UKC

Kendal 2010 - Film Preview

© KMFF

The 2010 film programme for the Kendal Film festival looks to be as exciting as ever - full programme.

At Kendal, films are shown in 11 categories - Climbing, Mountaineering, Ski & Board, Free Flight, Adrenaline, Culture & Environment, Wild Water, Bike, Adventure & Exploration, Family Friendly and Lucky Dip. For climbers there's loads of choice – across the four Climbing and Mountaineering sessions there are 22 films covering everything from sun rock to Antarctic ice. Sessions are repeated across the weekend so you can always catch what you want to see.

Asgard Jamming - one of the films showing in Climbing 1  © KMFF
Asgard Jamming - one of the films showing in Climbing 1

Although there are tons of lectures at Kendal, it is the film competition that's at the heart of the Festival and makes it into an event of international significance. Filmmakers submit their films (over 120 entries this year) and these are pre-screened by the Festival organisers to select around 70 of the best films that go forward into the main competition. A panel of three judges then convene several days before the Festival to watch those 70 films and reach decisions on the winners across 10 categories - eg. Best Climbing Film.

The Kendal Mountain Festival 2010

Kendal Mountain Festival 2010

HOW TO BOOK TICKETS

The dates are 18 to 21 November and tickets are available now. Book online - www.mountainfest.co.uk - or by phone 01539 725133 - news as it happens at www.mountainfest.co.uk

ACCOMMODATION

Easily accessible from the M6 and by train and there are plenty of accommodation options in and around the town but you need to be on your toes as they fill up very quickly over the Mountain Festival weekend.

For all your questions, accommodation and travel needs go to www.golakes.co.uk here you will find all the information you should need for your visit to Cumbria, alternatively call the accommodation booking line on 0845 450 1199.

www.mountainfest.co.uk

Kendal Mountain Festival Sponsors 2010  © UKC News
Kendal Mountain Festival Sponsors 2010

Judges this year are Joni Cooper (Programming Director, Banff Mountain Film Festival), Bernard Newman (outdoor writer, photographer and long-time editor of Climber magazine) plus Ian Atkins (director and producer of many TV dramas, commercials and documentaries).

There's also one prize that excludes the judges - the Peoples Choice, where Festival-goers vote on their favourite film.

180 Degrees South - part of Adventure and Exploration  © KMFF
180 Degrees South - part of Adventure and Exploration

So what is there to look out for this year? Festival director Clive Allen says, "The UK has a vibrant filmmaking scene and we have premieres from three of the best this year. Paul Diffley's The Pinnacle (Climbing 2) describes Jimmy Marshall and Robin Smith's legendary week in 1960, climbing six winter first ascents in six days, weaving their story with Dave MacLeod and Andy Turner re-climbing these classic routes last winter. Next there's Muy Caliente! (Climbing 1) from Dave Brown which sees Tim Emmett on his Pembroke super-route. Finally, after his 2009 film epic Asgard Project, Alastair Lee is back with The Prophet which follows Leo Houlding on his much-tried line on the east face of El Capitan."

It's not all about climbing of course. Here are some further recommendations:

180° South (Adventure & Exploration) - surfer and climber Jeff Johnson follows the epic 1968 journey of Yvon Chouinard and Douglas Tompkins as they drive, climb and surf their way to Chilean Patagonia.

White Noise (Ski & Board) - legendary ski filmmaker Dominique Perret with another masterpiece, this time filmed in the Chugach Mountains and Alaska.

No Ceiling (Adrenaline) - Before she met husband Glenn Singleman, Heather Swan had never "done anything exciting". Glenn's a BASE jumper though, and before she knew it Heather had vowed to made a world-record wingsuit BASE attempt from a Himalayan peak. An amazing story of her journey from novice to Meru Peak (6672m).

Kranked - Revolve (Bike) - just a brilliant mountain bike film which blasts in cinematic glory from the French Alps to the lush coast of British Columbia with some fantastic camerawork - superb tracking shots though the forests etc.

World Record Waterfall Descent (Wild Water) - Tyler Bradt sets a new world-record waterfall descent at 60 metres. Just awesome.

Fly or Die (Climbing 1) - Dean Potter combines solo climbing with BASE jumping to create the most outrageous style of climbing ever conceived: The BASE Free Solo. Climbing with no rope, and only a parachute to catch him if he falls...

And finally...
The Mongol Rally (Lucky Dip). A longer film but we love the blurb which captures the essence: "Imagine yourself in the Kazakh desert, your car shredded, completely lost hundreds of miles from civilisation. Just you, your wits, your increasingly brown pants, a car that the laws of physics say shouldn't have got past Peckham Rye and a slightly angry looking man with a gun. If this makes you think, "my goodness that's a terribly silly idea" the Mongol Rally is probably not your cup of tea. If, on the other hand, you think "hang on that's exactly what I need", you've found your calling..."

photo
The Mongol Rally - part of The Lucky Dip


For more information on the full programme, visit the Kendal Mountain Festival web site.

This post has been read 9,707 times

Return to Latest News

Loading Notifications...
Facebook Twitter Copy Email