WATER & ICE

Friday, 8:30 PM, High Camp

Saturday, 9:15 AM, Masons

RECLAIM YOUR WATER: NATASHA SMITH

Faith Briggs Rose

In Person: Filmmaker and Film Subject

Natasha didn’t grow up believing that “Black people don’t do that,” was going to be a limiting factor in her life. Not only does she ride dirt bikes, skate and surf, but she is also passionate about sharing those skills with others. Along with her friends at Ebony Beach Club, Natasha is reclaiming waves, creating an inclusive space and spreading a love of surfing through her community.

(USA, 2022, 5 min.)

Colorado Premiere

Speed Of Sound

Jade Ang Jackman

Speed of Sound is a sonic portrait of a self-professed adrenaline junkie, Carina Edlinger, whose athletic prowess and determination led her to win gold at the Beijing Winter Paralympics in 2022. Skiing 80 kmph down a snow-laden mountain would be daring enough for most. But Austrian skier Edlinger does this with just 2% vision and nothing but the voice of her guide, faith in her practice and the rush of the wind behind her.

(UK, 2022, 5 min.)

U.S Premiere

Daughter Of The Sea

Nicole Gormley, Nancy Kwon

In Person: Filmmakers

After moving away from her childhood home on the remote island of Marado, South Korea, Jaeyoun finds herself plunged into a deep state of depression. Fearing she might do herself harm, her aunt, a lifelong free diver and fisherwoman known as a “Haenyeo,” invites Jaeyoun to return to her island roots. Jaeyoun travels back to visit her family and the all-female fishing community on Marado and to her surprise, finds a connection to nature and her ancestors that literally saves her life.

(USA, 2023, 17 min.)

World Premiere

Swimming Through

Samantha Sanders

In Person: Filmmaker

As the brutal Chicago winter draws near, Deirdre, Helen and Jennefer — avid open-water swimmers — make a pact to continue through the snow and ice as the pandemic rages on. This intense commitment becomes their salvation from lockdown and helps alleviate each of their personal struggles. Initially just acquaintances, Swimming Through follows their friendship as it coalesces around their commitment to the daily ritual of swimming at sunrise in Lake Michigan.

(USA, 2022, 15 min.)

Colorado Premiere

Wading For Change

Sofía Jaramillo, Jr Rodriguez

In Person: Filmmakers and Film Subject

For conservationist and angler Jr Rodriguez to become “like the pictures he saw in magazines,” he had to leave behind what he loved the most. By juxtaposing Jr’s origins in Houston, Texas, and his current home in world-renowned fly-fishing hub Jackson Hole, Wyoming, we share his journey of learning to love the outdoors and what it can be like to participate in outdoor sports in western mountain towns as a person of color.

To Be Frank

SWIMMING

THROUGH

Anna Wilder Burns

In Person: Filmmakers and Film Subject

To Be Frank explores authenticity and community in surfing via Frank Paine, a 73-year-old South Bay icon and humble local legend whose life orbits around a two-block stretch of beach. His unforgettable mustache and magnetic spirit are what most first notice, but Paine’s deeper layers expose a depth that might answer some questions that surfers continually ask themselves. Surfing, which for some becomes lost in isolation, is made whole again with Paine — welcoming, inspiring, kind and committed, with an unwavering passion centered on and springing from Hermosa Beach’s beloved shores.

(USA, 2022, 12 min.)

Colorado Premiere

Apayauq

Zeppelin Zeerip

In Person: Filmmaker and Film Subject

Dog musher Apayauq Reitan is on a journey of gender, mental health and purpose to become the first out, transgender woman to complete the legendary Iditarod sled dog race across Alaska. Named for her great-grandmother, Apayauq defies stereotypes as she travels over the starkly beautiful, frozen landscape in the same manner as her ancestors. Her four-yearold self, who wanted to be a girl when she grew up, would be proud.

(USA, 2022, 16 min.)

CoMMitMent Grant Winner 2022