPPA), and two of her short films have been named Official Honorees in the Webby Awards.

When not working, she can be found surfing, fly fishing, or painting.

ADAM FOSS Adam Foss grew up in the foothills of the Alberta Rockies where from age 14, he became deeply rooted in mountain bowhunting. His passion for wild places has led him to travel around the globe, pursuing outdoor adventures on six different continents.

In addition to being an accomplished bowhunter and ambassador for outdoor brands like Sitka, YETI and Gerber, Foss has developed a career as a professional photographer and filmmaker. For almost a decade he has worked with his wife and producer Frankie Foss making films and content from their Kelowna-based company, Foss Media. The focus of Adam’s work over the years has been to redefine the way we tell stories around hunting, to push the boundaries of the typical hunting narrative into uncharted territory. Trophies are not a gauge of success for Foss. Instead, Adam is focused on the process of the hunt — spending challenging days in the mountains, forming long-lasting friendships, stewarding public lands, and conserving legendary big game species.

Serving on multiple conservation boards — including a past position with WSF membership committees — he is currently a founding director of the Rocky Mountain Goat Alliance. Foss aims to protect and promote the hunting heritage, wild animals and wild places and to continue to tell the hunting stories that resonate at the human level for both hunters and non-hunters alike.

DANA FRANKOFF Dana Frankoff is a filmmaker in Northern California who has helped make academy award-winning films come to life. Her directorial debut, “Voice Above Water” is a short documentary that combines her passion for protecting the ocean and storytelling.

Her overall goal as a filmmaker is to tell emotional stories that motivate people towards living a sustainable lifestyle and help make the world a healthier place.

PERRY GERSHKOW For me, my passion for filmmaking all started as a kid. My father, being a documentary editor, was my biggest inspiration. I remember spending days with my dad at his office in San Francisco, hanging out next to him, watching him edit for hours on end. When I was 19, I bought my first camera, a canon t2i. At this point, I was living in central California, going to school, and surfing with my friends. I started filming my buddies surfing, skating, hanging around the house, road trips, you name it. Taking this footage and bringing it onto my computer and editing it was what changed everything. I started shooting weddings, kickstarters, birthdays and helped out on any shoots I could. I wanted to ingest as much knowledge as I could, and as fast as I could. I remember making my first surf film when I was 23. I didn’t really have any idea at that time where it would take me, but it was what jump-started my career in retrospect. I put myself out there, and in the end, that’s what created my success. Seven years later, I own a plethora of high-end camera equipment, I get to travel the world and shoot surfing, commercials, documentaries, branded videos, get to work from my house in San Francisco, and lastly, I love what I do.

JOSH GREENWOOD Josh Greenwood grew up in Colorado in a family of Black pioneers. His directorial film work has been featured on VIMEO STAFF PICKS as well as the SIDEWALK and BANFF Film Festivals. Josh also helps run the Lower East Side Film Festival every year as their programming director. Josh is a rock climbing athlete and coach and is currently based in Brooklyn.

HAYDEN GRIFFITH Hayden Griffith is a curious minded creature raised on the South Coast of NSW, Australia.

He’s spent a lifetime being immersed in the wild which has given him the gift to work best where most people don’t.

Among other things, he’s also a zoologist, wild about natural history and responsible for producing content for science and communication to schools around the world both through film and live classes. With a deep respect for narrative and a chronic spirit of adventure, Hayden strives to push the limits of photojournalism & film through aerial, land and sea environments.

LINDSEY HAGEN Lindsey Hagen is a Director, Executive Producer and Creative Director with a focus on cause related storytelling. I believe strongly in the power of human connection and I try to share stories that unite us through emotive, vulnerable narratives. As a participant in the media my role is to imagine possibility, ignite curiosity and inspire action.

AIDAN HALEY The realization came to Aidan Haley on his portaledge on the side of a massive piece of granite — he was not destined for greatness in alpinism — at least not in the most conventional sense. This moment pushed Haley behind the lens and began what has become a respectable career in the adventure filmmaking industry.

MARIN HART As a writer, director and producer of short films and promotional and commercial videos, Los Angeles-based Marin Hart craves nothing more than being on set and taking what’s in her mind and bringing it to life — whether that’s in a music video or a behind-the-scenes look at a brand. She feels that working hand-in-hand with her subjects is essential, a quality that’s seen in her film TranSending.

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Festival Filmmakers

continued

RYAN HEFFERNAN Ryan Heffernan is a commercial director, advertising photographer and partner at Talweg Creative, a full-service advertising agency based out of Santa Fe, New Mexico. He works with fellow filmmakers and Talweg Creative partners Grayson Schaffer and Kahlil Hudson in documenting the iconic characters and personalities of the American West. Heffernan has worked for clients that range from YETI and REI to Adobe Systems and Outside magazine.

WILL HEWITT Will Hewitt is a producer, director and co-founder of Scottish based production company Melt the Fly. Established for the sole purpose of producing creative documentaries, Melt the Fly tells stories from a different perspective, it now has a slate of docs ranging from shorts to feature broadcasts. The two person co-directing team consist of Will Hewitt and long time collaborator, Austen McCowan. Prior to pitching original docs Will cut his teeth developing short-form factual content for History channel UK. KIRK MUIR HORTON Kirk Muir Horton is a Boulder, CO based filmmaker. His films have taken him around the globe and challenged him to tell stories that make audiences laugh and cry all at once.

His films have played at Telluride Mountainfilm, Banff Mountain Film Festival, 5Point Adventure Film Festival, and toured worldwide with various festivals. When he’s not working on films he is probably watching Liverpool FC, or scheming ways to buy a puppy.

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KAHLIL HUDSON Kahlil Hudson was born and raised in Juneau, Alaska. He currently works as a professor at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe and showcases the iconic characters and personalities of the American West at Talweg Creative, where he partners with fellow filmmakers Grayson Schaffer and Ryan Heffernan. Hudson has worked on features and commercials for clients like Discovery, Showtime, MTV, History Channel and Yahoo!

REBECCA HYNES Real people, real life and real stories ignite Rebecca Hynes’ work as a filmmaker. Based in Bend, Oregon, she has been working in the film industry for more than 15 years. Hynes has a broad scope of experience that informs each project she undertakes, often referring to herself as a “hybrid” producer. She believes that there is not one single way to tell a story and that sometimes you might be led to a different place than you expected.

COLIN JONES Together with Darcy Wittenburg and Darren McCullough, Colin Jones co-founded Anthill Films, renowned for its mountain biking films. Based out of Squamish, British Columbia with original members of The Collective, a group of mountain bikers, filmmakers and photographers that shoot films, ride bikes and take photographs, Antill Films finds itself at the heart of a vibrant mountain biking culture.

TIM KEMPLE Tim Kemple spent his childhood climbing, skiing and hiking, and by high school he had discovered photography and video. By age 19, he had his first cover shot in Climbing magazine. Kemple strives to capture perspectives that few people would never see, using creative angles and natural light to shoot awe-inspiring moments. He has worked with The North Face, Dodge Ram, BF Goodrich, Mitsubishi, Farm Credit and Amtrak, and is fluent in virtual reality and 360 content. Kemple is one of the founders and directors at Camp4 Collective, where he thrives helming light and fast film crews.

LEWIE KLOSTER + NOAH KLOSTER Living and working out of Brooklyn, we, Lewie and Noah Kloster, are an animation duo retreating to how animation felt before the digital age claimed king over the medium.

Cardboard, construction paper, cotton balls, and magic markers fill our studio to its brim. Accompanied by our dual perspectives, we are constantly digging for contemporary stories that fit within our frenzied tactile animated worlds.

KODY KOHLMAN It was through skateboarding that Kody discovered photography and his love for documenting the characters, scenarios and subtle intricacies of the culture that surrounded him. In his mid-twenties, Kody took a year to teach English in an isolated, rural village in Thailand, which is where the path he wanted to take his work truly developed. His focus moved in the direction of human-centric storytelling, and he applied this focus to the worlds of commercial photography and documentary-oriented cinematography.

JOSH LOWELL Josh Lowell first started climbing when he was a skinny 16-year-old in New York. A couple years later, he began taking a video camera to crags and putting together films of his friends. That was the start of a prolific career in climbing films. Lowell founded Big UP Productions in 1997, and the company produced Rampage, Pilgrimage and King Lines. In 2006, Big UP partnered with Sender Films to found the Reel Rock Film Tour, which has developed into the biggest climbing media platform in the world with over 400 live screening events each fall.

NICK MARTINI Born and raised in Boston, Nick’s obsession with moving images inspired migration to sunny California. As Stept’s founder and creative director, Nick has been the cornerstone for all Stept Studios generated content. Nick’s work has taken him around the globe. Whether heli-orbiting waterfalls in Iceland or

mingling on the edgy streets of Venice Beach, he has told stories featuring the world’s greatest athletes, lifestyles, and brands. Nick has recently been enlisted by The North Face, Under Armour, and Oakley to produce their dynamic brand anthems. He specializes in visual based imagery and fast moving pictures– often bringing a smile to viewers’ faces. His portfolio features national TV spots, branded content, and feature-length films.

ALEX MASSEY Originally from Sydney, Australia, now living in San Francisco and working for Avocados and Coconuts, Alex spent nearly a decade making ads for the likes of Apple, Audi and Burger King. Equipped in the arts of conceptual thinking and crafting, he shot and directed a film while running 100 miles in 100-degree heat. For fun Alex spends long days trail running in the mountains followed by longer naps on the couch. He has been known to buy more coffee table books than can be read in a lifetime.

AUSTEN MCCOWAN Austen is a Producer/ Director with a background as a hands-on shooting PD, DoP and editor. He deeply values the generosity and trust of his contributors and is passionate about telling intimate human stories from alternative perspectives that resonate with a global audience. Austen co-founded Melt the Fly with filmmaking partner and co-Director, Will Hewitt. Here he writes, produces, directs and shoots creative documentaries.

DARREN MCCULLOUGH In Squamish, British Columbia editor and director Darren McCullough works alongside Darcy Wittenburg and Colin Jones, his fellow Anthill Films co-founders and original members of The Collective, a group of mountain bikers, filmmakers and photographers that shoot films, ride bikes and take photographs. Today, McCullough and his team produce some of the most iconic mountain bike films.

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Festival Filmmakers

continued

MATT MIKKELSEN Matt is a sound recordist, audio engineer, and documentary filmmaker. He has worked as an engineer, sound designer, director, and producer on several award winning documentaries that have screened around the world but has devoted most of his professional career to observing, recording, researching, and preserving natural soundscapes. Matt’s work was recently featured on NPR’s All Things Considered. He is the owner of Hayloft Audio and the co-founder of Spruce Tone Films. He currently travels around the country in his van recording sounds, taking photos, and telling stories along the way.

HENRY MILES Henry Miles is a Vermont-based filmmaker who first discovered his passion for image-making at a young age, with friends, on mountain bikes. From then on, he quickly became hooked on the idea of visual storytelling and constantly works on honing in his skills as both a cinematographer and storyteller through his company, Backroad Creative.

ANYA MILLER BERG Anya works out of Seattle, Washington with Duct Tape Then Beer as their Director of Brand and Creative Strategy.

She is passionate about making people smile, working with friends, and hand drawn diagrams. Over the last 15 years, she’s used her creative superpowers for the likes of REI Co-op, Patagonia, Outdoor Research, Pepsi-Co, Phillips, and Nordstrom.

In her free time, she climbs, bikes and rides the mountains of Washington state, draws baby animals and zips around the city on a scooter. Superbloom is her first personal film project.

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PALMER MORSE Palmer is an award-winning filmmaker rooted in activism who focuses on using the devices at hand in our visual and media culture that can drive our society to make change. His short films have been shown around the world, winning both awards and high praise. A Swiss Army knife of knowledge and skills, you’ll often hear him planning his next shoot as often as you’ll find him on set holding a camera or sitting in the editing room. Interested in stories of humans, our planet, and the interactions of the two, Palmer often works with organizations, non-profits, and brands in honing in on their mission in a visual format. He currently lives in Oakland, California, and is the co-founder of Spruce Tone Films.

PETER MORTIMER Peter Mortimer, a Colorado native, started Sender Films in 1999 as a DIY climbing video production project. He was joined by his college buddy Nick Rosen in 2004, and over the last decade, the two have grown Sender into a global adventure film company.

With world-class athletes, fast-paced storytelling, humor, authentic characters and high-flying adventures, Sender’s films have garnered many accolades.

HEATHER MOSHER With a background in science and a postgraduate teaching degree, Heather found her passion in documentary filmmaking. Based in Squamish, BC, Heather combines her love of climbing and the outdoors with creative and unique visuals to bring stories from mountain communities to a wide range of people. In 2019 Heather produced, directed, filmed and edited a film called “The Weight We Carry” for CBC’s Absolutely Canadian program, and a Storyhive short called “River Runner”. She also created the climbing short film “Blood on the Crack”, now on Red Bull TV, received the 2018 VIMFF Adventure Film Grant to produce the short film “A Social Backcountry”, and has previously edited short mountain sports docs including Liv Along the Way (Salomon TV, 2018) and Kilian (Salomon TV, 2016).

MAXIME MOULIN My passion for outdoor sports, mountains and film naturally led me to the film industry. This culture is the DNA of my vision as a film director. Today I create films for brands, athletes, or agencies. Whether in sports or in other fields such as fashion, eyewear, luxury hotels, digital, automotive, tourism. I’m working on film, documentary or advertising projects. My goal is to find the singularity in every subject, character or story and to turn it into sincere films.

NICHOLAS NATALE Armed with a master’s degree from Harvard, Nicholas Natale has an eye for, and understanding of, the technical sides of his profession. He serves as the media technician at Harvard’s department of Art, Film, and Visual Studies, and when he’s not at work, he’s most often traveling or skiing.

ALY NICKLAS A free-range Alaskan upbringing imbued Aly Nicklas with a deep love for wild places and wild people. Nicklas is a writer, photographer and filmmaker whose documentary films take on adventure, conservation and social impact issues. After 16 years in Colorado, Aly split for the greener hills of Portland, OR, where she makes films with her long-time creative cohort Alisa Geiser at the production collective Wolf & Scout.

She lives with her best friend, Corey Arnold, their young son Wolfie and their husky pup Nooka Bear, who knows more tricks than most border collies.

RYAN O’CONNOR Ryan O’Connor is a filmmaker based in London. In his work he mixes comedy and drama and explores existential themes through the mundane.

His work has been screened at film festivals such as Docheads, Sunday Shorts, Canned and the London Short Film Festival.

TOMMY PENICK Tommy Penick is a commercial photographer and director with a broad background across many subjects. Penick is currently available worldwide, and has a reputation amongst his friends for taking off on flights with only days notice around the world.Tommy feels equally comfortable with a camera as he does in a kayak on a Class V river, on a pair of skis lining up a cliff, or in the saddle of a mountain bike picking out technical rock lines. Tommy’s love of rustic culture and nature, synthesized with attention to detail and classic style contributes to a unique look, bringing a high-end feel to the most chaotic of environments. Specialties: Directing with sensitive and inexperienced talent, travel and tourism, outdoor sports and action sports, difficult shooting environments.

SIMON PERKINS Simon Perkins’ interest in film started during his days as a fly-fishing guide in Montana. He carried his camera around with him and grew intrigued with trying to capture the essence of particular moments in the natural world that were out of his control. He became fascinated with story-telling on the screen and how certain practices could convey the rush and emotions of these natural, untamed moments. Simon currently lives in Vermont, where he works for Orvis, supporting the teams focused on brand content, marketing, conservation, and product. He spends the majority of his time outside of the office with camera in hand, often following his wife, five-year-old daughter, two-year-old son, and four dogs on various adventures through the woods. He is grateful to the Felt Soul Medias and Rockhouse Motions of the film world who keep him constantly captivated, inspired, and in awe.

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Festival Filmmakers

continued

FRANK PICKELL An affinity for the great outdoors, mixed with an eye for photography, led Frank to adventure documentary filmmaking early in life. During his career, Frank has worked as director, dp, editor, documentary filmmaker, line cook, valet, and day laborer. He has been the driving creative force and principal cinematographer behind several adventure and outdoor documentary productions in locations as far-flung as Nepal, Tibet, India, Morocco, and Peru.

Frank is a co-founder of Futuristic Films, based in Denver, Colorado. Frank enjoys skiing, mountain biking, not sitting in airports, and spending time with his wife and son in the foothills of Boulder, CO. NICK ROSEN As a partner, writer and producer at Sender Films, Nick Rosen has co-created some of the most popular and widely viewed climbing films and series of the last decade. Sender’s National Geographic television series “First Ascent” was nominated for an Emmy, and their films have won many awards. But Rosen’s work goes beyond the realm of climbing: He has tackled subjects that range from civil war to yoga and professional wrestling to Welsh corgis. He has also developed a career as an on-screen and voice-over talent.

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GRAYSON SCHAFFER Grayson Schaffer was a senior editor and writer for Outside magazine, spending the last decade reporting on stories across five continents — from the slopes of Everest to the unrun rivers of Madagascar.

Schaffer told the story of the 1963 American Mount Everest Expedition, “Lost on Everest: A Dangerous World Waits Above Hurling Down Avalanches in White Fury,” which explores the previously unknown details of the first ascent of Everest’s West Ridge. As a directing partner at Talweg Creative in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Schaffer works alongside Ryan Heffernan and Kahlil Hudson in documenting the iconic characters and personalities of the American West.

MICHAEL STEVENS Michael Charles Bryan Stevens is a documentary and commercial filmmaker originally from Washington DC, now based in the Elk Mountains of Colorado.

Michael makes films about people, places and things.

Sometimes all three at the same time. When he is not making films about his failures, or the failures of his friends, he looks to elevate issues and people fighting for things outside of themselves. He loves to collaborate, so please, stop hesitating.

OLIVER SUTRO Oliver Sutro is a full-time freelance filmmaker and photographer. His work has been featured with many brands across the industry including Columbia Sportswear, Yeti, Stio, Julbo, Skida, Costa, OPST, Temple Fork Outfitters, and Grundens.I started making films with my iPhone. My first paid gig was shot on a canon 6d mk1 and that iPhone. I couldn’t afford anything else.

If you don’t have much, you have to embrace it and get creative. A good story can even the playing field. If you have a $100,000.00 camera, but your story is bad, your story is still bad.

SANDBAGGING JIMMY CHIN DIRECTING TEAM from left to right: Keith Malloy, Jeff Johnson, Jimmy Chin, Dan Malloy, Mark Healey.

WESLEY WALKER Wesley Walker is an Afro-Latino Mexican-born producer and director. A Stanford University alum and former competitive long-distance runner, his work spans commercials for brands such as Tesla, Adidas & Google, music videos for Sony Music & Roc Nation artists and now outdoor documentary with a keen focus on bringing to light the beauty of culture, the majesty of Mother Nature and our need to protect and honor her.

As a cinematographer as well, Wesley often lenses his own projects and goes to great lengths to bring a beautiful aesthetic to films he is blessed to work on.

ADAM WARMINGTON Adam Warmington is a commercial and documentary director specializing in human powered storytelling. Originally from the UK, now based in San Francisco, Adam has always been fascinated by images. He has spent years in the film industry yet his true passion lies in stills, where he finds a greater challenge - to tell a story in one fraction of a second. His work aims to connect the viewer to an authentic experience, to make them laugh, cry or both. Adam lives in a redwood grove in Northern California with his wife and 2 kids.

MIKE WILKINSON For more than 15 years, Mike has been producing and directing video production projects. Mike’s passion is creating documentary-style films related to outdoor adventure, travel, and conservation, but it can’t be all red bulls and high-fives, so he does some corporate and training videos as well. Apart from his video experience, photography has been a natural addition to his services over the last decade. Mike is an avid adventure photographer, and has had my photos published in a number of magazines and also featured by several outdoor brands.

DARCY WITTENBURG A partner, director, producer and cinematographer at Anthill Films, Darcy Wittenburg is responsible for some of the most iconic mountain biking films around. Alongside Colin Jones and Darren McCullough, Wittenburg has directed films featuring some of mountain biking’s most well-known athletes — including Follow Me (2010), UnReal (2015)

THOMAS WOODSON I’m a Boulder, Colorado based commercial photographer and filmmaker passionate about human powered adventures.

Continuing on the principals that led me to co-found a successful design studio, I apply a formal arts background to all aspects of his process. My work has overlapped with my love of the mountains and excitement for new experiences. I hold current Wilderness First Responder and Avalanche Professional 1 certifications and am capable of expedition based work. Proficiency in ski touring, climbing and bikepacking enable self-sufficient backcountry productions. As a creative, I’m intentionally independent, but rarely working alone.

FOREST WOODWARD Adventure photographer Forest Woodward was born and raised in the hills of North Carolina, but his career has seen him log many miles across the globe as he has captured the beauty of sports, such as surfing and climbing, as well as intimate portraits of migrant workers and street kids. Woodward seeks out stories with soul and intrepid spirits whose eyes twinkle with the allure of adventure.

CANYON WOODWARD A native of the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina, Canyon Woodward is no stranger to the outdoors. His passion for the natural world has led him to work for several political campaigns in the name of climate justice. He is an avid trail runner and a passionate potter. His devotion to connecting with the earth has led to the creation of his film Matagi Mālohi: Strong Winds, a story of climate strike in the low-lying islands of the Pacific.

KRYSTLE WRIGHT Krystle Wright is an adventure sports photographer, cinematographer and director from Queensland, Australia, although she now lives a semi-nomadic lifestyle in her quest to capture and present unique moments from extreme sports, expeditions and adventures across the globe.

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5Point Film Festival Awards

BEST OF FESTIVAL Speaks for itself. Encompasses the highest qualities of filmmaking and storytelling while speaking to the 5 guiding principles of 5Point.

SPIRIT OF ADVENTURE Stepping out of the comfort zone - heading into the unknown representing the best of human endeavor to better understand and experience our world.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY Beautiful, creative shots, unexpected use of visuals and audio.

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BEST DIRECTOR CREATIVE EXCELLENCE Takes the genre of adventure film to new levels. Pushes the boundaries of typical storytelling and inspires in other filmmakers new ways of making films.

PURE JOY The film embodiment of putting a smile on your face through pure unadulterated stoke. Films that get you hooping and hollering in the fest and ready to get out on an adventure the next day.

HAYDEN KENNEDY 5POINT AWARD This is the film that embodies the 5Points more than any other films: PURPOSE To muster the motivation and conviction necessary to pursue our highest aspirations in the face of adversity.

RESPECT For each other, for the environment, for the experience and for the knowledge we inherit from those who inspire and teach us.

COMMITMENT To overcome fear and give ourselves completely to the challenge at hand while leading a vital existence and never allowing ourselves to become complacent.

HUMILITY To assume the courage and the discipline to listen to our intuition and not our egos, always mindful of our place in the natural order.

BALANCE To maintain our focus and energy in life, in nature, and on the journeys we undertake while things we cannot control shift around us.

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Board of Directors LAURA MERINO

President Laura has over ten years of experience in marketing, PR, and communications. She has a strong knowledge in digital marketing, content distribution, and loves helping clients grow their business. For the last eight-and-a-half years, Laura has worked in the outdoor industry in roles like Associate Media Director, where she was responsible for full funnel media planning strategies and Account Director and Senior Strategist where she has worked on developing and implementing brand strategy. One of her greatest passions is working with storytellers and filmmakers to ensure that their stories are being seen by as many people as possible. She believes that film has the power to move people and spark change.

LINDSEY HAGEN Vice President Lindsey is an Executive Producer and emerging Director canvassing the film market across branded documentary work, cause related filmmaking, and commercial production. She spends her time amidst the mountains and the sea and comes from a background in journalism, marketing, sales and non-profit start-ups.

Lindsey’s passion is creating cause related films and pursuing topics she feels need a podium. She believes as storytellers we have a responsibility to share truth, while creating opportunity for the voices seldom heard, and advocating for the changes we want to see in our world.

ROGER HENNEFELD Treasurer Roger, along with his wife Carrie and 2 daughters, moved to the Roaring Fork Valley in 1998 after he completed business school at CU. Roger knows everyone needs the spiritual uplift that being in nature brings and feels that this great social event and film festival is the perfect facilitator.

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MEGAN BOURKE

Megan is a 50-year-young local who moved to the valley at the ripe and ski-ripping age of 3.

She has a passion for dogs, photography and health. A seasoned ski pro and trainer, Bourke spent 25 years working for Aspen Skiing Company. Previously educated in Wyoming, Boulder and NYC, she now spends 7 months a year in Aspen and the other 5 months in Maine. The outdoors and giving back to the communities in which she resides are her favorite past times.

FITZ CAHALL Co-founder and Creative Director at Duct Tape Then Beer, Fitz started his career as a true dirtbag writer / naked subsistence hunter.

He has an appreciation for fine (not-that-fine) beers, behavioral economics, his rad wife and two sons, and helping others realize their creativity.

CONNOR P. COLEMAN After a childhood filled with family vacations to countless state and national parks, Connor embarked on a career in non-profit land conservation sprinkled with stints as a wildland firefighter, wildlife biologist, and some time spent playing cowboy.

He now works with landowners across the West to sustainably manage their land while residing outside of Carbondale.

ANN DRIGGERS Ann is a weekend warrior and backcountry bon vivant who lives to ride, run, ski and paddle in the great outdoors. Originally from the UK, she met her husband Chad while hitchhiking. Now a Carbondale local, she is most often found on trail with her Jack Russell Terrier, Scooter.

LOU EPPELSHEIMER Lou is currently the Director of Sales & Marketing at The Gant, Aspen, Colorado’s finest condominium resort where he directs the total operations of The Gant’s sales and marketing efforts. Lou has spent the entirety of his fifteen postgraduate years in the hospitality industry, and has worked with a variety of hotels and resorts across the country, from Charleston to Maui, but he specializes mainly in condominium resort management. Outside the office, Lou is an avid backpacker and skier, pensive photographer, and intrepid world traveler.

LARI GOODE Lari strives to be gainfully unemployed but finds herself crazy busy wearing various hats including; stuffy accountant, restaurateur, crossfit coach, dog Mom, and wife of the infamous Mark Fischer. In her spare time, she tries to play outside as much as possible (when it isn’t below 32 degrees).

DEREK JOHNSTON Derek has been a professional artist for over thirty years, and his fine art landscape photography has been widely collected and exhibited. It is included in the collection of the Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago and has been honored with a Colorado Council on the Arts Grant in Visual Arts. Derek is currently a professor and Director of Professional Photography at Colorado Mountain College, where he initiated a partnership with 5Point to help inspire young storytellers.

RYAN KALAMAYA Ryan grew up playing baseball with dreams of playing in the big league in a big city. Instead, the choice to travel around the world after college led him to fall in love with mountain-town living and started a law firm in the Roaring Fork Valley.

SUMMERS MOORE After graduating from the University of Denver, Summers arrived in the Roaring Fork Valley and has since been an integral part of the community.

As an artist, photographer, mentor, and curator, she exposes the brilliance in nature; human nature, natural light, landscapes, and her living subjects. As a mother, she found a knack for capturing her daughters expressions of innocence, wonder, and joy. Her love for the area is immeasurable, as she taught skiing for 11 years and worked with the Aspen and Carbondale Animal hospitals. Summers’ film Ten Years Out premiered at 5Point 2018 and has gone on to screen around the world.

BEATRIZ SOTO Beatriz is originally from Chihuahua, Mexico, where she grew up in a bi-cultural setting between Mexico and the United States. She graduated from Basalt High School and went on to study architecture in Chihuahua City.

Having the opportunity to work in both the US and Mexico, she has engaged in a diverse range of architectural and community projects, always with a focus on environmental and social justice. She is very passionate about sustainable and conscientious design. Regularly being a part of two different worlds, she tries to bring people together and be a liaison for people in any community she’s a part of; from Chihuahua City, to the tiny beach town of San Pancho, to the Roaring Fork Valley.

GREG WILLIAMS Greg joined Backbone Media in 2005 after managing the advertising team at Climbing magazine and co-founding the Philadelphia Rock Gym. At Backbone, Greg has worn many hats both on the PR and media team and has been instrumental in establishing and growing the media buying and planning side of Backbone’s business. Backbone’s media work spans all channels and includes award winning digital campaigns and national TV brand campaigns. Greg is an all-around outdoor enthusiast and lives in Carbondale with his family – Carolyn, Sage and Luke.

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The 5Point Film Fund supports filmmakers challenging the storytelling status quo through monetary grants.

We connect artists and filmmakers with opportunities to showcase their work to a network of other creatives, the outdoor industry, and beyond. Over the years, the 5Point Film Fund has made many projects possible for films that have gone on to win awards and tour the world. Congratulations to this year’s recipients!

THIS IS BETH DIRECTOR Jen Randall PRODUCERS Sarah Steele & Noam Argov

Have you ever woken up one morning and decided to share a picture of your cellulite and untoned stomach with 50,000+ people on social media? Ya, us neither, but legendary climber Beth Rodden started to do this weekly. “This is Beth” is an intimate character-piece celebrating a vulnerable side of professional climber Beth Rodden: from a young, send-at-all-costs athlete, to a mother determined to ‘normalize normal’ when it comes to our bodies and happiness. Weaving Beth’s new, playful approach to climbing on the boulders of Yosemite with sequences of daily life, archive and interview, this short film explores Beth’s remarkable journey towards finding self contentment and changing the outlook on body image in the climbing community.

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GODSPEED, LOS POLACOS! DIRECTOR Adam Nawrot PRODUCER Sonia Szczesna

Five university students slip the Iron Curtain and find themselves in Soviet crosshairs after becoming the first people to navigate the world’s deepest canyon and using their achievement as a platform to fight for democracy in the Eastern Bloc.

Godspeed, Los Polacos! is a genre-blending adventure documentary that offers perspective on the current political climate by investigating the fall of the Soviet Union.

IRAKLI’S LANTERN DIRECTOR Ben Page

The film explores the themes of elected isolation in a wild landscape. Page stumbled on the story of 78-year-old Irakli Khvedaguridize of Tusheti, Georgia in a New York Times article which described a mountain region where the entire population migrates each winter while Khvedaguridize, the regional doctor, chooses to stay behind. Page was also eager to capture on camera the scenery of the Caucasus mountains which are dotted with small villages and medieval stone watchtowers. Page felt Irakli’s story, while being highly individual, has also many parallels to modern life. “The motivations he has to stay behind in his village when all others have left, center around the sense of belonging and a connection to a physical place — his village, the surrounding mountains are his life, and his stories are etched into the stone buildings and the hillsides,” said Page, describing the narrative.

“The mental resolve it must take to go against the norm to pursue his idea of a ‘good’ life is striking, and, although an extreme example, Irakli teaches us that it is a worthwhile pursuit to slow down, to make connections in our immediate surroundings, and to discover a place of belonging. As much as home is found in relationships, it is also found in a connection to a physical place.”

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2020 5Point Film Team REGNA JONES EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Regna seeks to make the world a better place through creative and impactful work in service to community development, education, and wellness. As a director and producer for the arts, she has worked in both the private sector as a business owner as well as in human services, and arts-based non-profits. Before joining 5Point, Regna was Director of Operations and Education for Aspen Film where she was responsible for the overall operations as well as for producing the three signature festivals. Prior to her move to the Roaring Fork Valley, she was the Artistic Director and co-owner of the historic Paradise Theatre in Paonia, CO. Programming included first-run movies, independent and foreign cinema, national musical touring acts, and original theatrical productions. She holds a M.Ed. from Lesley University in Cambridge, MA. She is a proud mom of two boys and enjoys traveling, hiking, gardening, painting, and getting down on the dance floor.

Photo Credit: Mike Lyons

CHRISTINE HELLING

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ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT + GUEST SERVICES Christine moved to the Roaring Fork Valley in 1995 to go to Vet Tech school at Colorado Mountain College.

Her first love is animals, film is a close second. She has worked as a veterinary nurse throughout the valley and been a buyer/manager for the Aspen Skiing Company as well, but really prefers volunteering.

That’s how she got involved with 5Point in 2014.

Falling in love with the Flagship Festival made her want to get involved on a different level. Volunteering with people like Tracy Wilson and getting to know the directors, talent, and guests has kept her coming back year after year. She has been known to “ugly face cry” through many of the films regardless of the subject matter. Christine is honored to have gone from volunteer to staff member. Raised in Southern California, the ocean is always calling, but the mountains are home. She loves skiing, hiking, surfing, horseback riding, and spending time with her dogs.

Photo Credit: Frances Marron

SARAH JANE JOHNSON

PUBLICIST British-born, Sarah-Jane has lived and worked in all four corners of the world, but Colorado stole her heart in 2002 and since then she’s spent most of that time living the dream in the Roaring Fork Valley. SJ began her journalism career in the frantic world of newspaper reporting, before she made the switch to public relations to pursue a career path more aligned with her passion and interest for the travel industry.

She worked on global marketing campaigns at international PR agencies for brands including tourism boards, airlines and hotel brands, before taking a more focused approach to support smaller grassroots organizations within the sectors of tourism, lifestyle and outdoor recreation. SJ lives with her family, including Finn and Matty, who are devoted 5Point attendees, and enjoys spending her time planning the next big trip-- be it home to Cambridge, England, the Great Lakes of Michigan, the rainforests of Ecuador, or mountains of Northern India.

PHIL MOLLENKOF DIRECTOR OF MARKETING + PARTNERSHIPS Phil has worked in marketing and brand strategy for most of his career, helping nonprofits, for-profits and social enterprise businesses tell their story better. A big believer in the power of film storytelling, he seeks to use 5Point as a tool of change and empowerment for organizations, communities and individuals. He is also passionate about bringing other brands alongside the 5Point journey, allowing them to be agents of positive change. He was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan, and now calls the mountains his home, along with his wife and two boys.

SHANNON OUTING OPERATIONS MANAGER Shannon came to the Roaring Fork Valley in 2014 to pursue a degree in photography and Colorado trout. Now that she’s caught both, Shannon devotes her dual talents to guiding Taylor Creek’s clients and documenting the fly-fishing life with her cameras. In addition to being a personable guide, she is fast becoming a known professional photographer and has multiple published images in magazines throughout the fishing industry. Shannon is passionate about 5Point’s mission of igniting adventure in others through sharing meaningful stories. Telling her own stories through her images, you can see them in the Fly Fishing Journal and find her work on Instagram (@shannonouting) or her website, shannonoutingphotography.com.

CHARLIE TURNBULL HEAD OF PROGRAMMING Charlie’s background in journalism, enthusiasm for travel, and keen interest in different cultures has led him to the world of documentaries. After working around the globe as an expedition leader for several years, Charlie graduated from the University of Technology, Sydney, with a Bachelor of Communications in 2015.

During this time Charlie traveled to Central Asia to work on his first film project: a 25-day canoe journey from Mongolia to Russia. Since then he has produced short, adventure-based documentaries in Iceland and Finland, (Summer Dreaming 2016) and a six-part web series (Tales to Tell 2015) in Australia. He has also worked as a news journalist in print media.

TRACY WILSON COMMUNITY LIAISON + EDUCATIONAL ENGAGEMENT Tracy, an Idaho native, moved to Carbondale, CO in 2006. For the past twenty years, Tracy has coordinated volunteers for largescale events such as marathons and Iron Man races.

She has grown her involvement in the festival since its inaugural year through expansion of the 5point Dream Project and education programming. In addition to her work at 5point, Tracy has co-founded Bonedale Bike Week and teaches 9th-grade history

at Colorado Rocky Mountain School, as well as coteaching the University of Colorado and ACES night class, Tomorrow’s Voices. She serves as the ViceChair on the Town of Carbondale Parks & Recreation Commission. Tracy is motivated by cultivating powerful relationships in her community. She is a passionate climber, but when she is not out at the crag, you can find her playing chess at a coffee shop, volunteering, or coordinating a variety of community events. Photo credit: Katrin Bell

BENJAMIN TAYLOR COLE HUNTER IN-HOUSE EDITOR + TECHNICAL MANAGER Benjamin Taylor Cole Hunter is from Fort Collins Colorado and has been living in the Roaring Fork Valley for the past four years. He is a recent graduate of Colorado Mountain College and works as a freelance Videographer and Photographer.

Photo Credit: Catherine Aeppel

JULIE KENNEDY FOUNDER I was born and raised in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan.

Our family adventures to the slopes of Northern Michigan is where the real magic began.

My enthusiastic parents introduced me to alpine skiing at the age of four, and that was it. Little did I know how that first moment I felt my skis floating down the massive 300-foot slopes at the Otsego Ski Resort would shape my life. School—I got through it and boogied directly to Aspen, Colorado at the ripe age of 19. I lived the life of a committed ski bum, teaching for the Aspen Ski Company and working evening restaurant shifts so I could master my passion for skiing and a life adventuring in the Elk Mountains. It wasn’t until I met my true love, Michael Kennedy, at the Sundeck Restaurant on top of Aspen Mountain, that I truly embraced my commitment to adventure of all kinds. My mission in life is quite simple—to connect people so they too can fulfill their inspired dreams and that is why I created the 5Point Film Festival.

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The 5Point Dream Project supports and encourages outstanding students who best exemplify 5Point’s guiding principles. Over the next year, these students will embark on their adventures, pushing themselves to grow as young adults, while giving back to the communities they visit. We send them off with our best wishes and scholarship support.

WILLIAM BINGAMAN William Bingaman, a student in the 11th grade at Roaring Fork High School, plans to use his passion for helping people to create a community project based on the idea of developing more positive mental health amongst the student bodies throughout the Roaring Fork School District.

RUTHIE BROWN Ruthie Brown is a junior at Roaring Fork High School, who hopes to travel to Brazil where she will work in a local women’s shelter by day and teach self-defense to students in an afterschool program. Her goal is to inspire confidence and determination in those she comes in contact with, particularly women who may be struggling to feel empowered.

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TALON CARBALLEIRA In his junior year at Roaring Fork High School, Talon Carballeira is an active community member who wants to give back to the people of Carbondale. Using his skills as a bike mechanic, Talon plans to work with the Way of Compassion Bike Project and Carbondale Homeless Alliance to build bikes and trailers for the local homeless population. Alongside volunteering, Talon also plans to donate any remaining funds after his project is complete to these two organizations.

CASSIDY MEYER Cassidy Meyer is a junior at the Colorado Rocky Mountain School. She is planning on using her Dream Project to travel to and volunteer at a local Spanish language school in rural Nicaragua. The volunteer programs are ongoing communitybased projects in education, environmental restoration, and animal and health care. This program will provide a culturally immersive experience while helping the community with projects of their choosing.

NICOLE PEIRSON & TESS MUNRO Nicole Peirson and Tess Munro are seniors at the Colorado Rocky Mountain School and applied for their Dream Project jointly. Their goal is to help a community in need, through service in the realm of women’s empowerment and education. They plan to travel to Nicaragua to help teach English to children, as well as to experience and learn from the local culture.

JOSEPH THOMPSON Joseph Thompson is a junior at Coal Ridge High School.

An up-and-coming local DJ, his dream is to make his own music at a professional level so that he can pursue a career as a DJ-producer. Joseph will be using his Dream Project to purchase professional music plugins, synths and other tools to facilitate his ability to make great music.

Dream Project Jury Members

MIKE XIE A junior at the Colorado Rocky Mountain School, Mike Xie will be returning to his home in Shanghai, where he plans to create a documentary about the fading culture of native people due to urbanization. Using photography and film, Mike wants to capture and preserve the people, food, and unique small businesses that make Shanghai special.

MADE POSSIBLE BY

Stephanie Bergner Kim Briscoe Jeff Colt Helene Gude Luis Yllanes

Dream Project Director Tracy Wilson

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GET 5POINT

IN YOUR OWN COMMUNITY! We provide the resources.

You transform your community.

ROAD Learn more: 5pointfilm.org

Festival Special Thanks Julie and Michael Kennedy 5Point Volunteers Town and Community of Carbondale Kelly Alford / words pictures colours design Maureen Rothman Sarah Murray & Family Ian Rothman Lee Sheftel Chris Davenport Reuben Sadowsky Anya Miller Berg Amanda Bluglass Michael Clark Dandelion Inn Carbondale Susan Terra Jeni Hepler Ted & Mike Miernicki Days Inn Carbondale Brian & Sandra Gaddis Andy & Rose Rosello Taylor Gaddis Ellie Urfrig Leslie Johnson BJ Sbarra Dustin Gregory Randall Lavelle Adam Penny Natalyn Cumings Becky Moller

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2020 Festival Partners TITLE SPONSOR

PRESENTING SPONSORS

CONTRIBUTING SPONSOR

PARTICIPATING SPONSORS

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SUPPORTING SPONSORS

COMMUNITY SPONSORS

GRANTORS

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ENERGY

POLITICS

A 2,000-foot oil and gas setback is being met with cheers from impacted residents and jeers from West Slope industry advocates and gas-producing counties.

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Serving your community

Behind Lauren Boebert’s meteoric rise is a past neither she nor her campaign is willing to discuss.

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COURTS Jury trials could soon begin again in the Ninth Judicial District, which includes Garfield County, after a months-long hiatus because of the pandemic.

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Wednesday, September 23, 2020

Volume 128, Number 185 |

School board to discuss back-toclassroom plans Roaring Fork schools officials presented plans to board last week John Stroud Post Independent

limited due to COVID, but the virus didn’t have too much impact on this event.

“For the restoration projects, we’ve been able to manage still having fairly decent-sized groups by splitting people up into different smaller groups to do the work. … You don’t want to be close to people anyway when you’re swinging Pulaskis or pulling barbed wire. You’re already social distancing when you’re doing a lot of the restoration work,” Roush said.

Beatriz Soto, Defiende director, said the organization’s events are getting popular, and little outreach beyond social media was needed.

“It got filled up as soon as I announced it on our social media. I had

A return to in-person classroom learning for the Roaring Fork School District — whenever that time comes — would be anything but a return to normal, under a detailed plan being reviewed by the local school board Wednesday night.

During a 5-1/2-hours-long special school board meeting Sept. 16, the board agreed to a cautious plan to bring full grade levels back into school buildings when the data regarding the spread of COVID-19 supports a safe return.

That decision hinges on the area being served by the school district, including parts of Garfield, Eagle and Pitkin counties, moving into what the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment terms “Safer Level 1” in its five-level measure of risk factors.

As of Tuesday, all three counties remained in the “Safer Level 2,” suggesting the risk level is still too high.

The three counties would need to be at Level 1 for two straight weeks before the district would implement the return plan, starting with grades K-3 and working up through the middle school grades.

High school students would not return to buildings until the counties achieve “Protect Our Neighbors” status, which is the least restrictive level when it comes to the capacity at which businesses can operate and for larger congregations of people.

The 24-page plan itself outlines numerous strict rules and expectations of parents, students and school staff that are to be followed when students are allowed back into school buildings in Glenwood Springs, Carbondale and Basalt.

Among them: ■ Families are asked to scan their child(ren) for symptoms before sending them to the bus or dropping them off at school. Students will also be screened, including with a temperature check, when they arrive at school.

■ Masks will be mandatory in schools for all grade levels and for adults, as well as on buses and throughout

TREES, A10

SCHOOLS, A10

CHELSEA SELF / POST INDEPENDENT

U.S. Forest Service employee Chris McDonald explains to volunteers how to tell the difference between the various spruce trees in the area.

Growing a sense of community Defiende Nuestra Tierra organizes tree planting as part of Latino Heritage Month Charlie Wertheim Post Independent

Thanks to 18 people, 100 more blue spruce trees are now growing south of Rifle.

The restoration project was the first for Defiende Nuestra Tierra, a program of Wilderness Workshop, which is based in Carbondale.

Defiende was organized two years ago “to tap into the influential voice of the Roaring Fork and Colorado River Latinx communities and partner with those communities to steward and protect our public lands,”

according to the Wilderness Workshop website.

Until now, the group has focused on hikes to get people out onto public lands. Response from participants even prompted Wilderness Workshop to start its first winter hikes.

“We hosted a series of listening sessions to really help us understand what [the Latino] community was looking for … and that led to offering some of the outings in the winter, which we really hadn’t done,” Will Roush, Wilderness Workshop executive director, said.

Project participation was somewhat

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