CHARLIE FOWLER BEST ADVENTURE FILM

ALAN FORMANEK

Alan comes from Slovakia (former Czechoslovakia) and remembers being mesmerized by the peaks of the High Tatras since his very first visit. He started climbing at the young age of 14 and was soon leading dubious rock routes using homemade climbing shoes, pitons and knitted ropes. Formanek was one of the pioneers of modern free climbing in Europe in the 1980s. He is credited for freeing many milestone multi-pitch rock routes in the area. He graduated with degrees in electrical engineering and comparative literature. He has been directing the Vancouver Intl Mountain Film Festival since 1998 and the Mountains and City Festival in Bratislava, Slovakia since 2000.

ACE KVALE

Ace Kvale is a Minnesota native who landed in Telluride in 1975. Seeking ever-bigger mountains and challenges, he roamed the world for the next four decades, eking out a living as an adventure photographer before becoming a dedicated desert rat. Kvale has been a friend of Mountainfilm since its humble origins, participating in many films and gallery shows throughout the years. Although he now lives in a small town in the desert southwest, he still calls Telluride home to friendships that last a lifetime.

DANI REYES-ACOSTA

Dani Reyes-Acosta is an alpinist and storyteller aiming to inspire individual action and collective communion through self-care and self-determination in the outdoors. A graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara and la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Dani’s roots are in Playa del Rey, California and Ortiz, Colorado. Her first film, OUTLIER: Trust, debuted in late 2022 in Banff, Canada. Honored by Protect Our Winters as Alliance Member of the Year for her advocacy, she is also an Explore Fund Council Member for The North Face.