New Zealand Mountain Film & Book Festival

The Grand Prize award at the 17th annual New Zealand Mountain Film and Book Festival went to directors Alastair Lee and past festival speaker Leo Houlding for their film Spectre Expedition – To the End of the Earth. The winners of the Grand Prize award receive $1,000USD; the film was also awarded the Best Adventure Sports and Lifestyles Film. 

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The New Zealand Mountain Film Festival announced this year’s program  and competition winners; “THE SHARK’S FIN” took the Grand Prize of US$1000 and winner of the Best New Zealand film award went to the film Flow Hunters.

Festival goers will participate in awarding the ‘Peoples Choice’ award during the festival, which runs July 5th to 9th in Wanaka and on July 13th to 14th in Queenstown.

Film Winners:

Grand Prize US$1000
The Shark’s Fin – 25 minutes, by Peter Mortimer, Nick Rosen, Josh Lowell, Renan Ozturk, Shannon Ethridge, USA
Legendary alpinist Conrad Anker nurtured a 20 year obsession with The Shark’s Fin, a spectacular unclimbed granite buttress on the 6,310 meter Mt. Meru, in India. In 2008 Anker, with Jimmy Chin and Renan Ozturk, endured a grueling 18 day push to get within hundreds of feet of the summit, only to be turned back. Three years later, the trio makes tough decision to return

Best New Zealand made Film; The Hiddleston/MacQueen Award NZ$1000
Flow Hunters -24 minutes, NZ, By Jon Forder & Ben Brown
Follow Ben Brown on a 35 day kayak adventure that spans both islands of NZ, see them travel over 8000km, paddle for 24 days and descend 17 rivers. This adventure would lead them to the discovery of remote, new kayaking frontiers. These rivers would demand their humility, but would yield so much achievement and peace in return.

Best Film on Climbing US$200.
Honnold 3.0 – 32 minutes, USA, By Peter Mortimer, Josh Lowell, Nick Rosen & Alex Lowther
Alex Honnold has become known as the boldest soloist of his generation. In this dangerous game, how does he balance pure ambition with self-preservation? From highball boulder first ascents to 5.13 free solos, from far-flung trad climbing adventures, to speed records on The Nose, Honnold wrestles with this question in preparation for his biggest adventure yet – the Yosemite Triple.

Best Film on Adventurous Sports and Lifestyles US$200.
One Step Beyond – 57 minutes, by Sébastien Montaz-Rosset, France, subtitles
Géraldine Fasnacht, a world-renowned snowboarder and base jumper, invites us into the small and close-knit community of today’s real life supermen – wingsuit flyers. We join her on a roller coaster ride across the full spectrum of human emotions, catapulting from total euphoria to devastating loss, living life at full force and in glorious technicolor.

Best Film on Mountain Culture and Environment US$200.
Stand – 46 minutes. Canada, By Anthony Bonello.
A Calgary-based oil and gas company has proposed the construction of a 1,170 km pipeline running from Alberta’s tar sands to Kitimat on British Columbia’s west coast. Follow stand up paddle boarders and surfers in the area as they highlight the cultural, sporting and environmental importance of this area.

Best Short Film (15 minutes or less) US$200.
Cascada – 8 minutes, USA, By Anson Fogel & Skip Armstrong
Follow kayakers as they hunt the remote Mexican jungle for the perfect waterfall and the perfect shot. Paddler and cinematographers alike explore a world beyond the expected with the most amazing scenery captured in spectacular clarity.

Best Snow Sports Film US$200.
Further – 26 minutes, Director: Jeremy Jones, USA
Follow Jeremy Jones as he explores some of the world’s most remote terrain while camping deep in the backcountry. His hard work pays off when it leads to clean lines down near-vertical spines and into epic powder bowls. Jones is leading the way in terms of selfpropelled access to some of the most magnificent snow on earth.

People’s Choice
Chosen during the festival

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