2007 SPONSORS & GRANTORS NATIONAL MEDIA SPONSOR
SUMMIT
CAMP III
CAMP II
CAMP I Alpine Title • The Explorers Club • Chair 8 • The Telluride Watch Alpen Schatz • Osprey Packs, Inc. • The Media Ranch • Steven B. Johnson Paragon Ski & Sport • DPS Sporting Club Development, LLC The Ford Foundation • Jewish Communal Fund
BASECAMP New Belgium Brewing Company • The Daily Planet • Telluride Publishing Finlandia • Red Hat • Larabar • Nevasca Realty, Inc. • Bottle Works Tides Foundation • Loews Foundation • Immaculate Baking Company Coffee Cowboy • Dagoba • Tomboy Soap • Sutcliffe Vineyards Organic Valley Family of Farms • Steaming Bean Coffee Co
LODGING SPONSORS ON PAGE 2 COVER PHOTO: ©1991 MCA TV
LODGING SPONSORS CAMP III
CAMP II
CAMP I Resort Quest Telluride • New Sheridan Hotel
BASECAMP
©DOUG BERRY/telluridestock.com
Mountainside Inn • Inn at Lost Creek • Hotel Columbia • Elevation Vacations The Hotel Telluride • The Victorian Inn • Telluride Luxury Accommodations
i/FWFS EPVCU UIBU B TNBMM HSPVQ PG UIPVHIUGVM DPNNJUUFE DJUJ[FOT DBO DIBOHF UIF XPSME JOEFFE JU T UIF POMZ UIJOH UIBU FWFS IBT u – PIONEERING ANTHROPOLOGIST MARGARET MEAD
Elevate Your Life www.TellurideAreaHomes.com
Awarding the Second Annual Finlandia® Natural Purity Award Honoring the Best Film on River and Water Conservation Mountainfilm in Telluride 2007 KEEP YOUR JUDGEMENT PURE. DRINK RESPONSIBLY.
finlandia.com
©2007 Finlandia Vodka Worldwide Ltd., Helsinki, Finland. Finlandia Vodka 40% Alc./Vol. Imported by Brown-Forman Beverages, Louisville, KY USA.
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TABLE of CONTENTS
FESTIVAL TIPS
Welcome!.....................................1 Lodging Sponsors .......................2 Festival Tips..............................6-7 Maps ..........................................8-9 Social Pages......................... 10-11 Symposium.......................... 12-13 Galleries .............................. 14-17 Breakfast Talks .......................... 18 The Reading Frenzy ................ 19 Judges ......................................... 23 Films ..................................... 24-51 Shorts Programs ...................... 51 Kidz Kino .................................. 51 At-a-Glance ........................ 43-46 Special Guests .................... 56-67 Presentations...................... 70-77 In Memoriam ............................ 78 Endowment Fund .................... 78 Boards ........................................ 82 Awards Artist ........................... 82 Donors ...................................... 83 MF Goes Green ....................... 84 World Tour ............................... 85 Staff ............................................. 86 Theater Emcees....................... 86 Screening Committee ............ 86 Volunteers ................................. 87
PROGRAM NAVIGATION The program is separated into sections: films and special guests are in alphabetical order while presentations are chronological. In the center you’ll find the handy AT-A-GLANCE. Happy surfing!
HOSPITALITY Located at Chair 8 restaurant in the Camel’s Garden Hotel, HOSPITALITY is the nerve center of the Festival, providing everything from message boards to hiking information. We are excited to partner with Chair 8, which is providing all Hospitality-goers with free wi-fi connection. This is the place to pick up your passes, grab a refreshing drink, relax with your friends and meet your favorite Mountainfilm guests.
QUEUING UP Three lines form outside each theater (pass holders, ticket buyers, volunteers) and are admitted in this order. Make certain you are in the right line! The back of your pass explains any restrictions.
Qs
SWITZERLAND The Swiss Confederation was founded in 1291 as a defensive alliance among three cantons. It secured its independence from the Holy Roman Empire in 1499. POPULATION 7,554,661 HIGHEST POINT Dufourspitze, 4,634 m NATURAL RESOURCES Timber, salt, hydropower LITERACY 99%
Qs are numbered slips handed out when passholders line up for a program. Holding a Q allows you to walk away from your place in line and reclaim it fifteen minutes before show time. It DOES NOT guarantee you a seat if you come back late.
SINGLE TICKETS Individual tickets go on sale after all pass holders have been admitted to the theater. Program tickets are $20 each.
PROGRAM CHANGES & TBAs (To Be Announced) Keep an eye on the sandwich boards outside all theaters and at HOSPITALITY, as well as online at mountainfilm.org (under Festival Updates).
HIGH-ALTITUDE TIPS Drink plenty of water to reduce the chances of headaches and altitude sickness. Bring rain gear; apply sunscreen often to block the intense rays; be prepared for temperature swings between 30F and 80F degrees; and take a break to walk one of the short trails nearby.
GETTING AROUND THE GONDOLA
The gondola runs between Telluride and Mountain Village and is the easiest way to move between the two. A thirteen-minute ride, the gondola runs from the plaza of Hospitality to the High Camp venue in Mountain Village. During the festival weekend, the gondola will operate from 7:00 to 1:00 a.m. daily, free of charge. Should the gondola unexpectedly close, a shuttle service between Mountain Village and Telluride will run during the same hours. TELLURIDE SHUTTLE
The Galloping Goose runs a free shuttle service in the Town of Telluride, which leaves every 10 minutes from the Courthouse and follows a loop around town. Look for the Galloping Goose logo (a speedy goose designed in metal) on bus stops along Colorado Avenue (main street) and Pacific Street, at Hospitality and the base of the gondola. Schedules for the Goose route are posted at each stop. MOUNTAIN VILLAGE SHUTTLE
Call 970-728-8888 to be picked up by Dial-a-Ride and transported for free within the Mountain Village. CARHENGE
Park your car and forget about it for the day! A public parking lot is available to everyone at the bottom of Chair 7 on Mahoney Drive. Parking at Carhenge is free, but note that no overnight parking is allowed. The Galloping Goose shuttle stops at this location for free transportation around the Town of Telluride. Why “Carhenge?” You’ll see.
THE MOUNTAINFILM STORE The Mountainfilm Store is located at Paragon Sports on Colorado Avenue (main street) just a few doors west of the Nugget Theater. It’s the ONLY place to find Mountainfilm clothing, accessories and memorabilia. Hearty thanks to our sponsors at The North Face, Horny Toad and Osprey Packs for their generous merchandise contributions. Come in to to check out a display of the world’s best tri-pods manufactured by our sponsor Manfrotto. HOURS: 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. daily.
©GUS GUSCIORA
THE SOCIAL PAGES
(where to be when)
We think that some of these are mandatory-attendance events. You decide which ones!
Opening Reception Gallery Walk FRIDAY, MAY 25 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. ©GUS GUSCIORA
Throughout the town of Telluride
The exquisite imagery of our honored artists is in the spotlight during this multivenue art crawl, complete with drinks and hors d’oeuvres. From thought-provoking photography to charcoal paintings to textiles, the walk is always a grand embarkation into the weekend. For a map of town with the participating galleries noted, see page 9.
The Next Step
©GUS GUSCIORA
FRIDAY, MAY 25 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. SATURDAY, MAY 26 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. SUNDAY, MAY 27 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. MONDAY, MAY 28 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Sheridan Opera House Gallery
Mountainfilm is pleased to respond when audience members ask “What can I do?” after seeing a film or a presentation. To that end, we encourage a visit to this nonprofit/non-governmental organization and green for-profit expo. Representatives from an array of organizations connected to Mountainfilm-related causes will feed your mind with specific information drawn from our program material for the festival. (Representatives will be available between 1:00 and 3:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.)
SATURDAY, MAY 26 SUNDAY, MAY 27 MONDAY, MAY 28 8:00 to 9:30am
Camels Garden (downstairs lobby) Camels Garden (upstairs) Ice House (upstairs atrium) The Greenhouse (on the pocket park across the street from Coffee Cowboy)
©GUS GUSCIORA
Breakfast Talks
Four locations over three mornings mean 12 chances for coffee and muffins with the minds of Mountainfilm, either continuing the conversation from an earlier presentation or exploring a whole new project or topic. For the schedule, see page 18. For a map of town with Breakfast Talk locations noted, see page 9.
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“The Eiger Sanction” Party High Camp
In honor of the Eiger, we will show a brand-new 35mm print of the classic Hollywood thriller “The Eiger Sanction,” including free beer for those 21 and over, compliments of New Belgium Brewing Company! Between the beer and the flick, two members of the film crew will present their behind-the-scenes experiences (page 72) from this 1975 classic directed by and starring Clint Eastwood.
©1991 MCA TV
SATURDAY, MAY 26 9:00 p.m. to midnight
The Reading Frenzy SUNDAY, MAY 27 • 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Camels Garden & Chair 8
©GUS GUSCIORA
Mountainfilm hosts many published authors and artists, and what better way to meet them all than during a happy hour frenzy of book signings! With the help of Between the Covers Bookstore, authors’ books will be available for purchase on-site. There will be free ice cream and a cash bar. Come for the books; stay for the atmosphere. For a list of authors (as of press time), see page 19.
Closing Picnic & Awards Ceremony ©DAMON JOHNSTON
SPONSORED BY NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC & NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ADVENTURE
MONDAY, MAY 28 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Telluride Town Park
This is the final gathering of the weekend for festival presenters, guests, audience, staff and volunteers. La Cocina de Luz provides a delicious organic feast and festival musicians play tunes. This is also where the festival awards are announced, as selected by our esteemed jury (page 23). The outdoor setting warrants appropriate dress for an afternoon in the mountains.
©MATT INDEN
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GALLERY ARTISTS The Gallery Walk Opening Reception FRIDAY • 4:00 to 6:00 P.M. From its earliest days, Mountainfilm has been more than a festival devoted to watching movies. In keeping with this tradition, the festival includes a series of gallery exhibits, highlighting a range of classic images and surfacing the best of the new. Consider it the start of your weekend pilgrimage—jump in anywhere on the circuit (map on page 9)—and come back during the weekend to peruse at your leisure.
Christo and Jeanne-Claude (page 56)
Telluride Gallery of Fine Art
Christo and Jeanne-Claude have been in the spotlight of the international art world for many years. They have been working together since their first outdoor temporary work “Dockside Packages, Cologne Harbor 1961.” Some of their ephemeral artworks include “Wrapped Coast, Little Bay Australia 1968-69”; “Valley Curtain, Rifle, Colorado 1970-72”; “Running Fence, Sonoma and Marin Counties 1972-76”; “Surrounded Islands, Biscayne Bay, Miami, Florida 1980-83”; “The Pont Neuf Wrapped, Paris 1975-85”; “The Umbrellas, Japan-USA 1984-91”; “Wrapped Reichstag, Berlin 1971-95”; and most recently, “The Gates, Project for New York Central Park.” Christo and Jeanne-Claude are presently engaged in two projects: “The Mastaba of Abu Dhabi” and “Over the River, Project for the Arkansas River, Colorado” that started in 1992. Their installations take years of planning, the environmental studies and permitting process involving numerous governmental agencies that precede an installation is as much a part of a particular work as the actual installation.
Charlie Fowler (page 76) “CHARLIE’S VIEW”
Telluride Gallery of Fine Art (Polaroid transfers)
Sheridan Opera House Foyer (landscapes)
“Ultimately I’ve got this philosophy about climbing, about rules…in some ways I think it’s a lot better for there not to be any rules at all, sort of total anarchy.” Charlie Fowler applied this philosophy of climbing to the art of photography, and he enjoyed using an alternative photographic process called Polaroid transfers to make a unique impressionistic watercolor-style of photography that breaks all the rules. By exposing the film and pressing the negative onto watercolor paper soaked in water, beautiful soft images appear before the viewer’s eye. All of the proceeds from the sale of Charlie’s Polaroid transfers will go to support an annual Charlie Fowler Climbing Film Award.
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Adele Hammond (page 59) “ALLEGORIES”
Stronghouse Studios
In the vast landscape of the subconscious, a world of possibilities exists. This is where boundaries collide between what we know and accept as real and what we define as impossible. Adele Hammond’s drawings, based in the landscape and inspired by personal life experiences, represent the qualities in nature of unpredictability, uncertainty, risk and discovery—aspects of both the landscape and the mind.The simple, direct medium of charcoal is responsive, fluid, dramatic and immediate. Light, shadow and form intertwine with Adele’s working process, which is overtly physical, urgent and inseparable from the end result. It is the journey of making each piece that reveals the story.
Dave Heath (page 60) “NINE WINTERS OLD”
Telluride Mountain Gallery
This photography exhibit displays just a few images of the many captured during the making of the film “Nine Winters Old” (page 38), a portrayal of the beauty of winter as seen through the eyes of offbeat photographer Dave Heath.
Aaron Huey (page 61) “SUFISM: PEACE, LOVE, AND POETRY IN THE ISLAMIC WORLD”
Telluride Mountain Gallery
Aaron Huey presents his photographic images of Sufism (Islamic mysticism), taken over a one-month journey through the Sufi shrine culture and Sufi festivals of Pakistan. Take a look at a branch of Islam that transcends the division of Sunni and Shiite, offering a message of peace and love, through music (Qawwali), dance (the dervishes) and poetry (Hafiz and Rumi).
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International League of Conservation Photographers (page 73) “FIELD GUIDE TO LIFE ON EARTH”
Lucas Gallery
©GARY BRAASCH
Don’t miss this opportunity to see extraordinary images by some of the world’s best photographers— all dedicated to creating a culture of appreciation, understanding and stewardship for the natural world through photography. Participating photographers are James Balog (page 56), Annie Griffiths Belt, Gary Braasch (page 56), Connie Bransilver, David Doubilet, Amy Gulick, Sandesh Kadur, Robert Glenn Ketchum, Stephen Maka, Thomas Mangelsen, Cristina Mittermeier (page 62), Michael “Nick” Nichols, Pete Oxford, Chris Rainier (page 64), Patricio Robles Gil, Kevin Schafer, Wendy Shattil, Igor Shpilenok, Brian Skerry, Roy Toft, Carlton Ward Jr., Michele Westmorland, Staffan Widstrand, Art Wolfe and Christian Ziegler.The exhibition represents a cross section of the many conservation interests of the ILCP.
Benedicto Ixtamer (page 61) “THE ENERGY OF MAYAN VILLAGES”
Steaming Bean Coffee Shop
Art is life! Benedicto Ixtamer’s art captures the activities of the Mayan population of his native Guatemala: the colors of people going to market, growing fruits and vegetables on the shores of the lake, using organic practices to grow coffee, composting plants and incorporating flowers and fruits for religious rituals and processions. The progression of the seasons and the cultivation of the land by the Mayan civilization comes from a deep cultural knowledge that explains the world with myth and ceremonies. Benedicto’s paintings represent the energy of the Mayan people, who respect every person, plant and animal. For the Mayan people, a union of these ideas is important to share and essential to create a healthy community.
The Leonardo on Wheels Brought to you by Tony Anderson & Rodney Kopish Wilkinson Public Library
The Leonardo on Wheels is the outreach program for The Leonardo, an art, culture and science center inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s multidisciplinary approach that will open in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 2009. The Leonardo on Wheels is an interactive science center delivering a dozen motivating and experiential activities related to sound, energy, geography, balance, weather, probability, anatomy and more. Although the activities are specifically designed to support middle- and junior-high-school curricula, learners of all ages will enjoy the hands-on exploration.
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Museo della Montagna “THE JUNGFRAU REGION OF SWITZERLAND: PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE 19TH CENTURY”
Telluride Historical Museum
This show of classic photographic prints, taken between 1890 and 1915 in the Jungfrau region of Switzerland, represents the early development of tourism in the Swiss Alps and the impact that the industry—which allowed visitors easy access to peaks previously accessible to only the best mountaineers—had on these once-pristine peaks. The photos feature not only the most well-known summits—Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau— but also the villages of Wengen, Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen, Mürren and Interlaken. All these precious photographs are conserved, together with 120,000 other historical photos, in the archives of the Photographic Collection at the Museo Nazionale della Montagna in Turin, Italy.
National Geographic “VANISHING SEA ICE & BIG THAW”
High Camp Theater Entrance Hall
As temperatures increase worldwide, ice on land and oceans continues to melt. This exhibit—selected from two articles in the June 2007 issue of “National Geographic” —examines the impact of the melting on the animals of the Arctic Ocean and the continental glaciers and ice sheets. “Life at the Edge,” photographed by Paul Nicklen, explores the frontier of a frozen ocean, where rising temperatures imperil wildlife whose survival depends on ice. “The Big Thaw,” photographed by James Balog and written by Tim Appenzeller, finds it’s no surprise that a warming climate is melting the world’s glaciers and polar ice. But no one expected this melting to happen so fast.
Thomas Ulrich “FOLLOWING THE TRACKS OF HECKMAIR: ASCENT OF THE NORTH FACE OF THE EIGER” (Equipped with Woolen Mittens, Nailed Shoes and Hemp Ropes)
Telluride Historical Museum
On August 17 and 18 of 2002, a team of two mountaineers, Stephan Siegrist (29) and Michal Pitelka (41), climbed the Eiger North Face using exclusively authentic equipment from the 1940s. Both climbers live in Interlaken, in the shadow of the Eiger, and have expert knowledge of the North Face. Thomas Ulrich, who also grew up near the Eiger and was fascinated by the stories and tragedies of early attempts, filmed the unusual ascent (chronicled in the film “Eiger North Face—In the Footsteps of Its First Climbers,” page 30). Additionally, he captured the adventure with his camera, producing a unique set of extraordinary black-and-white photographs, featured in this exhibition.
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BREAKFAST TALKS DAILY 8:00 to 9:30 A.M. On three festival mornings, begin your day by feeding your mind with insights from our special guests. These informal and intimate gatherings are an opportunity to delve deeper and ask questions in an intimate setting. The talks are hosted by “The Daily Planet” and open to the public free of charge.
LOCATIONS TALK #1 TALK #2 TALK #3 TALK #4
= = = =
ICE HOUSE HOTEL (upper atrium) CAMELS GARDEN HOTEL (downstairs lobby) CAMELS GARDEN HOTEL (upstairs) THE GREENHOUSE (on the pocket park across from Coffee Cowboy)
SATURDAY • May 26 #1: National Geographic: Media Responsibility and the Environment: How National Geographic and Others are Taking on Climate Change IN PERSON: Dennis Dimick, Dr. John Francis, John Rasmus, Geoff O’Connor
#2: Paul Hawken: “Blessed Unrest” Booksigning NOTE: Paul cannot attend The Reading Frenzy, so this is THE time to get a signed copy!
#3: Regional Renewables: Realities and Solutions for Our Community IN PERSON: Neville Williams, Trey Taylor, Randy Udall, John Pryor (Mayor of Telluride), Rube Felicelli (Mayor of Mountain Village)
#4: Grizzly Matters: Protecting the Top of the Food Chain IN PERSON: Doug and Andrea Peacock, Paul Watson, Rob Stewart
SUNDAY • May 27 #1: National Geographic Television Workshop: How to Pitch a Film and Current Areas of Interest to NGT IN PERSON: Carrie Regan
#2: Remnants of Everest: Getting Over the Hump IN PERSON: David Breashears, Makalu Gau, Charlotte Fox
#3: Treaties Made and Broken: Native American Issues IN PERSON: Beth and George Gage, Carrie Dann, James Kleinert
#4: Eiger Dreams: Life after the North Face IN PERSON: John Harlin III, Chic Scott, Mark Wilford, Rick Sylvester, Peter Pilafian
MONDAY • May 28 #1: National Geographic Grants Workshop: How to Apply for Grants in Research, Conservation and Exploration IN PERSON: Rebecca Martin, Dr. John Francis
#2: TBA #3: Adventure Divas: The Joys and Trials of Superwomen IN PERSON: Kit DesLauriers, Lynn Hill, Bernice Notenboom, Roz Savage
#4: Saving the World: Preposterous or Possible? IN PERSON: Khashyar Darvich, David Mueller, Elisabet Sahtouris, Fred Alan Wolf
THE READING FRENZY SUNDAY • 3:00 to 5:00 P.M. • CAMELS GARDEN & CHAIR 8 Dan Austin
True Fans
Josh Bernstein Brot Coburn
Digging for the Truth
Himalaya
Steph Davis
High Infatuation: A Climber’s Guide to Love & Gravity
Wade Davis
Light at the Edge of the World (and others)
Glen Denny
Yosemite in the Sixties
Jeff Goodell
Big Coal: The Dirty Secret Behind America’s Energy Future
John Harlin III
The Eiger Obsession: Facing the Mountain That Killed My Father
Lynn Hill
Climbing Free
Bernadette McDonald
Brotherhood of the Rope
Andrea Peacock
Libby, Montana: Asbestos and the Deadly Silence of an American Corporation
Doug Peacock
The Essential Grizzly: The Mingled Fates of Men and Bear
Will Steger Pete Takeda
Over the Top of the World (and others) An Eye at the Top of the World
Rex Weyler
Greenpeace: How a Group of Ecologists, Journalists, and Visionaries Changed the World
Neville Williams
Chasing the Sun: Solar Adventures Around the World
PLUS music, free ice cream, and a host of local authors to check out, too! NOTE:
Paul Hawken and James Kunstler cannot attend this
event. Paul will be signing at Breakfast Talk #2 on Saturday, and James will be signing at Between the Covers Bookstore on Saturday at approximately 9:00 p.m. (after the evening program block at SOH).
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The Other Colorado Theater TPL
of the beautiful San Juan Mountains
Photo: Whit Richardson
www.tpl.org/colorado
Jose Camarlinghi
JUDGES
• LA PAZ, BOLIVIA For more than thirty years, Jose has been in love with the Andes. He became a certified guide in 1984 and founded Andean Summits, organizing expeditions in Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Peru and Ecuador. In 1993, he finished studies in filmmaking and later completed a Master’s in Scriptwriting. Jose has since worked on several documentary films and is the director of JachaChaka (The Great Bridge), a Bolivian non-profit organization that develops mountain tourism projects with local Indian communities in the Andes.
Marina Cappabianca
• ROME, ITALY Marina acquired film production experience in college with the Italian TV production company Paneikon, which she later directed from 1997 to 1999. She has coordinated a number of international productions with partners including Discovery, National Geographic and the BBC. As the executive producer for Capmar Studios since 1999, Marina specializes in development and production of environmental conservation documentaries. Her most recent project, “The Enigma of the Polluce Shipwreck,” was awarded the Gold Fin as Best Historical Documentary at the International Film Festival of Antibes in France.
Kathy Fitzgerald
• TAOS, NEW MEXICO, USA Kathy was raised in Italy and spent her high-school years in England before attending college in Boston. After working on documentaries for RAI-TV in Rome, she teamed up with her husband, Michael, to form their own production company, Ithaca films, which has produced films such as John Huston’s “Wise Blood” and Tommy Lee Jones’s “The Three Burials of Melchiades Estrada.” Kathy’s most recent project is a documentary film about the Quechua weavers living in the shadow of Mt. Ausungate in Peru.
Barton G. Lewis
• MICHIGAN, USA/BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA/PERU Bart first ventured to Peru in the mid-1960s and has been involved in environmental, cultural, health and eco-tourism projects there ever since. His careers have included export development in India and Afghanistan, ski resort management in Canada, natural food stores in the American West, as well as international event and concert production. Bart co-founded a film distribution company and served as director of the Banff Festival of Mountain Films. He was founding director/president of Adventure Network International—the only private firm providing logistical services to governments, scientific organizations and tourism in Antarctica. He is the managing director of the Rainforest Institute, LLC, as well as a contributing editor of “National Geographic Traveler” magazine.
Michael Mayzel
• MARKHAM, ONTARIO, CANADA Working with Valhalla Wilderness Society, Michael was instrumental in creating the Spirit Bear Wilderness Park in British Columbia, in one of the world’s oldest coastal rainforest in April 2001. He also worked alongside the Raincoast Conservation Society to secure the purchase of the largest trophy hunting concession in North America, effectively stopping grizzly bear and wolf hunting in the British Columbia mid-coastal area. With The Manfrotto Group, a world leader in the design and manufacture of photographic and video camera equipment, Michael is currently coordinating green initiatives for the imaging industry.
FILMS
(alphabetical order)
MF Goes HD K2imaging, Inc. is proud to be the Hi Definition (HD) projection company chosen by Mountainfilm in Telluride for 2007 and is honored to be the first to summit Telluride’s High Camp and Palm Theatre under the banner of true HD projection. In October of 2000, owner Karl Mehrer, with the guidance and help of Kevin Kowalchuk of IMAX, witnessed the majesty of Everest in person and the return of skier/climber Davo Karnicar from his successful ski descent of the 11,000-foot slope. Following this near-life experience, Karl and his wife relocated to Brooklyn, New York, where the HD business has flourished. K2imaging’s clients include Dolby, Sundance Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, Comedy Central, Apple and Boston Light and Sound. For more information, check out www.k2imaging.com.
Peoples’ Choice Award The prize perhaps most coveted by filmmakers, the Peoples’ Choice Award, goes to…the peoples’ choice, of course. To weigh in with your personal selection for favorite film, grab a ballot at the Closing Picnic and choose your top three picks. One ballot per voter, please.
GENRE KEY adventure
environment
politics
energy
adrenaline
climbing
culture
the Eiger
kids
(Not just for Kidz Kino films! Also signifies age appropriateness…or for kids-at-heart adults)
A Crude Awakening— The Oil Crash BASIL GELPKE & RAY MCCORMACK Supported by a powerful mix of archival footage, NASA shots of burning oil fields, and often unintentionally hilarious historical film excerpts, “A Crude Awakening” takes us to oil fields from Houston to Venezuela’s Lake Maracaibo to Baku, the ancient capital of Central Asia’s secretive republic of Azerbaijan.We’re also taken to world financial centers, such as London and Zurich, to learn more about our oil energy future from such leading authorities as investment banker Matthew Simmons; former OPEC chairman Fadhil Chalabhi; Caltech’s head of physics David Goodstein; Stanford University political scientist Terry Lynn Karl; and peak oil expert Matthew Savinar. (Switzerland, 2006, 84 min, 35mm) AWARDS: Film Prize, Zurich Film Festival, Switzerland; Wake Up Call, Tahoe/Reno International Film Festival, Nevada (Saturday, 9:40 p.m., NUG)
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A Dozen More Turns AMBER SEYLER Avalanche danger is high. But the powder is three feet deep. What are you going to do? This is the true story of five friends who went on a hut trip during one of the best storms of the year. All highly experienced backcountry skiers, they came to learn far more about the devastating effects of an avalanche than they cared to know. (USA, 2007, 31 min, Beta) IN PERSON: Amber Seyler & Sam Kavanagh (Sunday, 7:30 p.m., HC)
A Land Out of Time MARK HARVEY The biggest land grab in American history is devouring the Rocky Mountain West as the oil-and-gas industry leases millions of acres of public land, with plans to drill hundreds of thousands of gas wells.The drilling blitz ranges from New Mexico to Montana and threatens some of America’s last and best wild lands. Westerners who have lived on the land for generations tell the story and foment a backlash against the Bush Administration energy policies. (USA, 2006, 10 min, Beta) AWARDS: Best Environmental Film, Taos Mountain Film Festival, New Mexico IN PERSON: Laurel Garrett, Mark Harvey & Greg Poschman (Saturday, 12:30 p.m., SOH) (Saturday, 6:40 p.m., NUG)
A Peak Experience HOWARD SEBOLD & RICHARD RYAN
WORLD PREMIERE
On a June night, at the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art in Manhattan, forty 11 to 14 year olds climbed to the summit of Mt. Everest: a little scary, a little crazy…a lot of fun and education. (USA, 2006, 9 min, Beta) IN PERSON: Howard Sebold (KIDZ KINO: Monday, 11:00 a.m., PALM)
Aerialist (work in progress) Dean Potter is obsessed with being attached to the world by as little as possible. He began his journey as a free soloist on rock, but his refusal to be confined has pushed him to the outer edge of the climbing world and into the realms of high-lining, BASE jumping and “bird-manning.” Possessed by the idea that anything is possible, Dean maniacally pursues the most natural, yet bizarre, dream of man: to fly. (USA, 2007, 24 min, Beta) IN PERSON: Brad Lynch & Dean Potter AWARDS: People’s Choice, Alpinist Film Festival, Wyoming (Saturday, 3:20 p.m., SOH)
©DEAN FIDELMAN
BRAD LYNCH
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Amazonian Vertigo EVRARD WENDENBAUM
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
The waters of Angel Falls touch the ground of the Amazonian rainforest after a free fall of almost 1,000 meters. An international climbing team decides to follow the water’s descent in reverse. For 15 days, the team is sorely tested by extreme humidity that is exacerbated by the often-violent pulse of the falls, intense technical challenges that require maximum physical and mental commitment, and a severe rationing of limited supplies. (France, 2006, 56 min, Beta) (Saturday, 3:20 p.m., SOH)
Aweberg WILL GADD
©PONDELLA
Ice climbers are typically not the most well balanced individuals. Will Gadd and Ben Firth, no exceptions to the rule, take their sport to its illogical conclusion when they attempt to scale some unbalanced icebergs in the North Atlantic waters where the Titanic sank. (Canada, 2006, 27 min, Beta) AWARDS: Special Jury Mention, Banff Mountain Film Festival, Canada (Friday, 7:00 p.m., SOH)
Badgered SHARON COLMAN This film shares the animated tale of a badger who just wants the world to let him sleep. (UK, 2005, 8 min, Beta) AWARDS: Nominee, Best Short Film (Animated), Academy Awards 2005 (Saturday, 12:50 p.m., NUG) (KIDZ KINO: Monday, 11:00 a.m., PALM)
Ballero WOLFGANG BECKER
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
“Ballero,” a play on words combining Ravel’s “Bolero” and the word “ball,” shows the heightened anticipation in sports fans the world over when a great event is about to take place: the FIFA World Cup in Germany. (Germany, 2006, 6 min, Beta) (Friday, 7:00 p.m., SOH)
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Big Summit Speed-Riding: Eiger FRANÇOIS BON On June 14, 2006, François Bon and Antoine Montant executed the world’s first speed-flying descent of the Eiger in Switzerland.Wearing skis and a paragliding sail, they descended from the top edge of the iconic mountain’s west face to the bottom of its notorious north face, skiing and flying low over a long steep minefield of ice and rock and snow. (France, 2006, 5 min, Beta) (Saturday, 12:50 p.m., PALM)
Black Canyon PETER MORTIMER Colorado’s Black Canyon is as beautiful as it is intimidating. Two-thousandfoot drops, loose rock and poison ivy thwart the path to some of the most gorgeous and difficult alpine crack lines that tempt free ascents. Join up with the two best men for the job, Jared Ogden and Topher Donahue, as they conquer the choice lines, debate the drunken Aussies and support a harrowing near-death rescue on rock. (USA, 2006, 10 min, Beta) IN PERSON: Joss Corkin, Topher Donahue, Vera Schulte-Pekum (Sunday, 10:00 p.m., HC)
Building the Future—Energy NICOLAS BROWN If everything we hear about peak oil and the impending world-wide energy crisis is true, then it’s clear that we need to start doing something to move beyond oil as soon as possible. But what? This film explores the stories of several forwardthinking individuals who aren’t just worried about our planet; they are doing something to help save it. From an enormous solar collector in the Australian outback to hydroelectric power that does not require a dam, you can rest assured that someone is looking out for the rest of us. (UK, 2007, 54 min, Beta) IN PERSON: Nicolas Brown & Trey Taylor III (Saturday, 6:30 p.m., SOH)
Climate: A Crisis Averted LOUIS FOX If there is an upside to global warming, it’s that environmental change may bring the people of this planet together. This short film describes how a movement, called RenewUS, triggers meaningful solutions and becomes a call to arms against human-induced climate change. (USA, 2007, 4 min, Beta) (Saturday, 6:30 p.m., SOH)
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Coast to Coast OLIVIER AUBERT
USA PREMIERE
Not many new frontiers are left for today’s adventurers. Flying from the east coast of Africa to the west in an ultra-light plane must qualify as one of the few. South African Mike and Swiss Olivier search for beauty in the skies each time they take off and spread joy on the ground wherever they touch down. (South Africa/Switzerland, 2006, 52 min, Beta) (Sunday, 5:00 p.m., SOH)
Conflict Tiger SASHA SNOW The tenuous and dangerous relations between man and tiger are explored in this documentary-thriller set in the deep lonely forests of eastern Siberia, where harsh realities bring the two adversaries into face-to-face peril. (UK, 2005, 62 min, Beta) AWARDS: Prix Du Film Sauvegarde De L’Environnement, Autrans Mountain Film Festival, France; Grand Prize, Torello Mountain Film Festival, Spain; Grand Prize, CineEco Film Festival, Portugal; Grand Prize, Banff Mountain Film Festival, Canada (Sunday, 5:00 p.m., NUG)
Conversing with Aotearoa/New Zealand CORRIE FRANCIS In an age of technological integration and urban life, people turn to the natural world for a wilderness experience that is missing from their lives. New Zealanders attempt to fathom their deep personal connections to their natural environment in this animated documentary. (New Zealand, 2006, 15 min, Beta) (Sunday, 10:00 a.m., NUG) (KIDZ KINO: Monday, 11:00 a.m., PALM)
Conviction BRENDA TRUELSON FOX Three Dominican sisters saw it as their duty, mission, and religious calling to break into a missile silo in Colorado, chant, pour their own blood and land in jail for their beliefs. For these women, bringing attention to the atrocities of nuclear weapons was a sacred act; for the U.S. government, it was something much different. The nuns trespassed on federal property, making a mockery of our national defense. The religious right labeled them fanatics; the left called them Joans of Arc; and the justice system convicted them of sabotage. (USA, 2006, 43 min, Beta) IN PERSON: Brenda Truelson Fox, Denise Gentilini & Robin Walker Truesdale (Saturday, 11:00 a.m., HC)
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Crawl Walk Run TOM ELDRIDGE
WORLD PREMIERE
Given a brief discharge from hospital, 14 severely injured soldiers from the war in Iraq join a whitewater rafting trip through the Grand Canyon. The canyon and the Colorado River provide a dramatic backdrop as the soldiers focus on the personal consequences of the disabilities they must overcome if they are to return successfully to civilian life. (UK, 2007, 53 min, HD) IN PERSON: Tom Eldridge, Annalisa Mather (Saturday, 11:00 a.m., HC)
Dalai Lama Renaissance KHASHYAR DARVICH
WORLD PREMIERE
At the dawn of the new Millennium,The Dalai Lama of Tibet invited 40 of the West’s leading thinkers to his residence in the Himalayan mountains of Northern India to discuss the world’s problems and to explore their solutions. What transpired from the week-long meeting was unexpected and powerful and captured by an 18-person five-camera film crew. Narrated by Harrison Ford. (USA, 2007, 80 min, Beta) IN PERSON: Khashyar Darvich, David Mueller, Elisabet Sahtouris & Fred Alan Wolf (Saturday, 10:30 a.m., NUG)
Darius Goes West: The Roll of His Life LOGAN SMALLEY Eleven college students rent an RV to take Darius Weems, 15, who has Duchenne muscular dystrophy, on a cross-country road trip. Their goal is to convince the makers of MTV’s popular show “Pimp My Ride” to customize Darius’s wheelchair. Along the way, they find joy, brotherhood and the knowledge that life, even when imperfect, is always worth the ride. (USA, 2006, 87 min, Beta) AWARDS: Audience Choice & Best Feature, Santa Barbara International Film Festival; Honorable Mention, Picture This Film Festival IN PERSON: Daniel Epting, John Hadden, Sam Johnson, Collin Shepley & Ben Smalley (Friday, 6:40 p.m., NUG)
Dist Urban Behaviour ANTOINE SEGUIN A group of Montreal climbers explore the urban landscape for climbing possibilities. Half “buildering” (bouldering on buildings) and half “parkour” (the sport sometimes described as “free running”), this short film highlights the perfect lines discovered in the city. (Canada, 2005, 11 min, Beta) (Sunday, 10:00 p.m., HC)
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Duet - St Kilda, Island of the Birdmen KEITH PARTRIDGE
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
Two lovers dance across a sheer rock face that rises from the sea. In addition to a symbolic representation of the ups and downs of relationships, the dancers allegorize the struggles of a foregone people who once survived by harvesting the St. Kilda seabirds. (UK, 2006, 7 min, Beta) AWARDS: Innovation Award, Kendal Mountain Film Festival, UK (Sunday, 5:00 p.m., HC)
E11 PAUL DIFFLEY
USA PREMIERE
©STEVE GORDON
One of the best all-round climbers on the planet is on a mission: to take rock climbing to new levels of both difficulty and danger. Dave MacLeod attempts to be the first to climb “Rhapsody,” the most difficult traditional rock climb in the world and the first to be graded E11 (US 5.14c). “E11” reveals the frustrations and the sheer physical and mental effort that goes into climbing at the highest level. In February, 2007, Dave was awarded the Golden Piton Award for this first ascent. (UK, 2006, 42 min, Beta) IN PERSON: David Brown & Paul Diffley (Saturday, 10:00 a.m., SOH)
Edge of Eden: Living with Grizzlies (festival cut)
JEFF TURNER Charlie Russell has been raising orphaned grizzly bear cubs in the beautiful and remote wilderness of Russia for the past decade. Adopting the role of surrogate mother to the bears, Charlie struggles to teach them everything they need to know to survive a life in the wild. With each new orphan he takes on, he can only hope that his teaching is enough. (Canada, 2006, 50 min, Beta) (Friday, 9:40 p.m., SOH)
Eiger North Face—In the Footsteps of Its First Climbers ©THOMAS ULRICH
FRANK SENN & THOMAS ULRICH
In 2002, accomplished mountaineers Stephan Siegrist and Michal Pitelka climbed the Eiger’s infamous North Face using only the rudimentary equipment that was available to the firstascent party in 1938. This film follows and observes their battles with the mountain, their outdated equipment and with themselves. (Switzerland, 2002, 52, Beta) IN PERSON: Frank Senn (Sunday, 10:00 am., SOH)
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Emmy: The Story of an Orphan BOBBY BAILEY Ditching school to go fishing, Emmy is Uganda’s Huckleberry Finn. He is the fourthborn of five children, none from the same father, and each father was killed by different effects of the Lord Resistance Army’s reign of terror over Northern Uganda. The wounds of war are not always inflicted by bullets, and the killers are not always the soldiers. This is the story of a family made from who was left. (USA, 2006, 18 min, Beta) IN PERSON: Bobby Bailey & Kenny Laubbacher (Sunday, 5:10 p.m., PALM)
Entropy (festival cut) MORTEN GJERSTAD
USA PREMIERE
The newest winter sport to entice thrill-seekers is snowkiting. Entropy follows five of the world’s best riders across the globe as they search for ultimate snow and wind conditions. (Norway, 2006, 15 min, Beta) AWARDS: Best Short, Nordic Mountain Film Festival, Norway (Sunday, 10:00 p.m., HC)
Everest ER JONATHAN CLAY
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
Avalanches, mountain sickness, cerebral edema, helicopter rescues, violent storms, and air so thin it barely sustains life are the typical daily challenges that face a medical team operating from the highest hospital in the world. (UK, 2006, 59 min, Beta) IN PERSON: A special Q&A session with high altitude doctors Howard Donner and Peter Hackett (Sunday, 12:50 p.m., SOH)
Everything’s Cool DANIEL GOLD, JUDITH HELFAND, CHRIS PILARO & ADAM WOLFSOHN After two decades of research, computer modeling and miles of melting ancient glaciers, most scientists agree that human behavior causes global warming, and it’s happening faster than ever anticipated. If the United States, both as a nation and a government, does not aggressively cut greenhouse gas emissions in the next decade, the problem of climate change will eventually dwarf all other global economic and social problems. This “toxic comedy” explores what is coming to America. (USA, 206, 65 min, HD) IN PERSON: Daniel Gold (Saturday, 10:00 a.m., PALM)
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Exploring the Mother of Waters: Source to Sea on Mekong BRIAN EUSTIS The Mekong River system is the most productive inland fishery on our planet, and it supports the third greatest plant and animal diversity on earth— after the Amazon and Nile basins. Tens of millions of impoverished and vulnerable subsistence peoples from six nations currently depend on the river’s natural bounty, which is severely threatened by Chinese plans for a series of mega dams. This film exposes some of the most significant environmental and human rights issues of our time, while charting Michael O’Shea’s unprecedented kayak adventure through one of the world’s most diverse natural and cultural environments. (Australia, 2006, 45 min, Beta) IN PERSON: Brian Eustis & Michael O’Shea (Sunday, 7:50 p.m., SOH)
Fatima’s Hand JENS HOFFMANN A 27-year-old Norwegian base jumper intends to leap from Fatima’s Hand, a myth-shrouded mountain rising abruptly from the sere desert floor in Mali,West Africa. Her project doesn’t go as planned and turns riskier than she could have imagined, bringing her face-to-face with endemic poverty, fetish myths and fatal danger. (Germany, 2006, 39 min, 35mm) AWARDS: Best Documentary, Milano International Film Festival, Italy; Swatch Grand Prize, Festival du Film Des Diablerets, Switzerland; Special Mention of the Jury, Cervino International Film Festival, Italy (Saturday, 3:40 p.m., PALM)
First Ascent (festival cut) PETER MORTIMER “First Ascent” is a global romp with climbing’s modernday pioneers—from the sea cliffs in Thailand to the high Himalayas and from the scary depths of Colorado’s Black Canyon to the buildings of Hollywood. This film celebrates the climbing routes that had never been bagged—and the dirt-bag heroes who finally vanquish them—with big laughs, huge falls and radical feats. (USA, 2006, 60 min, Beta) IN PERSON: Joss Corkin (Friday, 7:00 p.m., SOH)
Fridays at the Farm RICHARD POWER HOFFMANN Feeling disconnected from their food, a photographer/filmmaker and his family decide to join a community-supported organic farm. Hoffman moves from passive observer to active participant as he photographs the natural processes of food cultivation. Featuring lush time-lapse and macro photography sequences compiled from nearly 20,000 still images, this personal essay is a meditation on the miracles of life. (USA, 2006, 19 min, Beta) IN PERSON: Richard Power Hoffman & Pete Tramo (Friday, 6:40 p.m., NUG)
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Gasherbrum II—The Fastest Summit NIKO JAEGER
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
Benedik Bohm and Sebastian Haag are up to something completely new in the world of mountaineering: the speed ascent of a major peak followed by a ski descent, which the Germans call “sky running.” In this film, they attempt to sky run to the summit of Gasherbrum II (8,053m) and descend back to base camp in one day. Accompanied by the thoughts of the legendary mountaineer and extreme skier Hans Kammerlander, the audience gains unusual insight into the ambience of the Karakoram, as well as witnessing the exertions, fears and pleasures of the two young mountaineers. (Germany, 2006, 29 min, Beta) IN PERSON: Joachin Hellinger & Niko Jaeger (Sunday, 5:00 p.m., HC)
Gimme Green ISAAC BROWN & ERIC FLAGG “Gimme Green” takes a humorous look at America’s obsession with the residential lawn and the effects it has on our environment, our wallets and our outlook on life. (USA, 2006, 28 min, Beta) (Saturday, 12:50 p.m., NUG)
Global Focus IV - The New Environmentalists JOHN ANTONELLI, TOM DUSENBERY & WILL PARRINELLO See how ordinary people are affecting extraordinary change with portraits of three passionate and dedicated environmental heroes, who are fighting corrupt governments, greedy corporations and other equally intimidating foes. Their goal: safeguarding the Earth’s natural resources from shortsighted exploitation and unbridled pollution. CANADA: Working on behalf of the Poplar River First Nation, Sophia Rabliauskas succeeded in securing interim protection for the boreal forest of Manitoba, effectively preventing destructive logging and hydropower development and calling on government and international agencies to permanently protect the region. (USA, 2007, 5 min, Beta) (Friday, 9:40 p.m., SOH) PERU: In the remote Peruvian Amazon, Julio Ricardo Cusurichi Palacios secured a national reserve to protect sensitive rain forest ecosystems and the rights of indigenous peoples living in voluntary isolation from the devastating effects of logging and mining. (USA, 2007, 5 min, Beta) (Saturday, 3:30 p.m., NUG) ZAMBIA: In Zambia’s North Luangwa Valley, where rampant
illegal wildlife poaching decimated the wild elephant population and left villagers living in extreme poverty, Hammerskjoeld Simwinga created an innovative, sustainable community development program that successfully restored wildlife and transformed the poverty-stricken area. (USA, 2007, 5 min, Beta) (Saturday, 9:30 p.m., SOH)
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God Grew Tired of Us CHRISTOPHER QUINN John, Daniel and Panther were among the 25,000 Lost Boys (ages 3 to 13) who fled villages, were orphaned, traveled barefoot across the sub-Saharan desert, formed surrogate families and sought refuge from famine, disease, wild animals and attacks from rebel soldiers during a tumultuous civil war. Named by a journalist after Peter Pan’s posse of orphans who protected and provided for each other, the Lost Boys traveled together for five years and, against all odds, crossed into the UN’s refugee camp in Kakuma, Kenya. It was a journey’s end for some, but only the beginning for John, Daniel and Panther, who—along with 3,800 other young survivors—were selected to resettle in the United States. (USA, 2005, 89 min, 35mm) AWARDS: Grand Jury Prize & Audience Award, Sundance Film Festival IN PERSON: Christopher Quinn (Sunday, 5:10 p.m., PALM)
Good Riddance: Air Pollution NICK HILLIGOSS An unscheduled stop on a railroad crossing leads to a radical redesign of the Eco Van. So what do you get when you join the front half of a VW Beetle with the rear of a Morris Minor van? A quiet pollution-free vehicle—albeit one without an engine. But alternative energy sources are waiting to be tapped: the sun, the wind, the rain…maybe even a couple of freeloading rats. (Australia, 2006, 5 min, Beta) (KIDZ KINO: Monday, 11:00 a.m., PALM)
Granny D Goes to Washington ALIDRA SOLDAY Doris Haddock, an 89-year-old widow, could take it easy during her twilight years. Instead, she decided to walk across the entire country from California to Washington, D.C., to bring awareness to political campaign finance reform. (USA, 2006, 27 min, Beta) (Saturday, 12:30 p.m., SOH)
Greenpeace— Making a Stand LEIGH BADGLEY
USA PREMIERE
What inspires people to make a stand—no matter how formidable the challenges or how severe the consequences? This film presents the Greenpeace history as a case study in what happens when ordinary people join together, with courage and imagination, to fight for what they believe is right. With dramatic stories from the early days of environmentalism and from the front lines of a current campaign, the film reveals how extraordinary things can happen when you follow your heart. (Canada, 2006, 48 min, Beta) IN PERSON: Leigh Badgley & Rex Weyler (Saturday, 12:30 p.m., SOH)
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Hard As Nails DAVID HOLBROOKE Catholic evangelist Justin Fatica is hell-bent on saving America’s soul. When Fatica steps up to the altar to preach, the self-styled prophet becomes a frenetic whirlwind of energy, bizarrely blending professional wrestling, hip-hop and scripture to bring Jesus to the MTV generation. (USA, 2006, 74 min, HD) IN PERSON: David & Sarah Holbrooke (Sunday, 10:00 a.m., HC)
Infinite Pet FRANK VOLTURO (a.k.a. Parlour Trick) Each year, “Urban Climber Magazine,” in conjunction with The North Face, celebrates the best short film submitted to “Urban Climber Magazine’s” video site UCTV (best described as YOUTUBE for climbers).The filmmaker wins an all-expenses-paid VIP trip to Mountainfilm. This year’s winner is Frank Volturo for a series of short videos created under the alias Parlour Trick. Frank Volturo attempts to break the mold of the bouldering film genre in this short, which is set in the haunted woods of Nockamixon State Park in Pennsylvania. “Infinite Pet” reminds us that, at one time or another, we were all afraid of the forest. (USA, 2007, 10 min, Beta) IN PERSON: Frank Volturo (Saturday, 10:00 a.m., SOH)
Kids Who Rip ROD PARMENTER Telluride’s own Farny brothers let it rip around town without the aid of a back wheel. (USA, 2006, 4 min, HD) AWARDS: This excerpt, shot during Mountainfilm 2006, is from the series that won the Kidz Kino Award for Best Sports Film at the 2006 Festival. (KIDZ KINO: Monday, 11:00 a.m., PALM)
Kilowatt Ours JEFF BARRIE “Kilowatt Ours” is the story of filmmaker and conservationist Jeff Barrie’s 18-month journey across the southeastern United States to document energy-related problems and present practical costsaving solutions for consumers. The widespread problems revealed in “Kilowatt Ours” include mountaintop removal, air pollution, global warming, childhood asthma and mercury contamination. The film illustrates practical solutions that help homeowners save more than $600 per year on energy bills, while helping the environment and protecting human health. (USA, 2006, 38 min, Beta) IN PERSON: Jeff Barrie (Saturday, 12:50 p.m., NUG)
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Learning to Fly LINCOLN ELSE Chris McNamara breaks the daredevil stereotype. Articulate and level-headed, he enters one of the world’s most dangerous sports with a confidence and obsession that leads to an unusual 12 months. “Learning to Fly” provides a unique glimpse into a growing extreme sport by following Chris through his first year as a BASE jumper. Starting on a bridge in Idaho and ending with one of the world’s largest jumps off the Eiger, this short documentary captures the essence of an truly radical sport and one of its more radical practitioners. (USA, 2007, 15 min, Beta) IN PERSON: Lincoln Else & Chris McNamara (Sunday, 10:00 p.m., HC)
Light at the Edge of the World: Sacred Geography ANDREW GREGG The descendants of the Inca believe that the land is alive and inspirited. As long as you live in the shadow of a mountain, it will direct your destiny. Wade Davis,The National Geographic Society’s Explorer-in-Residence, takes a journey of the spirit, a pilgrimage to the sacred heart of the Andes. (Canada, 2006, 47 min, Beta) IN PERSON: Wade Davis, Andrew Gregg, Gordon Henderson (Saturday, 3:30 p.m., NUG)
Light at the Edge of the World: The Science of the Mind ANDREW GREGG Buddhism asks the fundamental questions: What is life and what is the point of existence? Adventurer/writer Wade Davis follows an anthropological and spiritual path into the Himalayas of Nepal to learn the deepest lessons of Buddhist practice. (Canada, 2006, 47 min, Beta) IN PERSON: Wade Davis, Andrew Gregg, Gordon Henderson (Sunday, 10:00 a.m., PALM)
Longfin MELISSA SALPIETRA & LINDSEY DAVIDSON This film throws a spotlight on the little-known New Zealand eel and takes the viewer on an epic journey through this intriguing creature’s long (100-year) life. From its beginnings in the dark corners of the ocean to its transition into the river, “Longfin” follows the eel through a changing land as it faces dangers its ancestors would have never seen. (New Zealand, 2006, 24 min, Beta) AWARDS: Best Short, Explorers Club Documentary Film Festival, New York City (Sunday, 7:50 p.m., NUG)
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Loop SJUR PAULSEN Set in the wilds of Norway, “Loop” is an investigation into time, nature and solitude, as seen in relation to five characters: a 41-year-old rock climber with ambitions to solo a spectacular rock face and BASE jump from its summit; a duo of part-time fishermen and skiing enthusiasts, who embark on a long journey in their leaky boat to find ski runs untouched by humans; an ambulance driver who spends half his year alone in a fire tower; and the 92-year-old philosopher and deep ecologist Arne Næss, who offers his wisdom through the twinkle of his eyes. “Loop” is a journey into our own deep relationship with nature and into the nature of our minds. (Norway, 2006, 79 min, 35mm) AWARDS: Kamera Alpin in Gold, Internationales Berg and Abenteuer Film Festival, Austria; WWF Award,Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, Greece; Grand Prix, Jules Verne Adventure Film Festival, France IN PERSON: Sjur Paulsen (Friday, 6:20 p.m., PALM)
Marco, Etoile Filante (Marco, Shooting Star)
BERTRAND DELAFIERRE
USA PREMIERE
Marco Siffredi was young, charismatic, iconoclastic and a highly talented extreme snowboarder. He summited Everest in 2002 for the second time with his snowboard on his back. While the camera rolled, he clipped into his bindings, waved goodbye and disappeared forever. (France, 2006, 52 min, Beta) (Sunday, 7:30 p.m., HC)
Mission: Epicocity TRIP JENNINGS From world-record waterfalls in Oregon, to aerial freestyle tricks on the White Nile in Uganda, to first descents in Patagonia, “Epicocity” is a non-stop thrill ride in which some of the world’s best kayakers search for the biggest and best whitewater ever paddled. (USA, 2006, 18 min, Beta) IN PERSON: Trip Jennings, Karl Moser (Saturday, 2:50 p.m., HC)
Moving America Beyond Oil GEOFF O’CONNOR Billie, Joe, Mike and Tre, from the American punk rock band Green Day, tell you what you need to know about America’s oil addiction and what you can do to stop it in a collaboration between Green Day and the National Resources Defense Council. (USA, 2007, 2 min, Beta) IN PERSON: Geoff O’Connor (Saturday, 6:30 p.m., SOH)
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DEREK WESTERLUND The world’s best bike riders pedal the world’s best routes on location in Austria, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Germany, Italy, Turkey, and the United States. (USA, 2006, 13 min, Beta) (Sunday, 10:00 p.m., HC)
©GIBSONPICTURES.COM
New World Disorder VII: Flying High Again (festival cut)
Nine Winters Old BILL HEATH
WORLD PREMIERE
An acclaimed yet offbeat ski photographer celebrates winter and its devotees. Rich visuals and a captivating original score are backdrops for humorous and heartwarming stories of those, young and old, who come alive for wintertime. (USA, 2006, 65 min, HD) IN PERSON: Rich Corbett & Bill Heath (Friday, 9:40 p.m., PALM)
Orangutan Foundation International CHANNEL G Scientist, conservationist, and educator: Dr. Biruté Mary Galdikas has studied and worked closely with the orangutans of Indonesian Borneo in their natural habitat for more than 30 years and is today the world’s foremost authority on the orangutan. This short film about Orangutan Foundation International, which is under the direction of Dr. Galdikas, shows the tireless work to save orangutans, and the forests they depend upon, and to bring the plight of the orangutan to the attention of the world. (USA, 2007, 5 min, Beta) IN PERSON: Michael Schoenfeld (Sunday, 7:50 p.m., NUG)
Our Land, Our Life BETH & GEORGE GAGE Carrie and Mary Dann are feisty Western Shoshone sisters who live and ranch in northern Nevada. The sisters have always grazed their livestock on the open range outside their ranch—part of 60 million acres recognized by the U.S. government as Western Shoshone land by the 1863 Treaty of Ruby Valley. In 1973, the Bureau of Land Management informed the Danns that their animals were trespassing on United States public land without a permit, which set off a dispute between the sisters and the United States that swept to the U.S. Supreme Court and beyond. (USA, 2006, 75 min, Beta) IN PERSON: Carrie Dann, Beth & George Gage (Saturday, 6:40 p.m., NUG)
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Panta Rei LARS NILSSEN
USA PREMIERE
Follow artist and former world-champion windsurfer Jan Wanggaard at work and at play among the exotic arctic islands of Lofoten in northern Norway. Wangaard’s art work is a gigantic scale model of the solar system installed, against the odds, across a breath-taking wilderness archipelago. (Norway, 2006, 53 min, Beta) IN PERSON: Jan Wanggaard (Saturday, 3:40 p.m., PALM) (Sunday, 12:50 p.m., NUG)
Papa Tortuga ROB WILSON Fernando Manzano was just 16 years old when he found his calling. For the past 31 years, he has dedicated himself to bringing the lora sea turtle back from the edge of extinction. In the small town of Tecolutla, Mexico, he has battled relentlessly against weather, natural predators and poachers—with no outside financial support. (USA, 2006, 20 min, Beta) (Sunday, 7:50 p.m., NUG)
Remnants of Everest: The 1996 Tragedy DAVID BREASHEARS In the late afternoon of May 10, 1996, a storm of unpredictable ferocity swept the slopes of Mount Everest, overwhelming three climbing teams who were descending from the summit. Darkness fell. When the storm finally weakened, eight people lay dead—five on the south side and three on the north. With “Remnants of Everest: The 1996 Tragedy,” director David Breashears takes us back into the heart of Everest’s deadliest storm, recreating its chaos and violence. The story of the tragic events that transformed the world’s idea of climbing Mount Everest is told through the spellbinding accounts of the survivors. Their memories bring to life a human tragedy as powerful and unexpected as the storm that nearly killed them. (USA, 2007, 105 min, HD) IN PERSON: David Breashears, Charlotte Fox & Makalu Gau (Saturday, 6:10 p.m., HC)
Respect JASON WINKLER Extreme skiers from around the world should have one thing in common: respect. Respect for different cultures, different lifestyles and different mountain environments. Their proving ground is unpredictable: It can change in an instant from a peaceful pristine snowfield to a roaring death trap. Pushing the envelope, while staying safe, is a delicate balancing act at best and one that has to be based, above all else, on respect. (USA, 2006, 52, HD) IN PERSON: Jason Winkler (Saturday, 2:50 p.m., HC)
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Ride of the Mergansers STEVE FURMAN The hooded merganser is a rare and reclusive duck found only in a few parts of North America. Every spring, the wary hen lays and incubates her eggs in a nest high in a lakeside tree. Just 24 hours after hatching, the tiny ducklings must make the perilous leap to the water below to begin life in the wild, an age-old rite rarely observed by humans. “Ride of the Mergansers” brings new appreciation to the phrase “leap of faith.” (USA, 2006, 11 min, Beta) (Sunday, 7:50 p.m., NUG) (KIDZ KINO: Monday, 11:00 a.m., PALM)
Rita ALISON BLEHERT-KOEHN “Rita” is a true story based on the filmmaker’s childhood. Brought up in a worldwide whirlwind of adventure by her outdoor photographer and travel-guide parents, Alison Blehert-Koehn’s early life was filled with the stuff of dreams. It was not until the family set out on an expedition to Mt. Everest, however, that seven-year-old Alison was able to experience her own dream. (USA, 2006, 6 min, Beta) IN PERSON: Alison Blehert-Koehn (KIDZ KINO: Monday, 11:00 a.m., PALM)
©STERLING LORENCE
Roam (festival cut) The Collective Travel with the world’s top mountain bike riders as they explore new and amazing ways of riding in new and old places. (USA, 2006, 15 min, HD) (Friday, 9:40 p.m., PALM)
Row Hard No Excuses LUKE WOLBACH The American Star is the only U.S. entry in a rowing race across the Atlantic Ocean. Its middle-age, two-man crew of good friends, sets out with high hopes and plenty of ambition. By the time they make land again, these aspirations have been reduced to merely surviving—physically and psychologically—the grueling challenge. Somewhere along the way, their friendship is lost at sea. (USA, 2006, 87 min, Beta) IN PERSON: Luke Wolbach, Bill Wolbach & Tom Mailhot (Sunday, 10:00 a.m., NUG)
THE EIGER
Long considered impossible to climb by Grindelwald valley inhabitants, the Eiger saw its first ascent in 1858 by Irishman Charles Barrington. It would be 80 years before its north face saw a successful summit, in 1938.
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Running Down the Man BEN KNIGHT & TRAVIS RUMMEL
WORLD PREMIERE
©BEN KNIGHT
They said it couldn’t be done: one man’s quest to tame Baja’s elusive roosterfish on foot with a fly rod. (Telluride, USA, 2007, 17 min, catch and release) IN PERSON: Ben Knight, Travis Rummel & Frank Smethurst (Friday, 9:40 p.m., PALM)
Rwanda’s Orphans ANDREW HESS
WORLD PREMIERE
Telluride Mountain School sponsored high-school student Andrew Hess to travel to Rwanda for this, his first documentary film project. Seth Cagin of “The Telluride Watch” provided support and guidance, and Alexa Warren of Telluride Community Television helped with equipment and technical expertise. Andrew’s work-in-progress (as of press time) is an inspiring story of hope for all of the orphans of Rwanda. By becoming involved in projects like this, Andrew says, “We, too, greatly benefit. Our importance in this world exists in direct ratio to our contributions, whatever they may be.” Profound words from a promising young artist and adventurer. (Telluride, USA, 2007, 15 min, Beta) IN PERSON: Seth Cagin & Andrew Hess (Saturday, 9:30 p.m., SOH)
Safari CATHERINE CHALMERS This short film shows a close-up view of the interactions of a cockroach and its friends, images of the animal kingdom from a new and sometimes startling perspective. (USA, 2006, 8 min, Beta) (Sunday, 7:50 p.m., NUG) (KIDZ KINO: Monday, 11:00 a.m., PALM)
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society: Whales CHANNEL G Paul Watson and company are at the fore again, this time in Antarctica defending whales inside a designated southern hemisphere whale sanctuary against illegal Japanese predation. (USA, 2007, 6 min, Beta) IN PERSON: Michael Schoenfeld & Paul Watson (Saturday, 7:00 p.m., PALM)
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DIRK COLLINS, STEVE JONES, TODD JONES & COREY GAVIT
©CHAD JACKSON
Shack Therapy “Shack Therapy” follows the world’s top surfers to exotic worldwide locations, featuring worldfamous surf breaks from Jaws to J-Bay. The film chronicles the endless allure of searching for undiscovered perfection. New discoveries in the Caroline Islands, West Oz and Norway’s Lofoten Islands top a surfer’s dream list. (USA, 2006, 45 min, Beta) (Saturday, 2:50 p.m., HC)
Sharkwater ROB STEWART For filmmaker Rob Stewart, exploring the underwater world of sharks began as a part-time adventure. It soon evolved into a beautiful and dangerous journey that explores the balance of life on Earth. Stewart reveals sharks to be far from the bloodthirsty man-eating monsters stereotyped by popular myth and the media. Instead, he discovers they are central pillars in the evolutionary construction of the seas. Filming in the most shark-rich waters of the world, he exposes the exploitation and corruption surrounding shark populations in the marine reserves of Cocos Island, Costa Rica and the Galapagos Islands. (Canada, 2006, 91 min, HD) AWARDS: Canada’s Top Ten, Toronto International Film Festival, Canada; Best of Festival, Palm Springs International Film Festival, California IN PERSON: Tyler MacCleod, Rob Stewart & Paul Watson (Saturday, 7:00 p.m., PALM)
Siachen: A War for Ice FULVIO MARIANI & MARIO CASELLA When the British withdrew from India in 1947, they partitioned the country from newly created Pakistan by drawing a line on the map. But they neglected to complete the line across a final 16-mile section of the most remote part of the Himalaya Mountains. Since 1984, the world’s highest-elevation, least well-known, and perhaps most absurd conflict has been waged—at an estimated daily cost of $1 million—to control the strategically worthless Siachen Glacier. (Switzerland, 2006, 52 min, Beta) AWARDS: Grand Prix, Berg & Abenteuer Film Festival, Austria (Friday, 9:40 p.m., NUG)
Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars ZACH NILES & BANKER WHITE Survivors of a brutal, decade-long civil war in Sierra Leone (1991-2002), a group of musicians find themselves together in a refugee camp and form a band. Through music, they find a place of refuge, a sense of purpose and a source of power that they share with their fellow refugees, who, like them, have lost their homes and loved ones and suffered deep physical and emotional scars. The All Stars embody the best of the human spirit—the ability to sustain hope and find forgiveness even in a climate of rage and loss. (USA, 2006, 78 min, 35mm) (Saturday, 9:30 p.m., SOH)
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©DOUG BERRY/telluridestock.com
The Festival At-A-Glance PALM
SHERIDAN
FRIDAY NUGGET
MAY 25 HIGH CAMP
SYMPOSIUM
OPENING RECEPTION GALLERY WALK • 4 to 6 p.m.
6:20 to 9 pm 6:40 to 8:50 pm
“Blessed Unrest” Loop Q&A
7 to 8:40 pm Ballero First Ascent Q&A Aweberg
9:40 to 11:50 pm Running Down the Man Q&A Roam Nine Winters Old Q&A SPONSORED BY KEN & KATHLEEN TROPIN
9:40 to 11:40 pm Global Focus: Canada “The Grizzly Bear in a Time of Global Warming” Edge of Eden Q&A
Fridays at the Farm Q&A Darius Goes West Q&A SPONSORED BY ELIZABETH REDLEAF
9:40 to 11:50 pm University Wall The Story of the Indian Face Q&A “An Eye at the Top of the World” Siachen: A War for Ice
NOTE: Films are italicized (alphabetical descriptions begin on page 24) & Presentations are in quotes (chronological descriptions begin on page 70). Times are approximate and subject to change
8:30 AM 3:00 PM 4:00 PM 4:15 4:30 4:45 5:00 PM 5:15 5:30 5:45 6:00 PM 6:15 6:30 6:45 7:00 PM 7:15 7:30 7:45 8:00 PM 8:15 8:30 8:45 9:00 PM 9:15 9:30 9:45 10:00 PM 10:15 10:30 10:45 11: 00 PM 11:30 12:00 AM
8:00 AM 8:15 8:30 8:45 9:00 AM 9:15 9:30 9:45 10:00 AM 10:15 10:30 10:45 11:00 AM 11:15 11:30 11:45 12:00 PM 12:15 12:30 12:45 1:00 PM 1:15 1:30 1:45 2:00 PM 2:15 2:30 2:45 3:00 PM 3:15 3:30 3:45 4:00 PM 4:15 4:30 4:45 5:00 PM 5:15 5:30 5:45 6:00 PM 6:15 6:30 6:45 7:00 PM 7:15 7:30 7:45 8:00 PM 8:15 8:30 8:45 9:00 PM 9:15 9:30 9:45 10:00 PM 10:15 10:30 10:45 11: 00 PM 11:30 12:00 AM
SATURDAY
MAY 26
PALM
SHERIDAN
The Festival NUGGET
HIGH CAMP
BREAKFAST TALKS • 8 to 9:30 a.m.
10 am to 12 pm “Eyewitness to Global Warming” Everything’s Cool Q&A
10 to 11:40 pm Infinite Pet “Heart and Mind of Rock” E11 Q&A
10:30 to 12 pm Dalai Lama Renaissance Q&A SPONSORED BY SUSAN & MARK DALTON
Big Summit SpeedRiding: Eiger “Eiger Presentations” The Alps Q&A
A Land Out of Time Q&A Granny D Goes to… Greenpeace… Q&A SPONSORED BY DICK & SUSAN SAINT JAMES EBERSOL
Conviction Q&A Crawl Walk Run Q&A
12:30 to 2:20 pm 12:50 to 2:30 pm
11 am to 1:20 pm Star Spangled Blues
12:50 to 2:30 pm The Job Badgered Gimme Green Kilowatt Ours Q&A
2:50 to 5 pm 3:20 to 5:30 pm 3:40 to 6 pm Fatima’s Hand Panta Rei Q&A
Aerialist Q&A “High Infatuation” Amazonian Vertigo
3:30 to 5:40 pm Global Focus: Peru “Sacred Sites of the World” Light at the Edge… Sacred Geography Q&A
ADRENALINE #1 Mission: Epicocity Shack Therapy Respect Q&A SPONSORED BY ORIGINAL PRODUCTIONS
SPONSORED BY JIM & KAY MABIE
6:10 to 8:20 pm 6:30 to 8:40 pm 7 to 9:10 pm Sea Shepherd Voyage to 109 Meters Sharkwater Q&A
Moving America Beyond Oil “The Long Emergency” Climate: A Crisis Averted Building the Future— Energy Q&A
6:40 to 8:50 pm
Remnants of Everest Q&A
A Land Out of Time Q&A Wild Horse Spirit Q&A Our Land, Our Life Q&A
SPONSORED BY TOM & JANINE HILL
9:30 to 11:20 pm Global Focus: Zambia Rwanda’s Orphans Q&A Sierra Leone’s Refugee… SPONSORED BY RICHARD HOLBROOKE & KATI MARTON
9:40 to 11:10 pm A Crude Awakening
THE EIGER SANCTION PARTY 9 pm Doors open / Beer served 9:20 pm to 12 am “Filming The Eiger Sanction, 1974” The Eiger Sanction
At-A-Glance PALM
SUNDAY SHERIDAN
NUGGET
MAY 27 HIGH CAMP
BREAKFAST TALKS • 8 to 9:30 a.m.
10 am to 12:10 pm “Cave Discoveries…” “Himalaya” “Tribute to Nepal’s…” Light at the Edge… The Science of… Q&A
10 am to 12 pm
10 am to 12 pm
“Eiger Solo”
Conversing with Aotearoa
Eiger North Face
Row Hard No Excuses Q&A
10 to 11:40 am Hard As Nails Q&A
“Tribute to Todd Skinner”
SPONSORED BY BILL & DEBRA FRANK
1 to 2:50 pm “Stalking the Ghosts of Glaciers Past” “The Extreme Ice Survey” “Photography Working for Conservation”
12:50 to 2:50 pm “Tribute to Brad Washburn” “Brotherhood of the Rope”
12:50 to 2:50 pm Panta Rei Q&A “Leadership on the Edge”
Everest ER Q&A
THE READING FRENZY • 3 to 5 p.m. • CAMELS GARDEN / CHAIR 8
5:10 to 7:10 pm Emmy Q&A God Grew Tired of Us Q&A SPONSORED BY THE BLACK/MARLENS FAMILY in memory of BOBBY NEWMYER
5 to 7 pm Voyage to 109 Meters “Storms, Solitude and Soul-Searching”
5 to 7 pm “Return to Outcast Siberia” Conflict Tiger
Coast to Coast
5 to 6:40 pm Duet “7 Continents, 7 Summits, 2 Skis…” Gasherbrum II Q&A
7:30 to 9 pm 8 to 10 pm “Christo and Jeanne-Claude” Q&A
7:50 to 10 pm “The Flow State” White Water Gods Q&A “The Energy of Kayaking”
7:50 to 9:30 pm
Marco, Shooting Star
Orangutan Foundation… Safari Titans of the Coral Sea Papa Tortuga Longfin Ride of the Mergansers
A Dozen More Turns Q&A
WILDLIFE SHORTS
Exploring the Mother of Waters 10:40 pm to 12 am “Fowler-Boskoff Tribute” The Secret of Mount Genyen
10 pm to 12 am ADRENALINE #2 There’s just not enough room to list it all here, so take the leap to page 51!
8:00 AM 8:15 8:30 8:45 9:00 AM 9:15 9:30 9:45 10:00 AM 10:15 10:30 10:45 11:00 AM 11:15 11:30 11:45 12:00 PM 12:15 12:30 12:45 1:00 PM 1:15 1:30 1:45 2:00 PM 2:15 2:30 2:45 3:00 PM 3:15 3:30 3:45 4:00 PM 4:15 4:30 4:45 5:00 PM 5:15 5:30 5:45 6:00 PM 6:15 6:30 6:45 7:00 PM 7:15 7:30 7:45 8:00 PM 8:15 8:30 8:45 9:00 PM 9:15 9:30 9:45 10:00 PM 10:15 10:30 10:45 11: 00 PM 11:30 12:00 AM
MONDAY
MAY 28
PALM 8:00 AM 8:15 8:30 8:45 9:00 AM 9:15 9:30 9:45 10:00 AM 10:15 10:30 10:45 11:00 AM 11:15 11:30 11:45 12:00 PM 12:15 12:30 12:45 1:00 PM 1:15 1:30 1:45 2:00 PM 2:15 2:30 2:45 3:00 PM 3:15 3:30 3:45 4:00 PM
The Festival At-A-Glance
SHERIDAN
NUGGET
HIGH CAMP
BREAKFAST TALKS • 8 to 9:30 a.m. 9:30 to 10:30 am
9:30 am to 12:50 pm
9:30 am to 12:50 pm
9:30 am to 12:50 pm
TBA
TBA
TBA
TBA
KIDZ
KINO
11 am to 1 pm
Ride of the Mergansers Rita Q&A • Kids Who Rip Safari • Good Riddance “Pennies for Peace” A Peak Experience Q&A Badgered • This is Daniel Cook Conversing with Aotearoa SPONSORED BY ELIZABETH & RICH SALEM
CLOSING PICNIC & AWARDS CEREMONY 1 to 4 p.m. • Town Park SPONSORED BY NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC & NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ADVENTURE
SAFE TRAVELS! SEE YOU NEXT YEAR! NOTES • MUSINGS • NEW FRIENDS
Star Spangled Blues DOUG HAWES-DAVIS, GITA SAEDI & KEN FURROW Through memoir, archival footage and a distinct American beat, “Star Spangled Blues” asks the hard question of why we fight wars. Gita Saedi, an Iranian-American, weaves a narrative, telling her story of a once-pacifist cousin serving in Iraq, of the rise and fall of two empires that span centuries, and of optimistic hope through her son and the next generation. The eight-minute story contemplates family, peace, war, freedom and American values.The film was made as part of the International Documentary Challenge, a timed filmmaking competition in March of 2006. (USA, 2006, 8 min, Beta) (Saturday, 11:00 a.m., HC)
The Alps (originally created for IMAX® theaters)
STEPHEN JUDSON Featuring some of the most spectacular giantscreen imagery yet seen, “The Alps” celebrates the unsurpassed beauty of the mountain range and the personal journey of John Harlin III, who has returned to Switzerland to confront the Eiger 40 years after his father, John Harlin II, fell to his death on the North Face. Unprecedented views are complete with a ride on the high-altitude Glacier Express train, a bungee jump off Veracuza Dam, and a rare chance to experience a triumphant ascent of the feared and revered Eiger North Face. The emotional and exhilarating territory of “The Alps” is the latest film for IMAX® Theatres from two-time Academy Award®-nominated producers MacGillivray Freeman Films. (USA, 2007, 40 min, HD) IN PERSON: John Harlin III & Greg MacGillivray (Saturday, 12:50 p.m., PALM)
The Eiger Sanction CLINT EASTWOOD Jonathan Hemlock is an art teacher and collector who finances his hobby by performing the odd sanction (assassination) for an obscure government bureau. He is forced to join an expedition to climb the treacherous Eiger in order to pursue a Russian killer. This 1975 Hollywood thriller has developed a cult following because of its authentic climbing sequences in which there were no special effects. Clint Eastwood did all his own stunts, feeling that he couldn’t expect a stuntman to risk his life if he wasn’t ready to risk his own. (USA, 1975, 128 min, 35mm) IN PERSON: Peter Pilafian & Chic Scott (Saturday, 9:20 p.m., HC)
The Job JONATHAN BROWNING Enjoy this satirical peek at a political hot-button issue. (USA, 2007, 4 min, Beta) (Saturday, 12:50 p.m., NUG)
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The Secret of Mount Genyen ARMIN WIDMANN
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
©SIMON KEHRER
It’s a mountaineer’s dream of unspoiled peaks, of a place that’s almost so concealed and secret that it has been kept largely undiscovered. In April of 2006, three mountaineers and a doctor, led by Karl Unterkircher, set out for a sensational expedition to the Gyalthang Mountains in Kahm, East Tibet. Having just one satellite photo in their possession, they want to reach the mysterious Mount Genyen (6,200 meters). This film documents an outstanding alpine performance: a small group of mountaineers who dare to ascend the unknown north face of Genyen in just one day. (Italy, 2007, 45 min, Beta) (Sunday, 10:40 p.m., SOH)
The Story of the Indian Face ALUN HUGHES
©CHRIS WILLIAMS
The Indian Face (E9, 6c) on Clogwyn Dur Arddu, in Wales, was Britain’s hardest adventure climb for more than two decades. It was most convincingly mastered by Johnny Dawes, who did a first ascent of West Indian Face in 1988 that involved re-tracing the holds of earlier pioneers across the notorious crux section. The saga of the original climb is narrated by Jim Ferrin with contributions from Joe Brown, John Redhead, Nick Dixon and Johnny Dawes himself. (UK, 2006, 30 min, Beta) IN PERSON: Johnny Dawes (Friday, 9:40 p.m., NUG)
This is Daniel Cook Studying Rocks J. J. JOHNSON Daniel Cook learns about different types of rocks when he goes stone collecting with a geologist. On his expedition, he finds crystals, rocks with fossils in them and the perfect skipping stone. (USA, 2005, 6 min, Beta) (KIDZ KINO: Monday, 11:00 a.m., PALM)
Titans of the Coral Sea JORDAN PLOTSKY This film studies the Titan people of Papua New Guinea in a classic story of an ancient society learning to survive in a modern world. These subsistence fishermen are running out of their catch and trying to do something to ensure there will be enough left for their children. (New Zealand, 2006, 18 min, Beta) (Sunday, 7:50 p.m., NUG)
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Trial and Error: Progression BJORN ENGA Ryan Leech is given a challenge: to create the most progressive and challenging mountain bike line possible through an old-growth forest and then ride it. Witness a short expose of a top biking talent who pushes his skills in a new environment, one that is slated to be destroyed. (Canada, 2006, 10 min, Beta) (Sunday, 10:00 p.m., HC)
Une Nuit d’Hiver (One Night in Winter) NICOLAS FALQUET
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
A girl awakens from a strange dream about free skiing and decides to go outside, nearly naked, in the middle of a winter night. What she discovers is even stranger than her dream. This unexpected and bizarre story is either a prequel to a coming work or a sequel—the filmmaker invites you to decide. Warning: This film contains graphic imagery and is not suitable for young audiences. (Switzerland, 2006, 12 min, Beta) (Sunday, 10:00 p.m., HC)
University Wall IVAN HUGHES Four University of British Columbia students began cutting classes in 1965 so that they could attempt a new route up a demanding local rock face. In the rebellious and free-form spirit of the day, they also began to ascend the walls of the university, becoming early pioneers of a whole new form of climbing. (Canada, 2006, 11 min, Beta) (Friday, 9:40 p.m., NUG)
Voyage a 109 Metres (Voyage to 109 Meters)
JEROME ESPLA
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
In September 2006, Guillaume Nery dove to a depth of 109 meters with a single breath to become the new constant-weight free-diving world record holder. Guillaume’s real story is about his exploration of the soul in the cold depths of dark water. (France, 2006, 7 min, Beta) (Saturday, 7:00 p.m., PALM) (Sunday, 5:00 p.m., SOH)
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White Water Gods (festival cut) TOM TATUM This abbreviated version of the extreme kayak epic features Telluride locals Russell Kelly (now deceased) and Matt Wilson, along with Damon Miller (now deceased) and Juan Ugarte. It offers a peek at some of the 40 South American rivers run during six months through canyons of no return and over return-tosender waterfalls. (Telluride, USA, 2007, 15 min, HD) IN PERSON: Tom Tatum & Matt Wilson (Sunday, 7:50 p.m., SOH)
Wild Horse Spirit JAMES KLEINERT The recently passed Burn Bill essentially legislates the slaughter of wild horses. This short film reveals the Bureau of Land Management’s current policy of systematic removal of an animal that many see as the very symbol of American freedom and independence. (USA, 2007, 7 min, Beta) IN PERSON: James Kleinert
(Saturday, 6:40 p.m., NUG)
Yes to the No DAVE MOSSOP Now that snowboarding has reached its peak, there’s only one way to up the ante: Remove the bindings from the board and truly surf the mountain. (Canada, 2006, 11 min, Beta) (Sunday, 10:00 p.m., HC)
The “velogemel” of Grindelwald, Switzerland
Getting around in the deep snow of winter is not always easy. Grindelwald carpenter Christian Buhlmann found trips on foot to his customers to be quite exhausting. To solve this problem, in 1911, he built what was probably the first “snow bicycle” for easier travelling over snow-covered hills and valleys. Equipped with a wooden frame, two metal runners and a steering bar in front, Buhlmann’s vehicle enabled the user to go forward by leg movement, similar to the first bicycle designed by Karl Drais, the German engineer. Even today, the “velogemel” is very much in use in Grindelwald. It is the perfect solution for the mailman on his daily rounds, the doctor for house calls, and for children to go to school. “Velogemels” are as unique to Grindelwald as the Eiger itself, and are not found anywhere else in all of Switzerland.
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SHORTS PROGRAMS ADRENALINE SHOWS
Some Mountainfilm programs are inspiring, some educate, some deliver life-changing messages—and others just rip! Join us for two adrenaline programs at the cutting edge of adventure sports. Think you have a hard job? These athletes risk life and limb every day for either love, money or maybe because they’re just plain crazy. ADRENALINE #1 Features three films with stunning feats in kayaking, surfing and skiing: “Mission: Epicocity,” “Shack Therapy” and “Respect,” respectively. ADRENALINE #2 Delivers wicked mountain biking in “New World Disorder VII: Flying High” and “Trial and Error: Progression,” and the program continues with three new sports: kiteboarding (snowboarding attached to a kite) in “Entropy”; parkour (or free-style walking, using urban spaces for gymnastic and climbing stunts) in “Dist Urban Behavior”; and noboarding (snowboarding without bindings) in “Yes to the No.” Round that out with a few wackos we can’t help but love—Chris MacNamara executing 175 BASE jumps in one year in “Learning to Fly” and Jared Ogden and Topher Donahue climbing first ascents in the “Black Canyon,” and you have nearly all the makings of a great adrenaline program. But to top it off is our first-ever, soft-core, skiporn flick from France: “Une Nuit d’Hiver.” This strange, beautiful film features some of the sickest backlit night-skiing cinematography ever filmed. Careful of this one: It’s not suitable for young audiences. (#1: Saturday, 2:50 p.m, HC) (#2: Sunday, 10:00 p.m., HC)
WILDLIFE SHORTS
People who like the outdoors are inevitably fascinated with wildlife, and this program is chock full of filmmakers who decided to focus their attention, and their camera, on animal communities and their interactions, both positive and negative, with humans. The program begins with “Orangutan Foundation International,” which highlights one woman’s 30-year battle to save the orangutans of Indonesia from extinction. Next, we take a look at the insect world in “Safari,” followed by two films that take us to the ocean to champion the efforts of locals who are trying to save their nearby marine life: “Titans of the Coral Sea” in Papua New Guinea and “Papa Tortuga” on the Gulf Coast of Mexico. Then “Longfin” goes upstream in New Zealand to the lair of the freshwater eel. (After this, you’ll never look at unagi (eel) sushi the same way.) The final film in this program is an endearing story about a rarely seen duck, the hooded merganser, in “Ride of the Mergansers.” (Saturday, 7:50 p.m., NUG)
KIDZ KINO…WELL-BEHAVED PARENTS ONLY!
For more than a decade, putting kids and films into a dark confined space has been a tradition at Mountainfilm. It can only be described as controlled mayhem, and it’s really fun.This year, nine shorts, several Q&As, and a presentation by kids for kids about the “power of penny” (bring some!) round out the morning. For the list of films see page 46. Immediately after is the Closing Picnic & Awards Ceremony, where a panel of kid judges announce their decisions. Never underestimate the critique of a child! (Monday, 11:00 a.m., PALM)
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Photos by Mountain Village©, TellurideStock.com© & Brett Schreckengost˙©
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SPECIAL GUESTS
(alphabetical order)
James Balog For 25 years, James Balog has broken new ground in the art of photographing nature. His work springs from a passionate lifelong involvement with nature as an artist, adventurer, scientist and explorer. His books, “Tree: A New Vision of the American Forest” and “Survivors: A New Vision of Endangered Wildlife,” have been hailed as major conceptual breakthroughs in the visual arts. His images have been exhibited in museums and galleries from Los Angeles to Greece and regularly published in magazines such as “National Geographic,” “Time,” “Life,” “The New Yorker” and “Vanity Fair.” He is a contributing editor of “National Geographic Adventure.” The U.S. Postal Service gave him the first-ever photographic commission to create a series of stamps. APPEARANCES: Gallery & Presentation
Josh Bernstein Explorer, author and wilderness educator Josh Bernstein is best known as the host of the hit adventure/archaeology series “Digging for the Truth” on The History Channel. Josh joined Discovery Channel in 2007 to host and produce a series that focuses on anthropology, archaeology and environmental issues. Since 1997, he has served as president & CEO of the Boulder Outdoor Survival School, the oldest and largest survival school in the world, and he has appeared as an expert on survival and survival training on several national news programs. Josh is an active member of The Explorers Club, The Royal Geographical Society and The American Museum of Natural History. He attended his first Mountainfilm festival in 1995. APPEARANCES: Presentation & The Reading Frenzy
Gary Braasch Gary Braasch’s photographic work centers on environmental issues and conservation, biodiversity, ecosystems, field science and climate change. One of the environments at the heart of his conservation work is the Alaskan tundra, and he has one of the few comprehensive photo documentations of this huge and wild area. It has been a rewarding couple of years for Gary: In September, the Sierra Club presented him the 2006 Ansel Adams Award for Conservation Photography; his book, “Earth Under Fire: How Global Warming Is Changing the World,” will be published this fall by University of California Press; and the United Nations has chosen him to illustrate its 2007 calendar, which will feature the work of the international climate change, biodiversity and desertification treaties. APPEARANCES: Gallery & Presentation
Christo and Jeanne-Claude Christo: American Bulgarian-born Christo Vladimirov Javacheff, June 13, 1935, Gabrovo, of a Bulgarian industrialist family. Jeanne-Claude: American, French-born Jeanne-Claude Denat de Guillebon, June 13, 1935, Casablanca, of a French military family, educated in France and Switzerland. APPEARANCES: Gallery & Presentation
56
Broughton Coburn Broughton Coburn is the author of seven books and has worked on conservation and development projects in the Himalaya for 20 of the past 33 years. In 1997, he was awarded the American Alpine Club’s Literary Achievement Award for his body of work. His conservation and development work has encompassed projects for the World Bank, UNESCO and the World Wildlife Fund. His most recent project, for the American Himalayan Foundation, was to edit “Himalaya,” a book of exquisite photographs with essays by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, President Jimmy Carter, Sir Edmund Hillary, Richard Blum and others. Most recently, Broughton has been involved with exploration of several sacred lost cave cities in Upper Mustang, Nepal. APPEARANCES: Presentation & The Reading Frenzy
Carrie Dann Carrie Dann, a Western Shoshone, and her sister, Mary—who passed away in 2005—have been at the forefront of the Western Shoshone Nation’s struggle for land rights and sovereignty. For over 40 years, they led a political and legal battle to retain ancestral lands in Nevada, California, Idaho and Utah. Carrie continues the fight. She has squared off against international gold mining corporations, the nuclear industry and the U.S. government. For their courage and perseverance in asserting the rights of Indigenous peoples, the Dann Sisters have received numerous awards, including the 1993 Alternative Nobel Prize, the International Right Livelihood Award. APPEARANCES: Film & Breakfast Talk
Climber Steph Davis has been profiled in publications such as “Outside,” “Men’s Journal,” “W” magazine and “Sports Illustrated.” She has made first ascents in Pakistan, Patagonia, Baffin Island and Kyrgyzstan; she is the first woman to free climb the Salathe Wall on El Capitan; and she is the first woman to summit Torre Egger in Patagonia. Her writing has appeared in “Climbing” and “Rock & Ice,” among other publications. Married to climber Dean Potter, she makes her home in Moab, Utah and Yosemite, California. Her new book, “High Infatuation,” is hot off the press. APPEARANCES: Presentation & The Reading Frenzy
©JIMMY CHIN
Steph Davis
Wade Davis Wade Davis is an Explorer-in-Residence at The National Geographic Society. He holds degrees in anthropology and biology and received his Ph.D. in ethnobotany—all from Harvard University. He spent over three years in the Amazon and Andes as a plant explorer, living among 15 indigenous groups in eight Latin American nations while making some 6,000 botanical collections. His work later took him to Haiti to investigate folk preparations implicated in the creation of zombies, an assignment that led to his writing “The Serpent and the Rainbow,” an international bestseller that was later released by Universal as a motion picture. His ninth book, a history of the early British efforts on Everest titled “Fire on the Mountain,” will be published in 2007. APPEARANCES: Films & Presentation
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Johnny Dawes ©MALCOLM GRIFFITHS
British climbing maverick Johnny Dawes is a self-described “longterm friction addict.” He was also the first climber on the planet to break into the E8 and E9 (extremely severe) climbing grades in the 1980s. Johnny enjoys pioneering climbs on grit, slate, rhyolite, granite and, if he must, limestone. On-site ascents (climbing a route sight-unseen without weighting or falling on the rope) are his specialty. He has made a number of films and claims to have evolved into “a metaphysical explorer,” on-siting, as it were, in the next dimension. He loves racing cars, dancing, fluffy toys and black beans. APPEARANCES: Film & Presentation
Kit DesLauriers
©JIMMY CHIN
Kit DesLauriers’ mother used to ask her when she was going to do something the easy way. In October of 2006, Kit became the first person ever to ski from the top of the highest point on each continent, and the answer to her mother’s question now seems apparent—never! Kit spent almost 10 years living in the Telluride area, and it was during these formative years that she gained a true sense of where she was headed, always toward her own dreams. During a ski expedition to Siberia in 1999, she met her husband–to-be Rob DesLauriers and moved with him to the base of the Tetons in Wyoming. Kit is a twotime World Freeskiing Tour Women’s Champion and a sponsored athlete working for The North Face. Above all, she is someone who embraces possibilities—regardless of gender, age or social norms. APPEARANCES: Presentation & Breakfast Talk
Dennis Dimick When Dennis Dimick was 12, he was already documenting the world around him. His first photo-essay was about his 4-H potato project, and the resulting panoramic pictures were exhibited at the county fair. True to the tradition of documentary photography that he began as a boy, Dennis is now Executive Editor at “National Geographic” magazine. He previously served as the magazine’s environment editor. His special focus is on the nexus between climate change, our energy choices and a sustainable economy. Dennis has also photo-edited several National Geographic Society books, including one on the Endangered Species Act, called “The Company We Keep.” An August 2005 “National Geographic” article on alternative energy called “Future Power” was rated by readers as the most popular of the year. APPEARANCES: Symposium & Breakfast Talk
Sam Drevo When he is not in the wilds of the world guiding expeditions for his company, eNRG Kayak, or filming first descents, Sam Drevo teaches kayaking in Oregon. His 20 years of paddling experience started out on the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., under the tutelage of U.S. Canoe & Kayak Team coaches. His favorite rivers include the Clackamas in Oregon, the Mekong in Laos, the Ula in Norway and the Verzaca in Switzerland. The biggest drop he has ever run is the Paonia Reservoir Dam, a 150-foot slide not far from Telluride that Sam describes as “fast and scary.” APPEARANCES: Presentation
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Dr. John Francis As vice president of the Research, Conservation and Exploration Group at the National Geographic Society, Dr. John Francis oversees the Society’s funding of scientific research and is a firm believer in the power of film to inspire conservation action. A biologist and expert on marine mammals, John received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Cruz and spent five years as a postdoctoral fellow at the Smithsonian Institution. He is a seasoned field biologist whose research has taken him to far-flung places around the globe. APPEARANCES: Symposium & Breakfast Talk
Jeff Goodell Jeff Goodell’s latest book, “Big Coal: The Dirty Secret Behind America’s Energy Future,” was chosen as one of the best nonfiction books of 2006 by Kirkus Reviews. He is the author of three previous books, including “Sunnyvale,” a memoir about growing up in Silicon Valley that was selected by the “New York Times” as a Notable Book. “Our Story,” an account of nine miners trapped in a Pennsylvania coal mine, was a “New York Times” bestseller. Jeff is a contributing editor at “Rolling Stone” and a frequent contributor to the “New York Times Magazine.” APPEARANCES: Symposium & The Reading Frenzy
Adele Hammond Movement is an important part of Adele Hammond’s life, and, by extension, her art. As a bird migrates, so does she, spending time in different cultures, collecting experiences and recording them in her drawings. “Within the pages of my sketch books, representing some 30 years of visual wanderings, the mysteries of the natural world have remained a very personal passion for me and a constant force in my work.” Trained in Paris, New York and California, Adele has exhibited most recently at the Maryhill Museum in Goldendale, Washington; the Beppu Wiarda Gallery in Portland, Oregon; and the Panza Verde Gallery in Antigua, Guatemala. Adele currently lives between Oaxaca, Mexico, and Oregon with her husband, John Harlin, and daughter, Siena. APPEARANCES: Gallery
John Harlin III John Harlin III grew up in Leysin, in the Swiss Alps, where his father, John Harlin II, founded the International School of Mountaineering. After his father’s death on the Eiger in 1966, John returned with his family to the U.S., where he became an active mountaineer, skier, adventurer, editor and writer. He wrote a series of guidebooks, “The Climber’s Guide to North America,” before joining “Backpacker” magazine as an editor. He was the editor-in-chief of “Summit” magazine for six years before returning to “Backpacker” as its northwest editor and co-host of its PBS television series “Anyplace Wild.” He is now editor of the “American Alpine Journal” and is a star of the latest IMAX® film, “The Alps: Giants of Nature” (page 47). John’s book, “The Eiger Obsession”—about his family’s history and the Eiger’s North Face—was published in March 2007. John lives between Oaxaca, Mexico, and Oregon with his wife, Adele Hammond, and daughter, Siena. APPEARANCES: Presentation, Film, Breakfast Talk & The Reading Frenzy
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Paul Hawken Paul Hawken is an environmentalist, entrepreneur and author who has dedicated his life to sustainability and changing the relationship between business and the environment. His career has included starting and running ecological businesses; writing and teaching about the impact of commerce on living systems; and consulting with governments and corporations on economic development, industrial ecology and environmental policy. Paul has published six books, including “The Next Economy” and “Growing a Business” (the basis of a 17-part PBS series). His latest book, “Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial Revolution” (co-authored with Amory Lovins), has been referred to by President Bill Clinton as one of “the five most important books in the world today.” Paul is a founder of Smith & Hawken, the home and garden catalog retailer, as well as several of the first natural food companies in the U.S. that rely solely on sustainable agricultural methods. APPEARANCES: Presentation & Breakfast Talk (booksigning)
Dave Heath As one of the most prolific and unique action sports photographers in the world today, Dave Heath’s photographic style has long been a staple in sports publications the world over. Dave has been playing with a 35mm camera since his teens and, at an early age, took photography to the mountains. Now, at 34, he is a master of his craft, melding his gregarious approach to strangers and strange situations with a passion for outdoor adventure. He is senior photographer at “Powder” magazine and was winner of their Photo of the Year Award in 2002. He is also a senior photographer with “Bike” and “Skier” magazines. Dave’s work has been published in “Ski,” “Skiing,” “Freeze,” “Fall Line” (UK), “Blue,” “Snowboard Life,” “Snowboard Canada,” “Åka Skidor” (Sweden), “Windsurfing,” “Outside” and “Men’s Journal.” APPEARANCES: Gallery & Film
Lynn Hill
©CHARLIE FOWLER
From 1986 to 1992, Lynn Hill was among the world’s top sport climbers, winning over 30 international titles, including five victories at the Arco Rock Master. After a long competitive career, she returned to her roots in traditional climbing, and in 1993, with her partner Brooke Sandahl, she became the first person ever to free climb The Nose, a famous route on El Capitan in Yosemite Valley. In 1994, Lynn also became the first person to free climb the entire route in a single 24-hour period. Her list of achievements spans decades, age groups and climbing styles, establishing her as one of history’s foremost free-climbers. In her book, “Climbing Free,” she tells the fascinating story of her life. APPEARANCES: The Reading Frenzy & Breakfast Talk
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Aaron Huey At 18, Aaron Huey escaped small-town Wyoming and found himself living in an old Communist apartment complex in Bratislava, Slovakia. There, he studied as a Rotary Scholar, graduating with a degree in stone sculpture, followed by a 1999 BFA in painting and printmaking from the University of Denver, Colorado. In 2002, he walked every step of 3,349 miles across America with his dog, Cosmo. The journey lasted 154 days. There was no media coverage. Last month, Aaron was nominated to “pdn” magazine’s top 30 emerging photographers in the world. For his 2006 feature in “National Geographic Traveler” titled “The Last Real America,” Aaron won the Gold Ozzie (for best use of photography). He currently lives in Kabul, Afghanistan, doing jobs for whomever happens to call. APPEARANCES: Gallery
Benedicto Ixtamer Benedicto Ixtamer is a Mayan artist who lives along the shores of Lake Atitlán in Guatemala. Art is his life. He likes to draw animals, landscapes, fruits and people. He paints to save the history of the Mayan culture. In 2004, Benedicto began traveling to the United States for art exhibitions in Colorado, Iowa and Nevada, and he is now in Telluride for the second time. You will most likely see him on the street with his canvases, paints and a smile that may be partially responsible for global warming. APPEARANCES: Gallery
Payson Kennedy Payson Kennedy is a founder and past president of the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC), located in the Smoky Mountains of western North Carolina. Many top American paddlers have trained and worked at the NOC, including more than a dozen U.S. Olympic team paddlers. Payson has degrees in philosophy, anthropology and librarianship and spent 15 years in the academic world before leaving for the NOC. With his wife, Aurelia, he has led adventure travel trips in Central America and Nepal for 15 years. He is now retired and lives on the banks of the Nantahala River, where he guides, bicycles and is creating a pond without the use of mechanized equipment. In 2005, Payson was inducted into the International Whitewater Hall of Fame at its inaugural ceremony. APPEARANCES: Presentation
James Howard Kunstler James Howard Kunstler says he wrote “The Geography of Nowhere,” “Because I believe a lot of people share my feelings about the tragic landscape of highway strips, parking lots, housing tracts, mega-malls, junked cities, and ravaged countryside that makes up the everyday environment where most Americans live and work.” “Home From Nowhere” was a continuation of that discussion with an emphasis on the remedies. His next book in the series, “The City in Mind: Notes on the Urban Condition,” is a wide-ranging look at cities here and abroad, an inquiry into what makes them great (or miserable) and, in particular, what America is going to do with its mutilated cities. His latest book, “The Long Emergency,” is about the challenges posed by the coming permanent global oil crisis, climate change and other “converging catastrophes of the 21st century.” APPEARANCES: Symposium, Presentation & The Reading Frenzy
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Dr. Chuck Kutscher Dr. Chuck Kutscher is a principal engineer and manager of the Thermal Systems Group at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado, where he has worked for 28 years. He has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder and the Colorado School of Mines and was unit scientist of the Solar Energy Unit for the National Geographic Society’s Kids Network. He was presented with the 2006 Charles Greeley Abbot Award for “outstanding contributions in the research and development of active solar systems and solar thermal technologies.” Dr. Kutscher was general chair of the SOLAR 2006 National Solar Energy Conference, which brought the nation’s top climate scientists and renewable energy experts together to develop solutions to global warming. He is editor of a new 200-page American Solar Energy Society report, “Tackling Climate Change in the U.S.” APPEARANCES: Symposium
Bernadette McDonald Bernadette McDonald is the founder and former vice president of the Mountain Culture Division at The Banff Centre. She was director of the Banff Mountain Film Festival for 20 years and was founding director of the Banff Mountain Book Festival. She is a founding member of the International Alliance for Mountain Film and was an invited speaker at the General Assembly of the United Nations in 2001 to launch the International Year of Mountains. As an author and editor, her book projects include “Voices From the Summit: The World’s Great Mountaineers on the Future of Climbing,” “Extreme Landscape,” “Whose Water Is It” and “I’ll Call You in Kathmandu: the Elizabeth Hawley Story.” Bernadette is an avid climber, hiker and skier and travels the world in search of warm rock and deep snow. Her newest book, “Brotherhood of the Rope,” profiles the extraordinary life of Charlie Houston. APPEARANCES: Presentation & The Reading Frenzy
Cristina Mittermeier
©MATT INDEN
The relationship between nature and humans is where Cristina Mittermeier’s photography finds its true mission. The idea that people and nature are not isolated from each other, but inexorably connected, lies at the heart of her work, which has taken her to 54 countries, including some of the most remote and beautiful areas of the planet. A marine biologist by training and a regular contributor to the scientific dialogue on the conservation of the planet’s biodiversity, Cristina’s work initially strove to explain, with science, the importance of preserving Earth’s living heritage. Photography has allowed her to tell an emotional story that links the devastating effects of biodiversity loss and human well-being. Cristina’s latest book project, “The Human Footprint,” was produced by the Wildlife Conservation Society in conjunction with the International League of Conservation Photographers (ILCP), of which Cristina is executive director. APPEARANCES: Gallery & Presentation
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Dr. Daniel Nocera Dr. Daniel Nocera is the W. M. Keck Professor of Energy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Widely recognized as a leading researcher in renewable energy at the molecular level, Daniel studies the basic mechanisms of energy conversion in biology and chemistry with primary focus on the photo-generation of hydrogen and oxygen from water. His research in energy conversion has been featured on the nationally broadcast television programs—“ABC Nightline” and “NOVA” on PBS—and on National Public Radio. He developed the pilot that was used to begin the new PBS science program “ScienceNow,” and his “NOVA” show was nominated for a 2006 Emmy Award. Daniel has been awarded the Italgas Prize (2005), the IAPS Award (2006) and the Burghausen Prize (2007) for his studies on renewable energy. APPEARANCES: Symposium
Bernice Notenboom Bernice Notenboom is an adventurer, explorer, writer, radio correspondent and filmmaker who once worked 60 hours per week for one of the world’s leading software companies. In 1995, she abandoned her corporate career to create Moki Treks, which connects its clients with aboriginal people as travel guides and cultural emissaries. Moki Treks won the World Legacy Award in 2004. Bernice’s passion to explore nomadic tribes in remote places has brought her to 70 countries. She is a contributing editor to “National Geographic Traveler,” “National Geographic Adventure,” “Natural Health” and “The Washington Post.” Bernice has produced over 25 radio documentaries for NPR’s “Savvy Traveler,” “Living On Earth,” and “All Things Considered.” In 2007, Bernice will ski to three poles in one year: the cold pole (Siberia), the North Pole and the South Pole. APPEARANCES: Presentation & Breakfast Talk
Geoffrey O’Connor An Academy Award nominee, Geoffrey O’Connor is a writer, director and cinematographer whose credits include BAFTA and Emmy Award-winning documentary collaborations with Michael Moore and the BBC Documentary Features Unit. His signature style of satirical comedic filmmaking has allowed him to carve out a unique niche in commercials, documentaries and literary nonfiction. Geoffrey is the producer and director of “activist videos,” done in collaboration with the punk rock band Greenday and the environmental group Natural Resources Defense Council. APPEARANCES: Film & Breakfast Talk
Doug Peacock A longtime independent advocate for wilderness, Doug Peacock served as the real-life model for the fictional character George Washingstone Hayduke in Edward Abbey’s “The Monkey Wrench Gang.” Doug’s book “Walking It Off: a Veteran’s Chronicle of War and Wilderness” is, in part, the story of his close and cantankerous friendship with Abbey. In 1988, Doug’s film, “Peacock’s War” won the Grand Prize at Mountainfilm. An ex-Green Beret medic and Disabled American Veteran, he was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in April 2007 and plans to write a book called “Repatriation.” APPEARANCES: Presentation, The Reading Frenzy & Breakfast Talk
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Dean Potter Dean Potter is the only person to free climb Yosemite’s Half Dome and El Cap in a single day. He also made the first free ascent of Mount Watkins, Yosemite’s other Grade VI wall—as well as its first one-day ascent. He has set multiple speed records in Yosemite. In Patagonia, Dean made the first-ever free solo of Fitzroy, via the Supercanaleta, and then followed it with the Compressor Route on Cerro Torre, becoming the first to solo both peaks. He topped off those feats by free soloing the first ascent of Californian Roulette on Fitzroy, a route that had been tried since 1969. In the last 12 years, Dean has also been at the forefront of slack lining (walking on a length of springy nylon line, often at dizzying heights). APPEARANCES: Film
Chris Rainier Chris Rainier’s mission is to put wilderness and indigenous cultures on film. He is a National Geographic Society Fellow, codirects the National Geographic Society’s Cultural Ethnosphere Program and directs the All Roads Photography Program. He is a contributing photographer for “National Geographic Adventure” magazine and a correspondent on photography for NPR’s “Day to Day.” His work is seen in “Time,” “Life,” “Smithsonian,” “The New York Times,” many National Geographic publications and in museums and galleries around the world. Chris is on the Mountainfilm Board of Directors. APPEARANCES: Presentation
Roz Savage Only five women had ever rowed solo across the Atlantic. It seemed improbable that Roz Savage could join this elite few. She had spent most of her adult life working in a London office, had never been to sea and is only 5 feet, 4 inches tall. But she left career, home and husband to pursue her dream. After just one year of preparation she set out from the Canary Islands to row 3,000 miles to Antigua. After struggling alone through 103 days of storms, capsizes and equipment failures, she finally arrived at her destination. Roz is currently bidding to be the first woman ever to row solo across the Pacific Ocean. Her three-stage row launches from San Francisco in Summer 2007. APPEARANCES: Presentation & Breakfast Talk
Chic Scott Chic Scott took up climbing in 1962 and within a few years was pioneering new routes and winter ascents in the Canadian Rockies. In 1968, he traveled to Europe where he became one of the first Canadians to climb serious technical routes in the Alps. Chic was the first Canadian in modern times to climb in the Himalaya, when he joined a British Expedition to Dhaulagiri IV (1973). In 1974, he worked on location making “The Eiger Sanction” with Clint Eastwood. In the late 1970s and 1980s, Chic made several significant climbs in the St. Elias Mountains of the Yukon. He has turned his energy to writing in recent years and is the author of three ski mountaineering guidebooks to western Canada and three history books. APPEARANCES: Presentation & Breakfast Talk
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Will Steger Known for his numerous polar expeditions, deep understanding of the environment and his efforts to raise international awareness, Will has been an eyewitness to the on-going catastrophic consequences of global warming. He has traveled tens of thousands of miles by kayak and dogsled over 40 years, leading teams on some of the most significant polar expeditions in history. He led the first confirmed dogsled journey to the North Pole without re-supply, a traverse of Greenland that was the longest unsupported dogsled expedition in history, the first dogsled traverse of Antarctica, and the first dogsled traverse of the Arctic Ocean from Russia to Ellesmere Island in Canada. Over 20 million students followed the 1995 International Arctic Project via on-line daily journal entries and the first-ever transmission of a digital photograph from the North Pole. In 1996, Will became the National Geographic Society’s first Explorerin-Residence. He is the author of four books: “Over the Top of the World,” “Crossing Antarctica,” “North to the Pole” and “Saving the Earth.” APPEARANCES: Presentation & The Reading Frenzy
Robert Swan OBE By the age of 33, Sir Robert Swan had become the first person to walk to both the North and South poles. His 900-mile journey across the Antarctic ice cap to the South Pole stands as the longest unassisted walk ever made. On both expeditions, he experienced firsthand the effects of environmental damage on the polar icecaps. In Antarctica, his eyes were affected and the skin peeled from his face after walking for weeks under the hole in the ozone layer. In the Arctic, the team almost drowned because of melting ice caused by global warming. These experiences shaped his lifetime goal—to work for the preservation of the Antarctic as the last great wilderness on earth. In 2003, he circumnavigated Africa inspiring —and being inspired by—communities and young people on the issues of HIV/AIDS, sustainability and the environment. APPEARANCES: Presentation
Pete Takeda Pete Takeda is a senior contributing editor to “Rock and Ice” magazine and a frequent contributor to “Outside,” “Sports Afield” and “Backpacker.” As an internationally recognized rock, ice and alpine climber for the past 20 years, his climbing exploits have been covered in “Sports Illustrated,” “Men’s Health,” “Outside” and “Sports Afield.” Pete’s recently published book, “An Eye at The Top of The World,” is a winning hybrid of Cold War history, environmental mystery and outdoor adventure that will appeal to history buffs, mountain climbers and James Bond fans alike. APPEARANCES: Presentation & The Reading Frenzy
©MATT INDEN
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William Henry “Trey” Taylor III Trey Taylor III is the co-founder of Verdant Power, Inc., a sustainable energy company that produces hydroelectric power without dams. In December 2004, he was recognized in “Esquire” magazine’s Genius Issue as one of “America’s Best and Brightest.” Currently, he’s working on the Roosevelt Island Tidal Energy Project, designed to generate electricity through sunken turbines from Manhattan’s East River tides. Trey has over 35 years of experience in marketing and communication and has helped develop and produce several nationally known public affairs TV shows, including “The McLaughlin Group” and “Make Peace with Nature.” He serves on the Board of Directors of the Hydro Research Foundation and on the Advisory Board of the National Hydropower Association, chairing its research and development committee. He is a charter board member of the Ocean Renewable Energy Coalition. APPEARANCES: Symposium, Film & Breakfast Talk
Randy Udall Randy Udall is director of the Community Office for Resource Efficiency (CORE) in western Colorado and one of the nation’s leading activists and innovators in promoting energy sustainability. CORE’s partnerships with individuals, governments and businesses have led to some remarkable accomplishments, including the nation’s first solar-energy incentive program, the world’s first renewable-energy-mitigation program, as well as some of the most aggressive and progressive green power programs in the country. APPEARANCES: Symposium, Film & Breakfast talk
Thomas Ulrich A carpenter and a mountain guide from Switzerland, Thomas Ulrich started early with extreme climbing. His first expedition to Patagonia in 1988 was followed by six more, one of which included the first successful traverse of the southern Patagonian inland in 2003. He has published articles in “National Geographic” and has become one of the world’s most famous adventure photographers. Thomas also works as a cameraman and filmmaker and has won several prizes for his movies. In 2006, his attempt to cross the Arctic solo and unsupported failed; nevertheless, he goes on planning the next expeditions bound to his credo: “Follow your heart!” APPEARANCES: Gallery & Film
Caroline Ware-George Caroline Ware-George was born in the midst of the Swiss Alps into a family of outdoors lovers. Paradoxically, she didn’t really enjoy the outdoors herself until she got into a serious accident in the mountains that left her flat on her back for two months with many broken bones and a “disease” from which she has never been cured: a passion for mountains. After competing in the Ice World Cup for three years, Caroline returned to her roots and became the first American woman to climb the three great north faces of the Alps: The Eiger, the Matterhorn and the Walker Spur on the Grandes Jorasses—all in just three months. APPEARANCES: Presentation
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Paul Watson For 30 years, Captain Paul Watson has been at the helm of the world’s most active marine nonprofit organization, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Paul’s career as a master mariner began in 1968 as a seaman with the merchant marines and with the Canadian Coast Guard. He has authored six books:“Shepherds of the Sea,” “Sea Shepherd: My Fight for Whales and Seals,” “Cry Wolf,” “Earthforce!,” “Ocean Warrior” and “Seal War.” In 1972, he co-founded the Greenpeace Foundation in Vancouver, B.C. APPEARANCES: Film & Breakfast Talk
Rex Weyler Rex Weyler is a journalist, writer and ecologist. He studied physics, mathematics and history at Occidental College in Los Angeles. In 1972, he emigrated to Canada, where he worked for “The North Shore News” in North Vancouver and with Greenpeace. Between 1974 and 1982, he served as a director of Greenpeace, editor of “The Greenpeace Chronicles” magazine and was a co-founder of Greenpeace International. He sailed on the inaugural Greenpeace whale campaign, and his photographs and news accounts of that and subsequent campaigns appeared worldwide. Rex received a Pulitzer Prize nomination for his Native American history, “Blood of the Land,” and he co-authored the self-help classic “Chop Wood, Carry Water.” He co-founded Hollyhock Educational Centre on Cortes Island in British Columbia, which is dedicated to environmental, personal and professional studies and remains Canada’s leading educational retreat center. APPEARANCES: Film & The Reading Frenzy
Mark Wilford Mark Wilford, a Colorado native, has traveled and climbed around the world for over 30 years. He enjoys all aspects of the sport, from bouldering to Himalayan big wall. He is known for his strong traditional climbing values and bold alpine solos. Among his most notable climbs is the first American solo ascent of the Eiger North Face. Mark also pioneered a new route on Yamandaka, a previously unclimbed 21,000-foot peak in India’s Karakoram. The route was put up in traditional alpine style, ascending 4,000 feet of highly technical terrain. APPEARANCES: Presentation & Breakfast Talk
Neville Williams A lifelong adventurer, world traveler, journalist and amateur mountaineer, Neville Williams is the founder and chairman of Standard Solar Inc., a solar energy company serving the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area with residential solar-electric systems. He is the author of “Chasing The Sun: Solar Adventures Around The World,” which chronicles his 14-year effort to sell, finance and install 75,000 solar home lighting systems in 11 countries, including India, China, Nepal, Sri Lanka,Vietnam and South Africa. Neville has been a war correspondent in Vietnam, a writer-producer for WNBC-TV News in New York and the national media director for Greenpeace USA. APPEARANCES: Symposium & Breakfast Talk
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PRESENTATIONS
(in chronological order)
“Blessed Unrest” PAUL HAWKEN Paul Hawken has spent over a decade researching organizations that are dedicated to restoring the environment and fostering social justice. “Blessed Unrest” opens 2007 Mountainfilm in Telluride by exploring the diversity of this movement, its brilliant ideas, innovative strategies and hidden history, which date back many centuries. A culmination of Paul’s many years of leadership in the environmental and social justice fields, it will inspire and delight any and all who despair of the world’s fate, and its conclusions will surprise even those within the movement itself. Fundamentally, it’s a description of humanity’s collective genius and the unstoppable movement to re-imagine our relationship to the environment and one another. (Friday, 6:20 p.m., PALM)
“The Grizzly Bear in a Time of Global Warming” DOUG PEACOCK On March 29, 2007, the Department of the Interior removed federal protection from Yellowstone’s grizzly bears under the Endangered Species Act. The effects of global warming are being ignored, and this lack of protection could end the possibility of wildlife and plant corridors linking the island ecosystem of Yellowstone with the Yukon or anywhere else—and may mark the final demise of the grizzly in the lower 48. (Up North, grizzlies are interbreeding with polar bears, who linger on the edge of extinction.) Doug Peacock’s presentation will discuss the fight that is being taken to the federal courts. (Friday, 9:40 p.m., SOH)
“An Eye at the Top of the World” PETE TAKEDA Pete Takeda—world-class alpinist, celebrated journalist and Marmot athlete—unearths the terrifying legacy of the Cold War’s most daring CIA operation in his award-winning new book “An Eye at the Top of the World,” a true story involving Cold War intrigue in the remotest part of the Himalaya and a deadly poison unleashed upon unwitting millions. In the mid-1960s, a mission with the goal of gathering intelligence on China went awry, and a nuclear-powered spy device was abandoned on one of the Himalaya’s forbidden peaks in the face of an oncoming storm. In this presentation, Peter Takeda brings you a firstperson multi-media accounting of this daring mission through in-depth research and interviews with surviving members from the original expedition. (Friday, 9:40 p.m., NUG)
“Eyewitness to Global Warming” WILL STEGER This first-hand look at the catastrophic climate changes in the Arctic regions is the result of more than 40 years for Will Steger as a polar explorer, author and photographer. His historic expeditions include North to the Pole in 1986, the first confirmed dogsled journey without re-supply, and Trans-Antarctica, the first dogsled traverse of Antarctica’s 3,471 meters. (Saturday, 10:00 a.m., PALM)
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“Eiger Obsession” JOHN HARLIN III One could say that John Harlin III was weaned on the milky snows of the Eiger. His father, the most famous American climber in the Alps, was at the peak of his climbing endeavors when he died on the North Face of the Eiger. John was nine. A lifetime later, John returned to the mountain to retrace his father’s steps. John will lead our Eiger program and introduce “The Alps,” the IMAX film that chronicles his journey to the mountain that conquered his father. (Saturday, 12:50 p.m., PALM)
“Eiger Running in My Veins” CAROLINE WARE-GEORGE As an American raised in the Swiss Alps, Caroline Ware-George discusses the path taken to her own Eiger summit and weaves the thread of history and family on this forbidding peak. As with John Harlin III, her father’s dream became her reality. (Saturday, 12:50 p.m., PALM)
“Heart and Mind of Rock” JOHNNY DAWES
©SIMON NADIN
With slides, video, and gesticulatory banter, Johnny Dawes will share an intense look into the art of crack climbing. Famous for his outrageous and spectacular climbing (and personality), Johnny’s presentation includes footage from 1948 and touches on his “natural free flow,” climbing at speed, hopping, soloing one handed while filming with a polecam, and other crazy exploits. (Saturday, 10:00 a.m., SOH)
“High Infatuation: A Climber’s Guide to Love & Gravity” STEPH DAVIS Join Steph Davis for a multi-media presentation of slides, video, music, stories and more, based on her new book, “High Infatuation: A Climber’s Guide to Love and Gravity,” and her coming-of-age story in the climbing world. In “High Infatuation,” Steph writes on such universal themes as life, love, friendship, personal empowerment—all told through a career in climbing. We wait with her in the tent through weeks of rain, wind, snow and sleet, hoping for the weather to improve in the mountains of Patagonia, and then race with her up a towering rock wall of Yosemite’s El Capitan in a single day. We feel gratitude toward a female climbing partner who cheers her on through an epic ascent and heartache when her relationship with the man she marries, climber Dean Potter, is tested by her need for constant movement and career challenge. More than adventure stories, these pieces reveal Steph’s soul. They draw us into her struggles with safety, independence, ambition and compassion. By following the journey of this remarkable woman, we learn what it means to live a truly adventurous life. (Saturday, 3:20 p.m., SOH)
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“The Long Emergency: Surviving the Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-First Century” JAMES HOWARD KUNSTLER In his new book, “The Long Emergency,” James Kunstler offers a shocking vision of a post-oil future. His presentation will signal just what to expect after we pass the tipping point of global peak oil production and the honeymoon of affordable energy is over, preparing us for economic, political, and social changes on an unimaginable scale. From one of our most exciting thinkers, here’s the most prescient and engaging look at the problems we face since Alvin Toffler’s “Future Shock.” (Saturday, 6:30 p.m., SOH)
“Sacred Sites of the World” JOSH BERNSTEIN Josh Bernstein has spent the last three years exploring and experiencing some of the world’s most sacred historical sites, including Tikal (Guatemala), Chichén Itzá (Mexico), Machu Picchu (Peru), Tiwanaku (Bolivia), Rapa Nui (Chile), Cahokia (U.S.A.), Stonehenge (England), Abu Simbel (Egypt) and Lalibela (Ethiopia). Join Josh for a visual tour of some of our world’s most special places and a discussion of his adventures, bringing the mysteries and magic of those sites to life. (Saturday, 3:30 p.m., NUG)
“Filming The Eiger Sanction, 1974” CHIC SCOTT A behind-the-scenes look at what really went on in Switzerland during the summer of 1974 when Clint Eastwood teamed up with his guides from the International School of Mountaineering to film “The Eiger Sanction.” There are personalities, thrills and even a death. Behind it all, looms the great North Face of the Eiger—cold, brooding and dangerous. (Saturday, 9:20 p.m., HC)
“Cave Discoveries in Upper Mustang, Nepal” BROUGHTON COBURN, LIESL CLARK, PETER ATHANS, RENAN OZTURK & KARL SWINGLE In March of 2007, a team of scholars, mountaineers and explorers were granted permission to climb into several of the numerous lost cave cities of upper Mustang, Nepal. Asia veteran and bestselling author Broughton Coburn, award-winning filmmaker Liesl Clark, seven-time Everest summiteer and North Face athlete Peter Athans, premier big-wall climber and North Face athlete Renan Ozturk and videographer Karl Swingle will show video clips and slides of the remarkable discoveries found inside the caves and of the hair-raising process of getting there—and will also address preservation of these sacred sites. (Sunday, 10:00 a.m., PALM)
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“Tribute to Nepal’s Lost Conservationists” BROUGHTON COBURN In September of 2007, a Russian MI-17 helicopter crashed into a mountainside near Kangchenjunga base camp in far northwestern Nepal, killing all 31 people aboard, including some of the Himalaya’s most important wildlife conservation experts. Mingma Sherpa, Chandra Gurung, Tirtha Maskey and others had been instrumental in creating the Annapurna and Kangchenjunga Conservation Areas and in preserving the onehorned rhino and royal Bengal tiger of the Terai Arc Landscape. Broughton Coburn will narrate a short visual tribute to these lost leaders. (Sunday, 10:00 a.m., PALM)
“Himalaya: Personal Stories of Grandeur, Challenge and Hope” BROUGHTON COBURN In an illustrated presentation (drawing upon stunning and thought-provoking images from more than 50 renowned photographers) Brot Coburn, co-editor of this National Geographic book (with Richard C. Blum and Erica Stone) will deliver a brief presentation on issues facing the Himalaya and the remarkable efforts being made in education, health care delivery, environmental conservation and ancient monument restoration. (Sunday, 10:00 a.m., PALM)
“A Report Card on Conservation Photography: Are We Getting the Job Done?” INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE OF CONSERVATION PHOTOGRAPHERS: James Balog, Gary Braasch, Wade Davis, Cristina Mittermeier, Chris Rainier & Michele Westmorland A panel of presentations and discussion with photographers from the ILCP—a consortium of professional photographers, known as Fellows, who have demonstrated the highest skills in photography, outstanding ethical standards in the capture, manipulation and captioning of images, and a sustained commitment to conservation—focusing on climate change, loss of biodiversity and loss of indigenous knowledge and including two individual presentations by Gary Braasch and Jim Balog (see below and next page). (Sunday, 1:00 p.m., PALM)
“Stalking the Ghosts of Glaciers Past” GARY BRAASCH For his documentation project “World View of Global Warming,” Gary Braasch set out to re-photograph old views of glaciers to show the effects of climate change. This wasn’t always as easy as it seemed. The task involved detective work, long mountain treks and some danger.The resulting sets of images have become a central part of his new book “Earth Under Fire: How Global Warming is Changing the World,” which also features other changes he witnessed in the great mountains of the world. (Sunday, 1:00 p.m., PALM)
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“The Extreme Ice Survey: Melting Glaciers on Three Continents” JAMES BALOG Working on assignment for “National Geographic” magazine (look for him on the cover of the June 2007 issue), photographer James Balog spent much of 2006 traveling the world to document the rapid melting of glaciers as a result of global warming. Jim will present startling and provocative evidence from his travels to Greenland, Iceland, Alaska, Montana, the Alps and Bolivia. His investigation will continue in 2007 and 2008 as the Extreme Ice Survey. At the heart of the coverage will be extraordinary timelapse video sequences created from still images. (Sunday, 1:00 p.m., PALM)
“Christo and Jeanne-Claude” A lecture about two works in progress: “Over the River, Project for the Arkansas River, State of Colorado” and the “Mastaba of Abu Dhabi, project for the United Arab Emirates.” (More on page 14.) (Sunday, 8:00 p.m., PALM)
“Eiger Solo” MARK WILFORD Mark Wilford presents a personal account of his first American solo of the North Face of the Eiger via the 1938 route. (Sunday, 10:00 a.m., SOH)
“Tribute to Todd Skinner” Legendary first ascentionist Todd Skinner died in a climbing accident on Leaning Tower in Yosemite on October 23, 2006, days before his forty-eighth birthday. In his lifetime, he accomplished more than 300 first ascents in 26 countries around the world. He relished the challenge of all aspects of rock climbing, from bouldering to Himalayan peaks, but most of all he dreamed about free climbing big walls. “Live your life like a thrown knife,” he used to say… (Sunday, 10:00 a.m., SOH)
“Tribute to Brad Washburn” MARK CHRISTMAS Brad Washburn was not only the paramount mountaineer in the history of Alaska and the Yukon, he was also considered one of the very finest mountain photographers of all time. His longtime friend, Ansel Adams, said Brad’s photographs “look almost inevitable, perfectly composed.” Such praise is all the more impressive given that Brad’s primary intention was not art but science as he strove to capture geologic features, topography and climbing routes. A highly accomplished pilot, mapmaker and director of the prestigious Boston Museum of Science for four decades, Brad was a true renaissance adventurer. He passed away in January at 96. We are pleased to honor his memory with a glimpse of his life work, a sense of his perspective, and words from some who knew him well and loved him. (Sunday, 12:50 p.m., SOH)
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“Brotherhood of the Rope” BERNADETTE MACDONALD Best known for the attempted rescue in 1953 of an injured team member from high on K2, Dr. Charles Houston’s life beyond mountaineering has been one of outspokenness, daring and commitment to humanity. The story of his 91 years is inspiring in the best and truest sense of the word. In “Brotherhood of the Rope,” Bernadette McDonald offers insights into the inner man, a man who, always driving himself to do more, wrote in his diary, “Is it not better to take risks…than die within from rot?” Bernadette presents a selection of stories, readings and still and moving images from her journey with Charlie to create his biography. (Sunday, 12:50 p.m., SOH)
“Storms, Solitude and Soul-Searching” ROZ SAVAGE What possessed an office worker in her mid-30s to abandon career, home, husband and a red sports car to row 3,000 miles alone across the Atlantic Ocean in a twenty-four foot rowboat? She seemed to have it all, so why did she throw it all away? Roz Savage often asked herself the same question as she battled 20-foot waves, sleep deprivation, self-doubt and depression. She suffered from tendonitis in her shoulders and saltwater sores on her backside. Her camping stove broke, so she had no hot food. All four of her oars broke, so she repaired them with duct tape and makeshift splints. A month before she reached Antigua, her satellite phone stopped working, presenting her with her toughest challenge yet: total isolation. After 103 grueling days at sea, she finally made it to her destination. Share her vision and her pain as you watch her video and listen to her answer the persistent question: Why? (Sunday, 5:00 p.m., SOH)
“Another Type of Energy: The Flow State” PAYSON KENNEDY Payson Kennedy changed from an academic career to a career in outdoor recreation when he discovered that outdoor adventure frequently put him in a state that gave him boundless energy and enabled him to perform beyond his normal abilities. Later, he learned that psychologists who study this experience refer to it by a variety of names—such as the “flow experience,” “peak experiences” or “being in the zone”—and are learning what conditions bring about these energizing experiences. In his work at the Nantahala Outdoor Center, Payson has counseled employees that the success of the center depends upon frequently finding this state and creating conditions to ensure that their guests may also have flow experiences. He further counsels that if employees are not frequently having these experiences, they should seek work in a field that does generate them. In this talk, Payson will describe some of the books that have been valuable to him to learn more about these experiences and the conditions that make them likely to occur. (Sunday, 7:50 p.m., SOH)
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“The Energy of Kayaking” SAM DREVO Sam Drevo will give an intimate glimpse into the sport of whitewater kayaking through the eyes of a competitor, photographer, explorer and entrepreneur. Enjoy Sam’s powerful photography and unfiltered insights into the world of production, instruction, river guiding and river stewardship. Follow him as he charts his course down the headwaters of the Kern River in California and on a daring expedition to explore the upper minus rapids on the Zambezi River. Hear about the most recent Last Descent Expedition of his kayak guide company, eNRG Kayaking, through Yong Bao Gorge on China’s Mekong River and the first disabled military vet kayak trip to Costa Rica with Team River Runner. This presentation will leave any river recreationalist moved, touched and inspired. (Sunday, 7:50 p.m., SOH)
“Tribute to Charlie Fowler and Chris Boskoff” ARLENE BURNS, GINNY FOWLER & JOHN MCCALL ©UNKNOWN
It is truly a shame that Charlie will not physically be a part of the 2007 festival because his solo of the Direct Route of the Eiger North Face in 1992 tied him firmly to this year’s sub-theme. He and his partner, Chris Boskoff, perished last winter on Mount Genyen in Sichuan Province, China. Mountainfilm will honor his many gifts with a short film put together from the tapes that came home in his luggage, plus a slideshow that celebrates the many years that both Chris and he were a part of the climbing world. An avid climber since 1968, Charlie ascended many of the world’s most difficult peaks and pioneered new routes on rock, ice and mountains in the Andes, the Himalaya, Europe and the 50-mile radius from his front door in Norwood, Colorado. Recent climbs included 8,000-meter peaks Cho Oyu, Everest and Shishapangma. In 2004, the American Alpine Club awarded Charlie the Robert and Miriam Underhill Award for outstanding mountaineering achievement. Chris, owner of Seattle-based Mountain Madness, had reached the summit of six 8,000-meter peaks (including Mount Everest and Cho Oyu twice) and was the first woman to climb Lhotse. She was a Special Guest at Mountainfilm 2006. Charlie served on the Mountainfilm Board of Directors for most of the 1990s and then on its Advisory Board until the time of his death.Their smiles and enthusiasm for climbing are dearly missed. (Sunday, 10:40 p.m., SOH)
“Leadership on the Edge” ROBERT SWAN OBE Robert Swan—environmentalist, polar explorer, special envoy to the director of UNESCO, and, above all, a superbly gifted communicator—is regarded as one of the world’s top inspirational speakers. His themes are based upon his personal experiences as the first man in history to walk unsupported to both the North and South Poles. Key themes that Robert will elucidate include motivation, leadership, communication and teamwork. (Sunday, 12:50 p.m., NUG)
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“Return to Outcast Siberia” BERNICE NOTENBOOM In 1891, British nurse Kate Marsden traveled solo on horseback—3,000 miles across Siberia in the winter—on a mission to find a secret herb, guarded by the Yakut Shamans and believed to be a cure for leprosy. Yakutia is in the heart of Siberia and has the coldest temperatures on Earth, dropping to -100 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter. Kate’s account of her expedition in her book “On Sledge and Horseback to Outcast Siberian Lepers” inspired Bernice and another women, Felicity Aston, to ski 250 kilometers across the frozen Villuyi River last winter in temperatures of -31 degrees Fahrenheit, searching for Marsden’s legacy. Join Bernice as she discusses her expedition and see the images of this seemingly impossible task. (Sunday, 5:00 p.m., NUG)
“7 Continents, 7 Summits, 2 Skis, and 1 Buddhist Lama” When you travel halfway around the world to make pioneering ski descents, the snow is rarely wonderful. But that doesn’t matter to this ski mountaineer and former Telluride resident. What it’s really all about, are the experiences and life lessons that are brought back home to remember and share. See expedition photos and hear stories from Kit DesLauriers’ remarkable journey to be the first person to ski the Seven Summits. (Sunday, 5:00 p.m., HC)
©JIMMY CHIN
KIT DESLAURIERS
“What Is the Power of a Penny?” ISABEL & EVA SOPHIA SHIMANSKI ©GRINNELL COLLEGE/TOM CHERREY
Pennies for Peace is a service learning program of the Central Asia Institute. The Institute has been building schools in remote northern Pakistan and Afghanistan since 1993. In the U.S., a penny is nearly valueless, but in Pakistan and Afghanistan, a penny buys a pencil, can start an education and transform a child’s life. Pennies for Peace broadens American childrens’ cultural horizons and teaches them about their capacities as philanthropists—one penny at a time. (KIDZ KINO, Monday, 11:00 a.m., PALM…bring some pennies!)
IN MEMORIAM NORM BENJAMIN CHRIS BOSKOFF SID BROTMAN LESLIE COLT CHARLIE FOWLER ANNE HERRICK DOLORES LACHAPPELLE STEVE MEDLEY HAL RICE LOEY RINQUIST TIM SCHENCK TODD SKINNER BRADFORD WASHBURN
THE MOUNTAINFILM INSPIRATIONAL ENDOWMENT FUND Initially established with funds donated in the names of John Wald and Matt Gaynes, two adventurers and friends of Mountainfilm who were taken from us before their time, the Inspirational Fund is professionally managed as a longterm investment to serve as an endowment for Mountainfilm’s future. If you are interested in contributing to our cause, long-term or short, please contact Peter Kenworthy, Executive Director, at (970) 728-4123 or peter@mountainfilm.org.
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Mountainfilm in Telluride is a member of The Internation Alliance for Mountain Film. Created in 2000 in Torino, Italy, the Alliance is an association that emphasizes mountain film issues common to all festivals and recognizes and promotes the unique qualities of its member festivals.
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mountainfilm IS DEDICATED TO EDUCATING AND INSPIRING AUDIENCES ABOUT ISSUES THAT MATTER, CULTURES WORTH EXPLORING, ENVIRONMENTS WORTH PRESERVING AND CONVERSATIONS WORTH SUSTAINING.
MOUNTAINFILM BOARDS BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Mike Shimkonis / President Beth Gage / Co-Vice President Rick Silverman / Co-Vice President Jeff Price / Secretary Susan Dalton / Treasurer Ken Bailey Thom Beers Ellen Geldbaugh Letitia Ferrier Debra Frank Janine Hill Chris Rainier Susan Saint James Elizabeth Salem Nan Theberge
ADVISORY BOARD John Ackerly Conrad Anker Michael Brown Ken Burns Wade Davis Gretel Ehrlich Lynn Hill Richard Holbrooke Ace Kvale Frans Lanting Doug Peacock Paula Stout Beth Wald Paul Watson IN MEMORIAM
Galen Rowell / David Brower / Charlie Fowler
AWARDS ARTIST The award artist for Mountainfilm 2007 is RICHARD ARNOLD. He has created a bas-relief in bronze of the Eiger summit with two climbers on top adapted from a photograph by festival gallery artist Thomas Ulrich. Richard lives in Telluride and is a climber, ski instructor, flyfisherman and sculptor. His work can be viewed at arnoldtelluridestudio.com.
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DONORS EVEREST
Susan & Mark Dalton
K2
Thom, Leslie & Max Beers Elizabeth Redleaf Rich & Elizabeth Salem Rich & Ann Teerlink
DENALI
The Black/Marlens family Dick Ebersol & Susan Saint James Debra & Bill Frank Tom & Janine Hill Richard Holbrooke & Kati Marton Paul Tudor & Sonia Jones Suzanne LaFetra Jim & Kay Mabie Vincent & Anne Mai Ken & Kathleen Tropin
EIGER
Robert & Karen Forlenza Hill & Bettie Hastings John McCall In Memory of Charlie Fowler Bob & Veronique Pittman
EL CAPITAN
Edward Callaway & Robert Tibolt Louis & Bonnie Cohen Kit Collins Bill & Sally Estes Bruce & Bridget Evans Michael & Rebecca Jusbasche John & Bridget Macaskill Robert & Bethanie Millard The Daniel M. Neidich & Brooke Garber Foundation Jeff Price & Jennie Franks Diane “Dinny” Sherman & Terry Hermanson Spitzer Family Foundation Terry & Susan Tice
AJAX
Stuart & Joanna Brown Chip & Cathe Dyer John & Heath Faraci Amy & Roger Faxon Gary & Debbie Freedman George & Beth Gage Ernie & Jade Graham Stephanie Graham Garrett Gruener & Amy Slater Family Fund Daniel & Joanna Kanow John & Kimberly Kirkendoll Moe Family Scholarship Fund Andrew & Pamela Paul Paula Stout Telluride Real Estate Brokers, Inc Nicko & Jackie Van Someren Dale Vrabec Philip & Jean Wagner
BELAYER
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BELAYER (cont’d)
Linda Lockhart Don & Nancy Orr Peggy & Jill Peters In Honor of Susan Dalton Genny Plamondon Sam & Francesca Rehnborg Frank & Bea Reichel Jane Reldan, MD Jacklyn Ritter San Miguel Power Assn., Inc. Barry & Barbara Shaffer Mike Shimkonis Tom & Donna Stone Sunshine Pharmacy Telluridestock.com Jack Zoller & Helen H. Wisdom
SHERPA
Wendy Brooks Deborah & David Cohen Mark & Amy Dobbins Kent & Ramona Gaylord Kameron Gerber John & Carlotta Horn In Memory of Arthur Gould Caroline Kirkendoll J.D. Kirkendoll Greg Mortenson Robert & Mary Rubadeau Peter Yarrow
Danke!
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mountainďŹ lm on tour
annual audience of over 30,000
Coming Soon to a Theater Near You! We realize that not everyone can make it to Telluride each May for the actual festival, so we bring some of the best ďŹ lms from each festival to them! MountainďŹ lm on Tour started in 2000 to broaden our mission outreach, and in the seven years since, we have reached out to audiences from Lubbock, TX to Tasmania. With more than 90 tour showsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and growingâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;per year, we have reached more than 30,000 people per year.
i5IF .PVOUBJOmMN 8PSME 5PVS JT B WJTVBMMZ EB[[MJOH BOE FNPUJPOBMMZ DPNQFMMJOH FYQFSJFODF UIBU MFBWFT ZPV XJUI BO BSSBZ PG GFFMJOHT TIPDL QSJEF TPSSPX BOEÂ&#x2030; BCPWF BMMÂ&#x2030;IPQF 8SBQQFE JO B EFDFQUJWFMZ FOUFSUBJOJOH QBDLBHF UIBU NBOBHFT UP CPUI NPWF BOE JOTQJSF UIFTF mMNT XJMM NBLF ZPV XBOU UP CF B CFUUFS HMPCBM DJUJ[FO w â&#x20AC;&#x201C; SYDNEY STOWE, Film Manager, Hopkins Center at Dartmouth College
Some of the places MountainďŹ lm has been lately ... Ellsworth, Maine Hemsedal, Norway Fort Collins, Colorado Winona, Minnesota Bozeman, Montana Washington, D.C. Bend, Oregon
Paonia, Colorado Anchorage, Alaska Watercolor, Florida Nevada City, California Whistler, British Columbia Hunter, New York Portillo, Chile
Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re always looking for opportunities in new communities.
ARRANGE FOR MF ON TOUR TO STOP IN YOUR TOWN OR CITY! Contact Tour Director Justin Clifton â&#x20AC;˘ justin@mountainďŹ lm.org 970-728-4123 ext. 13 â&#x20AC;˘ More details at mountainďŹ lmontour.org
STAFF THE OFFICE Peter Kenworthy ............................ EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Arlene Burns ................................... FESTIVAL DIRECTOR Emily Long........................................ PROGRAM MANAGER Justin Clifton .................................... SYMPOSIUM DIRECTOR / TOUR DIRECTOR Daiva Chesonis ............................... DESIGN & MARKETING Karen Overn ................................... OFFICE MANAGER Stash Wislocki ................................. FESTIVAL PRODUCER Lance Waring ................................... LODGING COORDINATOR Patti Duax ........................................ LODGING COORDINATOR Hilary Peddicord ............................ VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR Drew Ludwig................................... PASSES Suzan Boling .................................... NEXT STEP MANAGER/FLIGHT COORDINATOR Daniel Kanow ................................. GALLERY COORDINATOR Tim Territo ....................................... PRODUCTION MANAGER Mark Froehlich ................................ LIGHTING DESIGNER Rube Felicelli ................................... HOSPITALITY MANAGER Jody Borzilleri.................................. FOOD & BEVERAGE MANAGER Ruth Bender .................................... GALLERY CATERER Ryan Smith ....................................... FOOD & BEVERAGE EVENT MANAGER Jean-Marie Bayon ............................ JUDGE WRANGLER Roseann Matsoso ........................... JUDGE WRANGLER Erika Henschel ................................ ACCOUNTING Joanna MacDonald ......................... ACCOUNTING Lucy Woods ..................................... COMPLIANCE OFFICER
TECH PRODUCTION
THEATERS STAFF
Greg Babush Ross Krantz Andy Krueger Ian Price Dean Rolley Curt Rousse Peggy Russell Brett Schreckengost Karen Zenger Karl K2 Mehrer Sky Rousse Steve Foster
Ian Bald Ru Biener Mark Froelich Erin Hamilton Rob Huber Ben Kerr Amy Levek Peter Lundeen Bill Lyons Julie McNair Michelle Montague Sarah Palowski Mason Rich John Rosenberg Felix Snow Leslie VanDerven
PROJECTIONISTS Greg Babush Frank Baird Mark Burrows Luigi Chiarani Peter Halter Andy Krueger Micheal Moore Mark Schoneveld
SPECIAL THANKS 86
COMMUNICATIONS Johnny “Rotten” Bulson Justin Weihs
Lise Waring • Hunt Worth • Jim Soukup
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mountainfilm in Telluride
The National Geographic Expeditions Council funds projects of exploration and adventure globally. For grant information go to nationalgeographic.com/council.
Inspiring people to care about the planet MELTWATER DRAINS FROM THE GREENLAND ICE SHEET. PHOTOGRAPH BY JAMES BALOG Š 2007 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC