PROGRAM 5 / Sunday, October 18

Changemakers / Program 5 Sunday, October 18 / Live @ 7pm (MT)

MATAGI MĀLOHI: STRONG WINDS

DIRECTORS | Forest Woodward, Canyon Woodward &

Aidan Haley (USA, Tuvalu, 3 min)

RIVER RUNNER

DIRECTOR | Heather Mosher

(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

DIRECTOR | Anthony Bonello 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?

(Canada, 19 min)

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

Matt Mikkelsen (USA, 15 min)

DIRECTORS | Jamie DiNicola, Palmer Morse,

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

DIRECTOR | David Chang & Kody Kohlman

(USA, 4 min)

THE SHEPHERDESS

DIRECTOR | Katie Falkenberg

(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 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!

(French Polynesia, 3 min)

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

Hudson (USA, 22 min)

DIRECTORS | Ryan Heffernan, Grayson Schaffer, Kahlil

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.

Program 5 continued Sunday, October 18

LIMITLESS

DIRECTOR | Hayden Griffith

(Australia, 10 min) VOICE ABOVE WATER

DIRECTOR | Dana Frankoff

(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.

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.