NZ Mountain Film & Book Festival Programme Released, Film Award Winners Announced

The programme for the 2022 NZ Mountain Film and Book Festival has been launched and tickets are on sale. The programme boasts a world-class collection of speakers, workshops and adventure films.

View the 2022 NZ Mountain Film & Book Festival Teaser Video here: https://mountainfilm.nz/festival-video/

Downloadable versions of the trailer are available here: https://www.dropbox.com/home/2022%20Trailer

You are welcome to use these on your social media and online platforms.

The International Adventure Film Competition attracted 150 entries, with 63 films being selected to screen at the event; this includes several world and New Zealand premieres. Over $5000 has been awarded across eight film categories with NZ filmmakers well represented amongst the winners.

The Grand Prize of USD1000 was awarded to House of the Gods by UK director Matt Pycroft. The film follows renowned British climber and adventurer Leo Houlding as he and his team embark on their real-world quest through 100km of untracked jungle, into a unique slime forest and up the desperately steep face of Mount Roraima in the depths of the Amazon rainforest.

‘House of the Gods’ is by far the most ambitious film we've ever made, says Matt. “It was a totally different undertaking for me both from an expedition perspective but also a film production perspective. What excited me about this project outside of just getting to go on the most sensational cutting-edge trip with a group of people I adore, was the prospect of travelling up the wall with two local indigenous Akawaio. These are the people who live at the base of Mount Roraima, who revere this mountain as a sacred place, and to climb it with them and that team was an unbelievable experience.”

He continues, “Film festivals around the world have changed so much in the time I've been working in this industry and what I love about this festival is that it seems to retain a lot of the authentic core of what it is to make adventure films and mountain films whilst also simultaneously being progressive and looking to the future. So, it's a real privilege and joy to have won our first ever Grand Prize at the New Zealand Mountain Film Festival.”

House of the Gods will be screened as part of the evening session on Saturday 25 June in Wānaka and Thursday 30 June in Queenstown.

The prestigious Hiddleston/MacQueen Award for Best NZ-Made Film, along with a $2500 prize goes to director Maddy Whittaker for Traversing the Night. A former student of the Adventure Film School which runs every year as part of the NZ Mountain Film Festival, Maddy’s film follows the four ‘New Zealand Alpine Kids’ as they set off from Arthur’s Pass on a three-month journey to traverse the spine of the Southern Alps all the way to Fiordland.

As well as showcasing the beautiful alpine scenery and the enthusiasm of four young climbers, the film is a brave and honest account of the director’s personal journey to address her underlying depression. Maddy says that the film is for the third of the audience that will experience as significant period of “extended mental distress” in their life, and the fifth of the audience that has a current depression diagnosis.

“I've seen a lot of films in the outdoor world about incredible people doing incredible things,” explains Maddy. “But I had seen very few where the main character isn't just portrayed as strong or brave in the face of adversity. And, so, when I found myself feeling far from strong and brave on our three-month traverse of the Southern Alps from Arthur’s Pass to Fiordland, I felt weak and like a failure. This film is an attempt to change this untrue narrative through a raw and real account of my journey through both the mountains of the Southern Alps and the mountains of my mind. It’s a huge honour to have the hundreds and hundreds of hours I spent working on this film recognised with this award.”

Maddy will be at the festival to present her film which will be screened at the afternoon session on Saturday 25 June in Wānaka and the evening of Thursday 30 June in Queenstown.

Festival Director, Mark Sedon, says, “I’m so excited by the high calibre of NZ-made films we received this year. Kiwis have really been getting out there and pushing their limits, capturing amazing footage, then turning it into a film for us to enjoy. It’s inspiring!”

The full list of Film Competition winners is as follows:

GRAND PRIZE

House of The Gods Director Matt Pycroft, UK, NZ Premiere.

HIDDLESTON/MACQUEEN AWARD - BEST NZ MADE

Traversing the Night Director Maddy Whittaker, NZ, World Premiere.

BEST SNOW SPORTS AWARD

Ô’Parizad Director Guillaume Pierrel, France, subtitles, NZ Premiere.

BEST FILM ON ADVENTUROUS SPORTS & LIFESTYLES AWARD

Fly Monarca Director Benjamin Jorda, Canada, NZ Premiere.

BEST SHORT FILM

Follow The Light Director Pierre Henni, France.

BEST FILM ON MOUNTAIN CULTURE

Breaking Trail Director Jesse Roesler, USA, NZ Premiere.

EPIC EDIT AWARD

The Long Way Home (40 mins) Directors Rebecca Wardell & Whitney Oliver, NZ, World Premiere.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY AWARD

The Great Alpine Highway – 73 Directors Fin Woods, Chris Maunsell & Craig Murray, NZ, World Premiere.

SPIRIT OF ADVENTURE AWARD

We Don't Usually Have Ice Creams Director Paul McCredie, NZ, World Premiere.

BEST FILM ON THE ENVIRONMENT

A White Dream Director Mathieu Le Lay, France, NZ Premiere.

BEST SELF FILMED AWARD

Njord Directors Caroline Côté, Arnaud Bouquet & Vincent Colliard, Canada, subtitles, NZ Premiere.

BEST CLIMBING AWARD

Link Sar Director Graham Zimmerman, USA.

More information about the films is available here: https://mountainfilm.nz/films-speakers-2020/#item_tag-a-films

2022 marks the 20th anniversary of the festival and the vicennial celebrations will include a chance to look back over some of the favourite festival films from the last two decades. Festival fans will enjoy the opportunity to re-watch the extremely popular people’s choice of 2017, Dodo’s Delight; the French musical film Metronomic, and the legendary powder skiing of Sinners. These films will be screened on the afternoon and evening of Wednesday 29 June in Wānaka and the evening of Saturday 2 July in Queenstown. These sessions are free to attend but bookings must be made via the festival website.

Find the full festival programme and buy tickets at mountainfilm.nz

Programmes will also be available at Paper Plus in Wanaka or The North Face Store at 38 Shotover Street in Queenstown The NZ Mountain Film and Book Festival will run in Wānaka from June 24 to 29 and in Queenstown from June 30 to July 2, 2022. The films will also be broadcast online in New Zealand and Australia from June 24 until July 24.

ENDS

The NZ Mountain Film and Book Festival is a member of the International Alliance of Mountain Film, hosting speakers, a world-class line-up of films, and a broad range of literary events. It is a celebration of adventurous sports and lifestyles.

The festival holds an international adventure filmmaking competition that receives submissions from filmmakers from all over the world. The finalists make up the festival programme, screened both off- and on-line. The standard is exceptionally high and the event sits on the world stage alongside other well-known events.

The Mountain Book competition also champions the theme of ‘adventurous sports and lifestyles’. Written work is submitted in a range of categories to win prize money and compete for the NZ Mountain Book of the Year. The Mountain Book event also features author readings, old-fashioned storytelling, writing workshops and children’s events.

The festival is run by the NZ Mountain Film Festival Charitable Trust and is a registered charity (#CC49344). The trust aims to promote, through its annual mountain film and book festival, healthy and active lifestyles, encourage youth to make small safe adventures in the outdoors, to inspire people to reach their full potential, to work cooperatively with others in the youth development area, to help people with disabilities get into outdoor activities and to promote NZ arts, film, culture, environment and outdoor lifestyles.

Find out more at mountainfilm.nz

Media Enquiries

Alex Kerr, Marketing Manager, NZ Mountain Film & Book Festival

021 887 485

marketing@mountainfilm.nz

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