Whistler Film Festival Announces 2018 Adventure Film Series Lineup

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Whistler Film Festival Announces Adventure Film Series Lineup
Experience Great Outdoor Stories at Whistler’s Go Fest on the May Long Weekend.

Whistler, B.C. (May 3, 2018) : Get ready for adventure and more! The Whistler Film Festival’s 5th annual Adventure Film Series returns May 18 to 20 as part of Whistler’s Great Outdoors Festival (GO Fest), featuring a solid lineup of great outdoor stories. The action packed program features seven screenings comprised of 13 films that range from extreme sport to activism through adventure, including 10 shorts and three features from three countries, complimented by an adventure photo competition . Mountain biking, ice biking, environmentalism, surfing, climbing, kayaking, aerial photography, and traveling are among the series’ film themes.

WFF’s Adventure Film Series is dedicated to educating, inspiring and motivating audiences about environments, cultures, issues and adventures through the power of the story. Above all else, it is a gathering for like-minded people who get together to celebrate the wonder of wild places and outdoor adventure.

“Whistler is a renowned outdoor adventure destination that attracts thrill seekers and adrenaline junkies,” says WFF’s Executive Director Shauna Hardy Mishaw. “WFF’s Adventure Film Series offers an exciting lineup for outdoor enthusiasts to experience great outdoor adventure through films, personal stories and photography.”

The series kicks off on Friday, May 18 at 7:00pm with the announcement of the winner of WFF’s Adventure Photo Competition followed by a screening of Mathieu Le Lay’s IN THE STARLIGHT . During the darkest hours of the night, while the rest of the world is sleeping, outdoor photographer Paul Zizka ventures out into the wilderness in search of the world’s starriest skies. His journey to photograph the celestial wonders takes him from his home amongst the peaks of the Canadian Rockies to the wild, desertdunes of Namibia and remote ice caps of Greenland. Ever the adventurer, he must balance his work and passion for photography with his equal devotion as a family man. The film will be preceded by the short film THE ALCHEMISTS directed by Whistler local and action sport photographer , Blake Jorgenson. The film follows Jorgenson through his home mountains of British Columbia as he talks about photography and creativity in the ever changing digital world that we live in.

Following will be a 9:00pm screening of Nate Laverty’s latest film TRANSITION, which follows Tofino based surfer Noah Cohen who struggles to overcome and injury that threatens to take away all he’s ever known. TRANSITION will be followed by SIAN JOURNALS directed by Dustin Humphrey from Deus Ex Machina, which is a collection of never before seen stories documenting the people, places and adventures that occurred during the two years making the 2016 film “South To Sian.” The film addresses the challenges, the surfers, riders, bike builders, filmmakers and photographers who helped to shape the iconic surf film.

On Saturday May 19, the day will begin with a 5:00pm Short Film Series screening. This series is comprised of seven short films featuring a range of different sports and stories from some of the world’s finest athletes with several films from WFF Adventure Film Series alumni including Chris Burkard, Mike Hopkins and David. I Strasser. At 7:00pm and 9:00pm, the Adventure Film Series proudly presents the Whistler Premiere of DIRTBAG: THE LEGEND OF FRED BECKEY directed by Dave O’Leske, which tells the passionate tale of world renowned dirtbag climber Fred Beckey who is hailed as one of the most influential climbers of all time.

On Sunday, May 20, the Short Film program repeats and the series concludes with a 7:00pm screening of legendary filmmaker Taylor Steele’s latest surf film PROXIMITY. Produced by Teton Gravity Research the film explores the delicate relationship between people, time, and place, showcasing surfing icons from different generations in diverse locations around the world.

Returning this year, WFF in collaboration with Mountain Life Magazine presents the Adventure Photography Competition as part of the series with the winning photo to be featured in the summer issue of Mountain Life Coast Magazine which hits the stands June 1. The top three photos will also be featured online on mountainlifemedia.ca. The contest is open to all ages and the top ten photos will be determined by an online, social voting system channel through WFF’s Facebook page with the winning photo and runner ups to be selected by a Mountain Life jury. The deadline to submit was May 1. The winner will be announced on the opening night of the series on May 18. Details are available at whistlerfilmfestival.com/events/adventure-film-series/.

All events will take place at the Maury Young Arts Centre. Filmtickets are $15 per program. WFF Adventure Film Series info and tickets are available online at: www.whistlerfilmfestival.com.

WFF’s Adventure Film Series is supported by GO Fest, an initiative of the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) funded through the Province of British Columbia’s Resort Municipality Initiative. GO Fest is part of the RMOW’s Festivals, Events and Animation program, and is one component of the larger May long weekend strategy. WFF’s Adventure Film Series is sponsored by Mountain Life.

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Media inquiries, please contact:
Jacki St. Thomas, Account Executive, Jive Communications
jacki@jiveprdigital.com • 310.625.7799

The Whistler Film Festival Society is a charitable cultural organization dedicated to furthering the art of film by providing programs that focus on the discovery, development and promotion of new talent culminating with a must attend festival for artists, the industry and audiences in Whistler. The 18th Whistler Film Festival returns November 28 to December 2. www.whistlerfilmfestival.com.

GO Fest, Whistler’s Great Outdoors Festival, will take place May 18 to 21, 2018 in Whistler, located in the Coast Mountains of British Columbia 125 kilometers (78 miles) from Vancouver, British Columbia. GO Fest celebrates the convergence of winter and summer in North America’s premier four-season mountain resort. GO Fest, Whistler’s Great Outdoors Festival is part of the Resort Municipality of Whistler Festivals, Events & Animation (FE&A) program and is funded through the Resort Municipality Initiative.

Whistler Film Festival Society • Charitable Registration #: 856677844RR001
208-1200 Alpha Lake Road, Whistler, B.C. V0N 1B1 • 1-877-838-FILM (3456) • whistlerfilmfestival.com


WFF 2018 ADVENTURE FILM SERIES LINEUP:

FRIDAY, MAY 18, 7:00PM
Film: IN THE STARLIGHT directed by Mathieu Le Lay preceded by THE ALCHEMISTS
Canadian Premiere
2017 | 51 mins | Unrated | France | Dir. Mathieu Le Lay
During the darkest hours of the night, while the rest of the world is sleeping, outdoor photographer Paul Zizka ventures out into the wilderness in search of the world’s starriest skies. His journey to photograph the celestial wonders takes him from his home amongst the peaks of the Canadian Rockies to the wild, desert dunes of Namibia and remote ice caps of Greenland. Ever the adventurer, he must balance his work and passion for photography with his equal devotion as a family man. IN THE STARLIGHT is an intimate portrayal of Paul’s quest to capture the night skies, and what his time spent under the stars has taught him about life, love, adventure, and our place in the universe.

THE ALCHEMISTS
BC Premiere
2017 | 8 Mins | Unrated | Canada | Dir. Blake Jorgenson
THE ALCHEMISTS follows action sport photographer Blake Jorgenson through his home mountains of British Columbia as he talks about photography and creativity in the ever changing digital world that we live in.

FRIDAY, MAY 18, 9:00PM

Films: TRANSITION & SIAN JOURNALS

TRANSITION
World Premiere
2018 | 31 mins | Unrated | Canada | Dir. Nate Laverty
Follow the story of Noah Cohen, a professional surfer from a small town on Vancouver Island. When an injury threatens to take away all he’s ever known, he’s forced to consider a life without surfing and find the strength to overcome.

SIAN JOURNALS
World Premiere
49 mins | Unrated | Canada | Dir. Dustin Humphrey

SATURDAY, MAY 19, 5:00PM

Short Film Series
97 minutes | Unrated
Against the Grain (Canada) Dir. David I. Strasser
No Quarter (Canada) Dir. Max Berkowitz & Kevin Landry
In Constant Motion (Canada) Dir. Cameron Sylvester
Shots From Above (USA) Dir. Chris Burkard & Renan Ozturk
Escape (Canada) Dir. Anjali Nayar
Motive (Canada) Dir. Mind Spark Cinema
Dreamride 3 (Canada) Dir. Scott Secco

SATURDAY, MAY 19, 7:00PM & 9:00PM

Film: DIRTBAG: THE LEGEND OF FRED BECKEY
Whistler Premiere
2017 | 96 mins | Unrated | USA | Dir. by Dave O’Leske
Hailed as one of the most influential climbers of all time, Fred Beckey is the original American “Dirtbag”–one who abandons societal norms and material comforts in pursuit of a nomadic mountaineering lifestyle. This rebel athlete’s lifetime of accomplishments set the bar for the entire sport. He shattered records with an unparalleled string of superhuman first ascents, bushwhacking trails and pioneering direct routes thought previously impassable. Beckey burned bridges, eschewed fame and stayed unencumbered so his only obligation would remain conquering the next summit. He kept meticulous personal journals where he mused on everything from arcane geology to his romantic life, to the myriad sunrises he witnessed from vantages not seen by anyone else on Earth. An environmentalist before there was such a term, Beckey’s legacy includes 13 essential books that act as blueprints for new generations. He defiantly continued climbing until passing away in October 2017 at 94.

SUNDAY, MAY 20, 5:00PM

Short Film Series
97 minutes | Unrated
Against the Grain (Canada) Dir. David I. Strasser
No Quarter (Canada) Dir. Max Berkowitz & Kevin Landry
In Constant Motion (Canada) Dir. Cameron Sylvester
Shots From Above (USA) Dir. Chris Burkard & Renan Ozturk
Escape (Canada) Dir. Anjali Nayar
Motive (Canada) Dir. Mind Spark Cinema
Dreamride 3 (Canada) Dir. Scott Secco

SUNDAY, MAY 20, 7:00PM

PROXIMITY
Western Canadian Premiere
2017| 50 mins | Unrated | USA | Dir. by Taylor Steele
Proximity is a film that pairs surfing’s living legends with today’s most progressive young surfers. The film is directed by award-winning filmmaker Taylor Steele and produced by Teton Gravity Research (TGR) in association with Garage Productions. Proximity explores the delicate relationship between people, time, and place, showcasing surfing icons from different generations in diverse locations around the world.