2016 Mountainfilm Festival Program

MAY 27

30 2016

WWW. MOUNTAINFILM .ORG |

#MFILM16 1

WELCOME

Welcome to Telluride Mountainfilm

© 2016 Patagonia, Inc.

T H E AC T I V I S T ’ S E S S E N T I A L T O O L B OX A book by activists for activists with best practices on everything from strategy, organizing, fundraising and lobbying to getting your executive director to tweet.

Also included are real campaign case studies and inspirational reflections from some of the world’s most influential environmental thinkers.

L E A R N M O R E AT PATAG O N I A .CO M / B O O K S

“Everyone should read this book. It is a clear and concise plan on how to mix it up and effect positive change for the environment. I loved it!”

– Ed Begley, Jr., actor, director, and environmental leader

“This book, we hope, will reach everyone who needs the tools to carry the work forward.”

– Yvon Chouinard

More and more, scientists are working to understand the beneficial impacts of nature.

Research shows that simply being outdoors and amongst trees increases happiness and productivity. In Japan, it’s popular for people to engage in shinrin-yoku, which translates to “forest bathing.” The practice is commonly prescribed by doctors, and the country builds parks designated specifically for the pastime. In our increasingly distracted and technological lives, exposure to nature is more necessary than ever. As a result, this year at Mountainfilm, we’re offering a guided forest bathing session as part of the Free-Range Programs (page 100).

I’m pretty sure the legendary conservationist John Muir liked to forest bathe. After all, he wrote, “…break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.” As a founding force behind America’s National Parks, he knew wildness had to be preserved — not only for the flora and fauna that depend upon an untrammeled landscape, but also for the common good of the people. “Come to the woods, for here is rest. There is no repose like that of the green deep woods,” Muir wrote.

One hundred years after the founding of the National Parks Service, Mountainfilm’s Moving Mountains Symposium will celebrate these crown jewels and examine why they are in danger of losing their luster.

One aspect we’ll explore is how this simple but brilliant concept has spread globally as hundreds of national parks have emerged in numerous countries.

This effort has been particularly successful in Patagonia, where Doug and Kris Tompkins permanently conserved more than 2 million acres of wilderness in Chile and Argentina.

Tragically, Doug died last December in a kayaking accident, leaving a legacy as, arguably, America’s greatest conservationist

PHOTO BY MELISSA PLA NTZ

PHOTO BY MERRIC K C HA SE

since Muir himself. (Tompkins’s extraordinary life will be celebrated on Saturday at 3:30 p.m., page 79.)

Of course you don’t need a national park to go forest bathing and enjoy all those attendant psychological and physical benefits.

You don’t need anything more than a desire to shut off the devices, go outside, find a woodsy spot, lie down and take it all in.

Again, Muir captures the essence: “I had nothing to do but look and listen and join the trees in their hymns and prayers.”

See you there.

—David Holbrooke Telluride Mountainfilm Festival Director 3

VentureWeb lives and loves adventure, whether it’s dropping cliffs on our snowboards, ripping singletrack in the mountains, or exploring the ever dynamic and exciting digital world.

We bring our passion and dedication to our work and we truly believe in the clients we represent. Not only do we have world-class technical know-how and experience, but we live and love adventure ourselves. That’s our passion, and your competitive advantage.

VentureWeb is proud to have been the digital partner of Mountainfilm for the past five years, bringing the festival experience to a worldwide digital audience. Like Mountainfilm, we aspire to create work that is genuine, inspirational, and of the very highest standard.

If you’d like to learn more, we’d love to chat. Contact us at 1 (604) 815-4542, email us at letsride@ventureweb.net or visit us online at www.ventureweb.net.

PRESENTATIONS | EVENTS | AWARDS & JUDGES | BOARD & DONORS | STAFF | VOLUNTEERS | IN MEMORIAM | MAPS

SPONSORS

CONTENTS NATIONAL EXPLORATION SPONSOR

SUMMIT

3 WELCOME 9 HOW TO MOUNTAINFILM 11 WHAT WE DO 13 NEW THIS YEAR 15 FILMS

NONPROFIT PARTNER

16 50 54 58 67

P H OTO BY ME L I SSA P L AN TZ

CAMP III

M O U N T A I N V I L L A G E O W N E R S A S S O C I A T I O N

FILM DESCRIPTIONS ADRENALINE KIDZ KINO SCHEDULE BASE CAMP

69 PRESENTATIONS

SYMPOSIUM 70 MOVING MOUNTAINS

74 82

SPEAKERS LIBRARY

85 EVENTS

86 92 99 100

CAMP II

CAMP I

BASE CAMP

Boulder Ice Cream; Brown Dog Pizza; Coffee Cowboy; Colorado Office of Film, Television and Media; FiftyFifty Candle Co.; Guayaki Yerba Mate; HANAH; Health Warrior; Honey Stinger; HUB Telluride; Indian Ridge Farm and Bakery; Jagged Edge; Just for Kids Foundation; La Cocina de Luz; Max Strang Architecture; Montrose Water Factory; Mountain Limo; Nau; ProBar; Smart by Nature; Sombra; Steaming Bean Coffee; Stripped Mixers; Suerte Tequila; Telluride Sports; The Brown Bag; and Western Rise.

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WELCOME | SPONSORS | CONTENTS | FESTIVAL TIPS | OUR MISSION | WHAT’S NEW | FILMS | SCHEDULE

PHOTO BY KITTY HOLB ROO K E

Chums-Beyond Coastal, FatFractal, Klean Kanteen, Pelican Case, Telluride Express

GALLERY WALK TOWN TALKS READING FRENZY SPECIAL EVENTS

103 AWARDS & JUDGES 107 BOARDS & DONORS 109 STAFF 110 VOLUNTEERS 111 IN MEMORIAM 112 MAPS COVER PHOTO BY MICHAEL NICHOLS/ NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE MAY 2016 ISSUE OF NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE

PRESENTATIONS | EVENTS | AWARDS & JUDGES | BOARD & DONORS | STAFF | VOLUNTEERS | IN MEMORIAM | MAPS

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FESTIVAL TIPS

KEEPING YOUR

SUMMER

GREEN PLEASE STAY ON THE GRASS

RECREATIONAL & MEDICAL CANNABIS CENTER

How to Mountainfilm

SO MANY OPTIONS

We recommend picking a few priority films or presentations and arriving early, rather than attempting to do it all.

Remember: We play each film at least twice and have a full schedule of TBAs. So if you don’t get to see a film on day one, you’ll likely be able to catch it again.

Additionally, don’t forget about our theater presentations and free town talks as they are one-of-a-kind events.

HOSPITALITY & COMMUNICATIONS

Pick up your pass and a program at the new Hospitality, which is located at 112 E. Colorado Ave. There, you can orient yourself and start planning your festival.

THE MOUNTAINFILM STORE

An array of official Mountainfilm apparel is available at BootDoctors & Paragon Outdoors, which is located at 213 W. Colorado Ave.

MOUNTAINFILM APP & TBAS

Find the full festival schedule, descriptions of films, presenter bios, event details and real-time updates of TBAs, happenings and most importantly seat availability on Mountainfilm’s mobile app. Search for “Mountainfilm” in your app store to download it for free. Final festival beta, including TBAs and program changes, can also be found at www.mountainfilm.org/festival-alerts.

We’ll announce Sunday TBAs on Saturday night by 8 p.m. and Monday TBAs by Sunday at 8 p.m.

THEATER LINES

250 SOUTH FIR STREET 728-7999

OPEN 11 AM – 7 PM

ONE BLOCK EAST OF THE TELLURIDE GONDOLA STATION

EVERYON E WELCOME AGES

21 AN D OLDER

All theaters have two lines: 1) passholders and ticket holders and 2) ticket buyers.

Pass and ticket holders are admitted first; additional tickets are sold for $25 if seats are still available. SHOW UP EARLY, especially at the smaller theaters: Sheridan Opera House (230 seats), Nugget (160), Masons (120) and Library (66).

THE Q SYSTEM

Mountainfilm is excited to introduce the Q TEAM in 2016 in an effort to improve our Q system. This team, which you can recognize by their red vests and red umbrellas, will issue Q tickets and provide updates on theater capacity. Here are the basics: Q Team members will begin handing out Qs 45 minutes before showtime. The lower the number on your Q, the better the chance you’ll get into the theater. A Q doesn’t guarantee a seat; it merely lets staff know your place in line to prevent others from cutting in front of you. So, show up early and be present when staff begin calling Q numbers. If you aren’t there when your number is called, you’ll have to wait until the entire line is let in, which sucks. Please check Mountainfilm’s app for updates on theater lines and capacity.

MORE THAN FILMS

As fantastic as the films are, not all the action is in theaters. We host FREE EVENTS in the form of Coffee & Conversations, Booze & Banters, Free-Range Programs, the Ice Cream Social and our wildly popular Reading Frenzy. Or if you want to catch a free film in a quintessential setting, check out the outdoor Base Camp Theatre in Telluride Town Park.

GETTING AROUND

All Mountainfilm theaters are accessible by foot, bicycle or the gondola, which runs between Telluride and Mountain Village from 7 a.m. to 12 a.m. On Saturday and Sunday during the festival, gondola hours are extended until 1 a.m.

Telluride’s free shuttle bus, the Galloping Goose, runs a loop through Telluride every 10 minutes (check street signs for times and stops). In Mountain Village, call 970-728-8888 for Dial-A-Ride services within town limits.

PRESENTATIONS | EVENTS | AWARDS & JUDGES | BOARD & DONORS | STAFF | VOLUNTEERS | IN MEMORIAM | MAPS

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WHAT WE DO

TELLURIDE | ADVENTURE AWAITS

PHOTO BY MERRICK CHASE

OUR MISSION

Mountainfilm uses the power of film, art and ideas to inspire audiences to create a better world.

MOUNTAINFILM ON TOUR

Along with our annual Telluride festival, Mountainfilm travels year-round and worldwide with a rich selection of our best-loved films. We present both singleevent and multi-day tour shows, hosted by a wide array of organizations — schools, clubs, nonprofits, etc. — that reach audiences from Minnesota to Mumbai.

MOUNTAINFILM FOR STUDENTS

Whenever Mountainfilm is on tour, our aim to educate and inspire reaches beyond theater audiences. With the cooperation of sponsoring hosts, we connect with local schools to offer free K-12 learning opportunities based on informative, fun and imaginative films.

MOUNTAINFILM COMMITMENT GRANT

Telluride Vacation Rentals & Property Management

Call Us to Book your Telluride Adventure Today latitude38vacationrentals.com 877.450.8838 Latitude38VacationRentals

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Every year, we award cash grants along with laptops and cameras to filmmakers, photographers, artists and adventurers whose projects are intended to move audiences to action on issues that matter.

Several grantee projects are screening at the festival this year.

MOUNTAINFILM ONLINE

Mountainfilm has a dynamic and userfriendly site that offers profiles of our films and special guests, information on our initiatives and timely blogs about news and noteworthy subjects. Visit www.mountainfilm.org, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for daily updates.

WALKING THE TALK

We continue to improve and refine our tradition of reducing the festival’s impacts to as close to zero waste as possible.

Please help by toting your own reusable plates, bowls, cups and utensils to festival events, and please don’t use singlepurpose plastic bags, bottles or containers.

If you need reusable wares, you can find them at the Mountainfilm Store, located at BootDoctors & Paragon Outdoors.

THE NEXT STEP

We love inspiring our audience but believe we can do more by getting you all activized. We want Mountainfilm festival goers to get involved with the humanitarian, environmental, social and cultural causes espoused by our filmmakers and presenters. The Next Step offers a platform for nonprofit organizations to table, meet with guests and share information about how the public can help effect change.

@Telluride_Lat38

WELCOME | SPONSORS | CONTENTS | FESTIVAL TIPS | OUR MISSION | WHAT’S NEW | FILMS | SCHEDULE

PRESENTATIONS | EVENTS | AWARDS & JUDGES | BOARD & DONORS | STAFF | VOLUNTEERS | IN MEMORIAM | MAPS

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NEW THIS YEAR

SearchTellurideRealEstate.com

970.728.0808 I 237 South Oak Street @ the Telluride Gondola

TELLURIDE

FESTIVAL July 21 - 24, 2016 PURCHASE TICKETS AT

TellurideYogaFestival.com

tellurideyogacenter Be sure to visit the

BINDU • BOUTIQUE

located in the studio

201 W. Colorado Ave. Ste. 200 Upstairs in the Nugget Bldg., Corner of Main St. & Fir View schedule online at: tellurideyoga.com, (970) 729-1673

WEEKEND OF WELLNESS JUNE 9 - 12, 2016

TELLURIDEWOW.COM

PHOTO BY SA RA H SC HWA B

We’ve been at this festival stuff for a while (38 years and counting!), but instead of sitting back and resting on our success, we continually evolve to meet the needs of our growing audience.

With that in mind, we’ve got a few improvements in store this year, all built around creating more efficient systems while retaining the intimate festival experience you all cherish. Here are a few of the big ones: NEW FRIDAY PROGRAMMING

We’re expanding our offerings by starting films during the day on Friday, which has traditionally been reserved solely for the Moving Mountains Symposium (page 70). In addition, Fitzroy passes will get people into all theaters for Friday daytime programs. Please see the schedule for details (page 58).

Q TEAM

We’ve created a Q team, a group of folks specially trained and equipped to manage lines, communicate theater capacities, oversee the Q system and let people know the options if theaters are full. They’ll be easy to spot — just look for their red vests and red umbrellas. And please be nice to them because they have tough jobs.

PHOTO BY KITTY HO LBRO O KE

BETTER COMMUNICATIONS

Through our website, social media, improved mobile app and internal communications, we plan to get the word out more efficiently on TBAs, festival updates, theater capacity and other breaking festival news. Remember, the festival is four days long: You can’t do it all, but with this lineup you also can’t go wrong.

PRESENTATIONS | EVENTS | AWARDS & JUDGES | BOARD & DONORS | STAFF | VOLUNTEERS | IN MEMORIAM | MAPS

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REAL ESTATE

ELEVATED gotelluride.com

FILMS

16-49

50-51

FILMS

ADRENALINE

Congratulations to Telluride Mountainfilm for 38 years of educating, inspiring and motivating audiences about issues that matter.

B LO O D L I O N S

O N E SH OT

58-67

54-55

F I N C O N C E I VA B L E

JON DWIGHT MANAGING DIRECTOR 970.708.0691 JON@GOTELLURIDE.COM 14

ALEX MARTIN BROKER ASSOCIATE 970.729.1691 ALEX@GOTELLURIDE.COM

MARCIN OSTROMECKI MARKETING MANAGER 970.708.4119 MARCIN@GOTELLURIDE.COM

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SCHEDULE & BASE CAMP

P H OTO BY K I T T Y H OL BR OO KE

KIDZ KINO

DH = DAVID HOLBROOKE HS = HEATHER SACKETT KK= KATIE KLINGSPORN KC = KINGSTON COLE MS = MARY SLOSSON SC = SETH CAGIN PRESENTATIONS | EVENTS | AWARDS & JUDGES | BOARD & DONORS | STAFF | VOLUNTEERS | IN MEMORIAM | MAPS

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FILMS

FILMS

50 FEET FROM SYRIA Skye Fitzgerald

SATURDAY, 3:15 P.M., SOH SUNDAY, 9:15 A.M., MAS IN PERSON: SKYE FITZGERALD

1-800-GIVE-USYOUR-KIDNEY Samantha Smith

FRIDAY, 9:15 P.M., NUG SATURDAY, 6:45 P.M., NUG IN PERSON: SAMANTHA SMITH, HAROLD MINTZ

“If I don’t give my kidney to somebody this week, will somebody die waiting for it?”

The answer to this question, posed in Samantha Smith’s film, is unequivocally “yes.”

Despite that, ethical and practical riddles surround the willingness of a living donor to undergo surgery to help a complete stranger. Smith doesn’t delve deeply into these questions. She simply tells the story of a kidney donor, Harold Mintz (who has been coming to Mountainfilm for years), and the recipient of his kidney — two individuals strikingly different from one another — leaving the audience to ponder the conundrum of more people needing kidneys than kidneys available. As the final credits roll, the viewer may wonder: “What am I doing walking around with two healthy kidneys?” —SC World Premiere (USA, 2016, 17 min.)

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This short doc begins with a caution: “WARNING: This film contains graphic images of injuries caused by war.” And while the film is disturbing on many levels, it’s important on so many more. Syria remains a vexing geopolitical problem for the world community, but this astonishing documentary isn’t trying to figure out solutions. Rather, its focus is on a Syrian-American doctor named Hisham Bismar, who leaves his comfortable practice in the U.S. to work in a Turkish hospital 50 feet from the border of Syria. The horrors he sees, and the humanity we witness, are indelible and essential. —DH (USA, 2015, 39 min.)

PHOTO BY FO REST WO O DWA RD

70-SOME YEARS Riley Hooper

FRIDAY, 10 A.M., SOH SATURDAY, 3:45 P.M., HC SUNDAY, 12:30 P.M., SOH IN PERSON: RILEY HOOPER

62 YEARS

Logan Bockrath

FRIDAY, 12:45 P.M., MAS SATURDAY, 12 P.M., SOH

Mark Twain said, “Whiskey is for drinking; water is for fighting.” More than half a century after environmentalist and the Sierra Club’s first executive director David Brower traveled down northwest Colorado’s Yampa River with his sons, Twain’s observation still rings true.

The same year of the river trip, 1952, Brower — who attended Mountainfilm several times — led the successful fight against proposed dams in Dinosaur National Monument and Grand Canyon by raising awareness and creating a constituency of conservationists. 62 Years follows Brower’s son, Ken, as he recreates the river trip from his childhood and reflects on his father’s legacy, as well as the future of the droughtplagued American West. —HS (USA, 2015, 9 min.)

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At 90 years old, Henry Bendinelli was a tour de force.

After more than seven decades of skiing, he still found joy in traipsing around the mountains and wanted to share his passion with others. He created a social club in which members could venture into the outdoors through skiing, cycling, dancing and more. Filmmaker Riley Hooper first encountered Bendinelli when she worked for Vimeo. He wrote asking for assistance in deleting videos, and the two struck up an unlikely friendship. Eventually they went skiing together, and Hooper was moved by his infectious zeal for life. 70-Some Years details that life, ranging from Bendinelli’s experiences under fire during war to the many runs he logged skiing.

His story makes clear the importance of pursuing our passions and how sharing the resulting joy with others is the key to a long and healthy life.

—MS (USA, 2015, 6 min.)

ACE AND THE DESERT DOG PHOTO BY MATTIA S FRED RIKSO N

A SIMPLE MACHINE Greg Hackett

FRIDAY, 10 A.M., SOH SATURDAY, 3:45 P.M., HC SUNDAY, 12:30 P.M., SOH IN PERSON: ALEX HAMLIN

Fingers turn a key, push a green button and the gears of le telepherique grind to life.

A Simple Machine: The Life and Death of the La Grave Cablecar is the story of the contraption that, for decades, has carried skiers 7,000 feet up from a tiny village in the French Alps over glaciers and crevasses, providing access to steep off-piste skiing. The yellow and orange gondola cars soar overhead with the help of longtime machinists, who lovingly grease, weld and replace the parts to keep it running smoothly. But the future of La Grave’s cablecar — as well as the town’s connection to its skiing heritage — is uncertain because the lease on the machine is up in 2017, and no one has stepped forward yet to take it over. —HS (France, 2015, 5 min.)

Brendan Leonard, Forest Woodward, Stefan Hunt

FRIDAY, 7 P.M., HC SATURDAY, 9:15 A.M., NUG SUNDAY, 8:45 P.M., BC IN PERSON: ACE KVALE, BRENDAN LEONARD, FOREST WOODWARD, GENGHIS

Ace Kvale, a veteran photographer, and Genghis, a blue heeler “dogger” (that’s canine for “blogger”), live together in the Utah desert.

Their backyard: 2 million acres of canyons, redrock cliffs, washes, empty landscapes and desert wilderness. For his 60th birthday, Kvale decided to go on a 60-day backpacking trip. Genghis, naturally, joined him. Ace and the Desert Dog proves that while backpacking may not be sexy, what it lacks in glamour it makes up for in meaning. Kvale and Genghis are living proof, plodding along to spectacular places only reachable by foot, following the cycles of the season and learning lasting lessons from one another. Namely: Slow down, spend as much time with your best friends as possible and don’t forget to play. —KK (USA, 2016, 9 min.)

PRESENTATIONS | EVENTS | AWARDS & JUDGES | BOARD & DONORS | STAFF | VOLUNTEERS | IN MEMORIAM | MAPS

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FILMS

FILMS

ALMOST SUNRISE Michael Collins

THE AGE OF CONSEQUENCES ADVENTURES OF THE DODO

Sean Villanueva O’Driscoll, REEL ROCK

THE ADVENTURE DISPATCH — STEVE FASSBINDER Warren Kommers

FRIDAY, 9:45 P.M., HC SATURDAY, 12 P.M., NUG IN PERSON: STEVE FASSBINDER

He’s no Instagram star or climbing celebrity, but longtime Durango resident Steve Fassbinder is a true explorer.

Using fat bikes, climbing gear and inflatable packrafts to access and link up remote destinations, Fassbinder sets out deep into the desert country of the Four Corners area, experiencing places few of us will ever see and pioneering a new way of travel. This short film follows Fassbinder and a friend on an adventure that combines tower climbing, narrows biking, canyon camping and rafting with the desolation of landscapes that are too far off the beaten path for most people. —KK (USA, 2016, 6 min.)

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FRIDAY, 6 P.M., SOH SUNDAY, 12 P.M., PALM IN PERSON: BEN DITTO, ZAC BARR, PETER MORTIMER

A tiny sailboard named The Dodo’s Delight bobbing through mountain-size waves and ducking icebergs in the Arctic. A band of scraggly and malodorous climbers from all corners of the Earth, armed with instruments and climbing ropes. A Scottish septuagenarian captain wont to nod off at any moment. And a mission: to sail from Greenland to Baffin Island in search of virgin walls to climb. These are the ingredients of Adventures of the Dodo, a film that combines the rollicking existence of life at sea with musical interludes, big unknowns and some incredible rock walls. The result is the epitome of adventure. —KK U.S. Premiere (USA, 2016, 25 min.)

Jared P. Scott

FRIDAY, 12:45 P.M., MAS SATURDAY, 12 P.M., SOH IN PERSON: JARED P. SCOTT, SOPHIE ROBINSON

To the U.S. military, climate change is a security risk, a “threat multiplier for instability.” The Age of Consequences connects the dots from climate change to drought in Syria, which displaced millions of people and was a likely catalyst for the Syrian Civil War, to instability in the Sahel, also fueled by drought, to the growing refugee crisis in the Mediterranean.

The less resilient a society, the more vulnerable it may be to the disruptions of climate change. But as climate change produces cascading disasters, even the biggest military in the world will find it hard to respond. The military experts interviewed in Jared P. Scott’s film don’t doubt that the world is already experiencing the effects of climate change.

The only question is whether humanity can act in time to mitigate the worst of the possible consequences. — SC U.S. Premiere (USA, 2016, 80 min.)

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FRIDAY, 6:30 P.M., PALM SUNDAY, 9:15 A.M., HC MONDAY, 11:45 A.M., HC IN PERSON: MICHAEL COLLINS, TOM VOSS, ANTHONY ANDERSON, KATINKA HOOYER, MARTY SYJUCO, OTHERS

A remarkable number of veterans return from America’s interventions shattered, committing suicide at a rate of almost one per hour.

Almost Sunrise looks at this epidemic through the lens of two men who fought together in Iraq. After returning to the U.S., Tom Voss and Anthony Anderson struggled for years before deciding to walk across the country to help heal themselves. What they find is that these steps are only the beginning of the longest journey of their lives.

This documentary tells a tale of physical and mental challenges — and much more.

It introduces the term “moral injury” (the psychological damage service members face when experiences on the battlefield challenge their moral beliefs) and asks what we take from the young men and women who sacrifice so much for their country. It shows what it requires to reclaim and reorient your life when you’ve been to hell and back. It’s not an easy path, but it’s one worth taking. —DH World Premiere (USA, 2016, 95 min.)

BLOOD LIONS

Bruce Young, Nick Chevallier

SATURDAY, 3:30 P.M., MAS SUNDAY, 3:45 P.M., MAS IN PERSON: IAN MICHLER

BISONHEAD Elizabeth Lo

SATURDAY, 12 P.M., MAS SUNDAY, 9:30 A.M., NUG

Yellowstone National Park was once the ancestral hunting grounds of the Ponderai people, who relied on wild bison for survival. Today, the Ponderai are restricted to a small pocket of land outside the park for hunting. This short film follows a family as they travel to this zone to participate in the culling of wild bison and preservation of their treaty hunting rights. The film offers an understated and powerful glimpse into the struggle to keep ancient traditions alive, the marginalization of indigenous people and the slippery definition of the word “freedom.” —KK (USA, 2015, 9 min.)

This exposé of the commercial exploitation of lions in South Africa is not for the squeamish. Some 200 factory farms breed lions, removing the cubs from their mothers within days in order to produce another litter quickly. The cubs are nurtured by paying volunteers from Europe and the U.S., who believe they’re aiding the conservation effort by helping the cubs survive.

After the lions become habituated to humans, tourists pay to pose with them for photos. Ultimately, the full-grown animals are sold to hunters, who select their targets in advance online.

“Canned hunting is all about a quick, easy kill for the hunter, and it’s about large profits for the operator,” says Ian Michler, a South African safari operator and journalist who partnered with producer Pippa Hankinson to document the workings of the multi-million-dollar industry.

While it is ethical by no imaginable code, this industry is legal under South African law. —SC U.S. Premiere (South Africa, 2015, 84 min.)

PRESENTATIONS | EVENTS | AWARDS & JUDGES | BOARD & DONORS | STAFF | VOLUNTEERS | IN MEMORIAM | MAPS

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FILMS

FILMS

CANYON SONG

Amy Marquis, Dana Romanoff

PH OTO BY AN D RE AS J O HN S E N

CAMEL GASTROLITH Chris Jordan

BUGS

SATURDAY, 3:30 P.M., MAS SUNDAY, 3:45 P.M., MAS

FRIDAY, 9:30 P.M., MAS SATURDAY, 12 P.M., PALM IN PERSON: ANDREAS JOHNSEN

When Chris Jordan — an artist, activist, past Mountainfilm guest and filmmaker whose work focuses on the staggering volume of trash humans spew into the world — received a package from a friend in the Arabian desert, the contents shocked him. Inside was a surreal mass of plastic, metal and glass — a strange conglomeration of trash.

He came to find out this object was found in the stomach of a dead camel that had consumed, among other things, more than 500 plastic bags before perishing. Camel Gastrolith is a short film that challenges viewers to think hard about their consumption, lifestyle and the consequences of their actions on the Earth.

—KK Colorado Premiere (USA, 2016, 4 min.)

Andreas Johnsen

With an ever-growing global population, the challenges of how we feed 8, 9, even 10 billion people is going to become ever more challenging. One emerging solution to provide a readily available source of protein: bugs.

For the engaging characters in this documentary, bugs are not only nutritious but also delicious. This film follows chef Ben Reade and scientist Josh Evans as they journey around the world to dig gleefully into hives and under trees to find local delicacies that less intrepid gourmands might find, uh, repulsive. BUGS mixes this rollicking pursuit for treats into the bigger question: What the hell are we going to eat in the future? —DH (Denmark, 2016, 75 min.)

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FRIDAY, 6:45 P.M., MAS SUNDAY, 12 P.M., MAS IN PERSON: AMY MARQUIS, DANA ROMANOFF, THE DRAPER FAMILY

Canyon de Chelly, located on the Navajo Nation in northeastern Arizona, was once home to the Ancient Puebloans, who lived in the area for thousands of years and built sophisticated homes in alcoves tucked under the cliff walls. In the winter of 1984, during a systematic campaign to force the Navajo people off their land, the U.S. military faced off against a holdout of Navajo people in Canyon de Chelly. The Navajo tried to escape, but most were taken prisoner and forced to march 300 miles out of the canyon in a deep and bitter cold — a traumatic event known in Navajo history as the “Long Walk.” The Draper family is descended from participants in the Long Walk and eventually returned to the canyon. Today, young Tonisha Draper and her little sister, Tonielle, are learning Navajo traditions from their father. This short film follows Tonisha, Toneille and their family as they reclaim their Navajo history and reconnect with ancestors within the canyon walls. (Tonisha will sing at the Moving Mountains Symposium.) —MS World Premiere (USA, 2016, 13 min.)

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DO NOT RESIST Craig Atkinson

CLINICÁ DE MIGRANTES: LIFE, LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS

FRIDAY, 6:45 P.M., LIB SUNDAY, 12 P.M., NUG IN PERSON: CRAIG ATKINSON, LAURA HARTRICK

Maxim Pozdorovkin

SATURDAY, 3:15 P.M., SOH SUNDAY, 9:15 A.M., MAS

Puentes de Salud is a volunteerrun clinic that provides free medical care to undocumented immigrants in south Philadelphia. Here, doctors and nurses work pro bono to serve people who would otherwise fall through the cracks.

Clinicá de Migrantes, a potent film by Maxim Pozdorovkin (director of The Notorious Mr. Bout, which played at Mountainfilm in 2014) follows the workers and patients of Puentes through months of routine care and facility growth.

Along the way, the film puts a face to the millions of people who exist on the margins of society: people displaced from their homelands, separated from their families, unfamiliar with the customs, unable to obtain health insurance and terrified to come forward to seek medical help. Along with revealing these patient stories, Clinicá is also a look at the heroic doctors and nurses who volunteer to ensure these people receive care, offering a deeply moving look at the limitless potential of humanity. —KK (USA, 2016, 40 min.)

THE CLOCK OF THE LONG NOW Jimmy Goldblum, Adam Weber

FRIDAY, 12:45 P.M., NUG SATURDAY, 9:30 A.M., PALM

Why would an accomplished engineer and inventor devote himself to building a clock designed to last 10,000 years?

Maybe Danny Hillis is doing it because he can. And in this short film about his 10,000-year clock, he makes you think about the epic scope of time. —SC Colorado Premiere (USA, 2015, 3 min.)

Across America, citizens are protesting police shootings; small cities are acquiring military-grade armored vehicles, despite opposition; heavily armed SWAT teams are issuing intrusive no-call warrants; and legislators are hotly debating the merits of spending billions of dollars on conflict-grade police equipment. Do Not Resist, a stunning debut documentary by Craig Atkinson, takes us inside the increasingly militarized world of police culture in the U.S. With incredible access, the film offers an alarming montage of policing issues across the country — from the chaotic riots in Ferguson, Missouri, to drug raids in the rural south, a national police training seminar, committee meetings in Capitol Hill and tactical training camps for SWAT team members. The result is a rare and disturbing look into the systemic realities of our country’s police officers.

—KK Colorado Premiere (USA, 2016, 70 min.)

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FILMS

ECLIPSE

Anthony Bonello

WEDNESDAY, 8:45 P.M., BC SUNDAY, 12 P.M., HC IN PERSON: REUBEN KRABBE

The photo appeared on the cover of Powder magazine’s 2016 photo annual: a skier shredding a line in the foreground of a solar eclipse. But the image tells only the crux of the story.

Eclipse, directed by Anthony Bonello, chronicles the other half — the adventure, obsession and effort required to get that incredible shot. Polar bears, negative 20-degree temperatures, capricious fog and clouds, rain, frostbite and variable snowpack are among the myriad adversities that photographer and mastermind Reuben Krabbe and his team braved to capture the iconic photo. Eclipse is a ski movie with an end goal. Skiers Cody Townsend, Chris Rubens and Brody Leven provide the talent along the way. From skiing couloirs to touring a ghost town and avoiding sea-ice on heavily laden snowmobiles, all the way to the eclipse itself, we can’t help but feel their pain and share their bliss as they traverse a Norweigen archipelago in search of an elusive, once-in-ageneration photograph. —KC (Canada, 2015, 31 min.)

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FILMS

EDGES

ELK RIVER

FRIDAY, 9:15 P.M., PALM SATURDAY, 8:45 P.M., HC SUNDAY, 6:45 P.M., SOH IN PERSON: KATIE STJERNHOLM, JONATHAN HILLER

SATURDAY, 6:15 P.M., SOH SUNDAY, 4 P.M., SOH IN PERSON: JENNY NICHOLS, JOE RIIS

Katie Stjernholm

She survived a major car crash at the age of 80 and then a major stroke at the age of 85. And still, at the age of 90 years young, Yvonne Dowlen continued to ice skate almost every day until she passed away (in early May).

Dowlen insisted it was easier to skate than walk at her age. Her elegance on ice reflected the decades she spent traveling the world as a performer in the Ice Capades and sharing her love of dancing on ice as a teacher.

Indeed, skating helped her recover and rehabilitate from the most challenging times in her life. She spent every day pursuing what made her happy — and that is the true wisdom in her story. —MS World Premiere (USA, 2016, 9 min.)

Jenny Nichols, Joe Riis

Scientist Arthur Middleton joins photographer Joe Riis, artist James Prosek and filmmaker Jenny Nichols in this documentary that captures the migration of elk in the Yellowstone area through a multidisciplinary lens. For many of the elk herds that summer in Yellowstone National Park, home the rest of the year is outside the protected park boundaries the, as far as 170 miles away. Mirroring a similar expedition undertaken in 1871 that fused science and the arts, this modern band of explorers join their ungulate counterparts on a trek from Wyoming’s rangeland through snowy mountain passes and treacherous river crossings to the rugged beauty of Yellowstone’s high-alpine meadows. Along the way, they meet backcountry guides and cattle ranchers whose lives are intricately tied with the fate of the elk and other migratory species that call the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem home.

—MS World Premiere (USA, 2016, 28 min.)

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ENGLER

Ryan Heffernan, Grayson Schaffer

FRIDAY, 9:45 P.M., HC SATURDAY, 12 P.M., NUG IN PERSON: RYAN HEFFERNAN, GRAYSON SCHAFFER, ANNA CALLAGHAN, GILLIAN BRASSIL

As a shy kid, Mark Engler’s escape was the outdoors.

Hunting and fishing every day was his passion and, over the years, he became an expert fly fisherman and guide.

Although the fly-fishing master has spent almost five decades fishing the Rio Grande Valley, the splashing struggle of a sharp-toothed northern pike on Engler’s line still gives him the shakes. But as Engler’s young roommate and mentee Les Vance learns, Engler’s outdoor lifestyle comes at a price: The fishing obsession has cost him three wives. Then again, as Vance says, turning out like the legendary Engler wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.

—HS (USA, 2015, 7 min.)

ENLIGHTEN US: THE RISE AND FALL OF JAMES ARTHUR RAY Jenny Carchman

FRIDAY, 9:15 P.M., NUG SATURDAY, 6:45 P.M., NUG IN PERSON: JENNY CARCHMAN, SETH BOMSE

In October 2009, motivational speaker James Arthur Ray was at the top of his game: He was a rising star in the $10-billionper-year self-help industry who had been championed by Oprah Winfrey. Then, a sweat lodge ceremony he conducted went terribly wrong. Three participants died and 19 were hospitalized.

Perhaps what’s most mesmerizing about this film

by Jenny Carchman is how it peels back the layers of Ray’s persona without uncovering anything fraudulent. Ray proves to be an all-American naïf who drinks his own Kool-Aid and believes in the power of positive thinking, even after serving two years in prison and being released to a life of sharply reduced fame, fortune and influence. “There’s a lot of hubris that comes with being a savior,” Ray finally observes, managing to transform the troubling saga of his own rise and fall into a simple parable of self-enlightenment. —SC Colorado Premiere (USA, 2016, 85 min.)

E.O. WILSON: OF ANTS AND MEN Shelley Schulze

FRIDAY, 12:45 P.M., NUG SATURDAY, 9:30 A.M., PALM IN PERSON: SHELLEY SCHULZE

He coined the term biodiversity, sparked a new understanding of social species and what it means to be human and became a legendary professor of entomology and champion of conservation. And, after studying the natural world for 70 years, E.O. Wilson is still introducing ideas that provoke both acclaim and criticism. He’s also an endearing Southern gentleman with an insatiable curiosity and delight in nature that hasn’t ebbed an iota during his nine decades on Earth.

E.O. Wilson: Of Ants and Men explores the extraordinary life of a man who has spent a lifetime understanding insect behavior while also witnessing staggering environmental destruction and loss of species.

Along the way, he’s gleaned insight into the human condition and somehow retained unbending optimism about the future. This film examines the remarkable story of a man with an inexhaustible hunger for knowledge and a one-of-a-kind perspective. —KK (USA, 2015, 92 min.)

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FILMS

FILMS

FAST FORWARD Ryan Heffernan Grayson Schaffer

FALLEN FEATHER EQUAL FOOTING

Dan Holz, Eric Elofson

SATURDAY, 9:30 A.M., HC SUNDAY, 9:15 A.M., PALM IN PERSON: DAN HOLZ, ERIC ELOFSON, KIM HAVELL, JULIA HEEMSTRA

Shared adventures in the mountains form deep, lifelong bonds. This short film by Dan Holz and Eric Elofson follows alpinists Kim Havell and Julia Heemstra as they reflect upon life, love and loss during a trip into Wyoming’s Wind River Range. The pair discuss the realities of being female climbers in what is traditionally a maledominated pursuit and share the pure playfulness and joy of challenging their limits in the backcountry. —MS World Premiere (USA, 2015, 8 min.)

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Aaron Peterson

FRIDAY, 8:45 P.M., BC SATURDAY, 8:45 P.M., MAS IN PERSON: AARON PETERSON

The state of Michigan is not exactly known as a climbing mecca, but that’s changing.

Enter the cold months. Extreme temperatures around Lake Superior create some of the country’s most exciting ice climbing with huge routes that hang precariously and directly over this enormous and freezing-cold body of water.

Filmmaker Aaron Peterson, a Michigan denizen who previously brought us Cold Rolled about fat biking in the region, returns to Mountainfilm with Fallen Feather, a story about professional climber Sam Elias who returns to his native Michigan to scale some home ice. —DH Colorado Premiere (USA, 2016, 10 min.)

FRIDAY, 9:45 P.M., HC SATURDAY, 12 P.M., NUG IN PERSON: RYAN HEFFERNAN, GRAYSON SCHAFFER, ANNA CALLAGHAN, GILLIAN BRASSIL, ASHLEE LANGHOLZ

Ultra-long-distance bikepacker Lael Wilcox has spent six months of each year pedaling around the world and drinking in the bounty of travel from the special vantagepoint of her bike seat. “It’s kind of like a feral existence,” she says.

In 2015, she started racing in bikepacking events. That year, she shattered the women’s course record by two days in her first-ever attempt of the epic 2,745-mile, self-supported Tour Divide — a mountain bike race that traces the Continental Divide from Banff, Alberta, to Antelope Wells, New Mexico. Following that win, she attempts to break the women’s record for the 800mile Arizona Trail, a recently designated National Scenic Trail. Fast Forward follows Wilcox as she pushes her limits in the Arizona desert. —MS (USA, 2016, 8 min.)

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FLEDGLINGS Cedar Wright

FRIDAY, 6 P.M., SOH SUNDAY, 12 P.M., PALM IN PERSON: CEDAR WRIGHT, TAYLOR KEATING

As longtime professional climbers who eat, sleep and live the sport, Cedar Wright (director of the Sufferfest series) and Matt Segal are used to being competent, comfortable and at the top of their game.

Then they get into paragliding, and what starts as a toe dip turns quickly into a consuming addiction, as well as a lesson in what it’s like to be bumbling, naïve, gung-ho beginners. Tree landings, sketchy moments and junkshow launches become part of the new normal.

With only six months of flying under their belts, and professional flier Matt Henzi as sensei, Wright and Segal embark on an audacious objective: to climb and fly off Orizaba, the third-highest peak in the Americas and the highest in Mexico. What ensues is disaster-style climbing, iffy weather, broken gear and a lesson in jumping into the deep end and being forced to swim.

—KK (USA, 2016, 20 min.)

PHOTO BY MATTIA S FRED RIKSO N

THE FORECASTER Greg Hackett

FRIDAY, 9:15 P.M., SOH SUNDAY, 4:15 P.M., NUG IN PERSON: ALEX HAMLIN

Drew Hardesty wakes up early every day and skins up the mountain to examine the snowpack — building snowpits, inspecting individual snowflakes, recording temperatures and carefully testing aspects. The Forecaster is a short film that provides the visual reel behind the daily reports on the radio, offering a glimpse into the everyday tasks required to help keep the masses safe in the backcountry. —KC (USA, 2015, 4 min.)

GEORGE SAUNDERS: ON STORY Sarah Klein, Tom Mason

FRIDAY, 12:30 P.M., SOH FRIDAY, 9:30 P.M., LIB SATURDAY, 9:30 P.M., NUG SUNDAY, 4 P.M., HC

Telling a story is an act of generosity, as described by author George Saunders in this short film by Tom Mason and Sarah Klein. An author cannot approach the characters, situation or even the words with preconceptions, Saunders explains. He demonstrates by elaborating simple sentences.

George Saunders: On Story evinces the same creativity as its subject, finding in images and music ways to illustrate what Saunders says. —SC (USA, 2015, 7 min.)

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FILMS

FILMS

PHOTO BY PETE MC BRID E P H OTO BY BE N WOL F

THE GREAT ALONE Greg Kohs

FRIDAY, 7 P.M., HC SATURDAY, 9:15 A.M., NUG SUNDAY, 8:45 P.M., BC IN PERSON: LANCE MACKEY

After his father’s dramatic win of the 1978 Iditarod by a hair’s breadth, it seemed inevitable that Lance Mackey would one day mush his own dog sled team in the annual race from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska. Mackey won the grueling event — which covers remote, barren and rugged stretches of the Alaska Range and the Bering Sea Coast — in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010. To win, he had to overcome challenges larger than mushing a team of dogs 1,000 miles across the largest state in the Union. The Great Alone chronicles Mackey’s life, from his troubled adolescence and painful health crisis to the 2013 Iditarod, his twelfth attempt at the race. But whether he wins or loses, Mackey’s love for his canine companions means he’s never truly alone in the Arctic wilderness. —HS (USA, 2015, 80 min.)

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THE HAPPY FILM

HOLY (UN)HOLY RIVER

FRIDAY, 10 A.M., NUG SATURDAY, 9:30 P.M., SOH SUNDAY, 7:15 P.M., PALM

SATURDAY, 6:15 P.M., SOH SUNDAY, 6:45 P.M., NUG IN PERSON: PETE MCBRIDE, JAKE NORTON

Pete McBride, Jake Norton

Ben Nabors, Stefan Sagmeister, Hillman Curtis

THE GREAT SIBERIAN TRAVERSE Leo Hoorn

THURSDAY, 8:45 P.M., BC SATURDAY, 6:15 P.M., HC IN PERSON: LEON HOORN

With a cinematic nod to Wes Anderson, The Great Siberian Traverse sets off on a grand journey to ski across Russia.

Professional skiers Ingrid Backstrom, Mike Martini and Callum Pettit travel via the Trans-Siberian railway in wintery Siberia for a ski trip that is as much about transcontinental travel as it is about shredding in all its forms: backcountry skiing, resort skiing, powder skiing and so much more. —KC (Canada, 2015, 28 min.)

By all metrics, Austrian designer Stefan Sagmeister is doing well. He has a successful career designing album covers and resides in the city of his dreams, New York. But Sagmeister has a nagging suspicion that there’s more to life, that in his nearly 50 years on Earth he has yet to achieve true happiness.

So he turns himself into his most audacious design project yet, setting out to explore the effects of meditation, therapy and drugs on his emotional wellness. But his experiment is muddied by real life when love, death, relationships and art tangle the process.

This visually stunning film

by Sagmeister and Ben Nabors not only chronicles a fascinating and relatable journey of seeking, but also allows the audience a front-row seat inside the innovative, inspired and wildly imaginative mind of Sagmeister. It’s a place well worth hanging out in. —KK Colorado Premiere (USA, 2016, 96 min.)

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P H OTO BY JAME S MEIGH

HEAVENS ELEVEN Wesley Coughlin

FRIDAY, 10 A.M., SOH SATURDAY, 3:45 P.M., HC SUNDAY, 12:30 P.M., SOH IN PERSON: WESLEY COUGHLIN, HERB MANNING

Matthias Giraud — aka Super Frenchie — is a pro skier and BASE jumper who was the first person to ski BASE the Matterhorn. Six years ago, he skied off of Ingram Peak in Telluride, and he returned to Telluride to do the same on the Heaven’s Eleven in 2016.

The line, which can be seen from the top of Lift 9, features a narrow, rocky, hairy descent, made even more so when the egress of choice is flying. Local filmmaker Brett Schreckengost worked on this film, and local skier Herb Manning guided Giraud. —DH (USA, 2016, 7 min.)

PHOTO BY BEAU KA HLER

HIGH AND MIGHTY Nick Rosen, Peter Mortimer, Josh Lowell

SATURDAY, 9:30 A.M., HC SUNDAY, 9:15 A.M., PALM IN PERSON: PETER MORTIMER

The no-fall zone: It’s what makes highball bouldering the new cutting edge of climbing, where miniscule holds and overhanging routes can stretch more than 30 feet above the ground with no protection beyond a pile of crash pads below. But the thing about pushing bouldering to new heights — literally — is that the consequences also rise.

Broken bones, concussions and trips to the hospital are among the more unfortunate results.

And sometimes, the mental toughness required is even more strenuous than the actual climbing. This documentary from Sender Films follows the wild personalities who are pushing bouldering into higher and mightier places it’s never been before. —MS (USA, 2015, 20 min.)

What starts as a traditional expedition film at the source of the Ganges high in the Himalaya becomes something else entirely as co-directors Pete McBride and Jake Norton — both previous Mountainfilm guests — journey downriver.

Although once celebrated for its purity, the Ganges now carries contaminates from its glacial headwaters, where freshly fallen snow contains zinc from industrial emissions.

Downriver, the river is dammed 16 times (with another 14 dams under construction) to provide hydroelectric power. Water is diverted for agriculture and other uses, and the 500 million people in the Ganges basin further pollute the river with household trash, industrial waste, raw sewage and the remains of the dead.

Still, the Hindu faithful seek to cleanse their sins by bathing in the holy water. As the title suggests, Holy (un)Holy River examines the paradox of a sacred river treated so profanely that it’s existence as a river, as opposed to an open sewer, is in question. —SC World Premiere (USA, 2016, 60 min.)

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FILMS

FILMS

HOW TO LET GO OF THE WORLD AND LOVE ALL THE THINGS CLIMATE CAN’T CHANGE

IN THE ARENA Taylor Zann

Josh Fox

SATURDAY, 6:15 P.M., PALM SUNDAY, 4:15 P.M., PALM IN PERSON: JOSH FOX, DEIA SCHLOSBERG, GABRIEL MAYERS, LEE ZIESCHE

Josh Fox brought to light the horrors of natural gas development in his documentaries Gasland and Gasland 2. Now, he turns his attention to an even bigger issue: climate change. How to Let Go of the World and Love All the Things Climate Can’t Change follows Fox as he delves into a world of activists who are working to turn back the specter of climate change and its attendant calamities like super-storms, rising oceans and massive resettlements.

The people he meets on his journey are wildly outmanned, but fiercely determined.

In this surprisingly upbeat documentary, Fox goes beyond the primacy of the issue to tap into something deeper. What he wants us to understand is nothing less than the essence of the human condition, which he believes may not keep the seas from swamping society, but will provide a buoy in our challenging future. —DH (USA, 2015, 127 min.)

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PH OTO BY A L E X A N DR I A B OM B AC H

HOW WE CHOOSE Alexandria Bombach

SATURDAY, 3:15 P.M., SOH SUNDAY, 9:15 A.M., MAS IN PERSON: ALEXANDRIA BOMBACH, MURPHY STUDEBAKER

After years of war, concrete blockades, corruption, suicide bombings and the departure of friends and family for safer countries, there are few opportunities left in Kabul, Afghanistan. How We Choose follows several people as they grapple with the heartwrenching decision to leave their motherland — some illegally — and start over again in a new country. The optimists who stay do so because of their desire to bring about positive change and to help create a hopeful future where suicide attacks are not part of daily life. Staying or going — each present much to be lost, as well as gained. —HS (USA, 2016, 14 min.)

IN SEARCH OF ZOTZ Jason Jaacks, Anand Varma

SATURDAY, 9:15 A.M., SOH SUNDAY, 4 P.M., SOH IN PERSON: JASON JAACKS, ANAND VARMA

Deep in the Yucatan rainforest, densely inhabited for 1,500 years by the Maya, University of Mexico Professor of Ecology Rodrigo Medellin and National Geographic photographer Anand Varma (who presented at Mountainfilm as a National Geographic Young Explorer in 2012) work together to research and photograph two rare species of Vampire bat, “the jaguars of the bat world.” These large, elusive, carnivorous bats — called zotz in the Mayan language — evoke a deep sense of mystery, not least because they now inhabit the ruins of the lost Mayan civilization. —SC World Premiere (Mexico, 2016, 10 min.)

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FRIDAY, 9:15 P.M., SOH SUNDAY, 4:15 P.M., NUG IN PERSON: TAYLOR ZANN, DAVE HAHN

Mountaineer Dave Hahn has stood on top of the world 15 times — more than any nonSherpa climber. But after 30 years as a guide, attaining the summit of Mt. Everest is no longer the driving force behind Hahn’s adventures. He recalls President Teddy Roosevelt’s words that “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena … who strives valiantly … who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly…” Hahn understands that the heart of mountain climbing is about the journey, not the destination.

—HS World Premiere (USA, 2016, 6 min.)

IRENE

Cat Cannon

FRIDAY, 6:45 P.M., MAS SUNDAY, 12 P.M., MAS IN PERSON: CAT CANNON, IRENE BENNALLEY

This sympathetic, lyrical portrait of a self-described “Navajo lady sheepherder” details a solitary life on the reservation.

A survivor of spousal abuse that occurred when she left the reservation as a young woman, Irene Bennalley has returned to her childhood home, where she has recovered her psychological and physical health. She survives — despite isolation exacerbated by estrangement from jealous siblings, despite inhabiting land degraded by historic and ongoing overgrazing, and despite living in a ramshackle house. “I just kind of walked away the pain,” Bennalley says, reflecting on the difficult journey that’s brought her to a state of grace.

First-time director Cat Cannon made Irene with support from a Mountainfilm Commitment Grant awarded in 2014. —SC World Premiere (USA, 2016, 30 min.)

JIM: THE JAMES FOLEY STORY Brian Oakes

SATURDAY, 6 P.M., MAS SUNDAY, 6:15 P.M., MAS IN PERSON: HEATHER MACDONALD

The beheading of American journalist James Foley in August 2014 was the incident that first brought awareness of ISIS’ extreme brutality to the public. In this, ISIS achieved its objective of instilling terror in its purported enemies (essentially all of us) — dehumanizing Foley by replacing him with the indelible image of a captive in an orange jumpsuit facing his own death.

In Jim: The James Foley Story, Brian Oakes, a childhood friend of Foley’s, sets out to shed light on the man behind the event.

Winner of the Audience Award for documentary at Sundance, this film is a moving drama of a family caught up in an unbearable crisis. But hovering over the story from beginning to end are challenging questions about the practice of journalism in an age of global terrorism and news disseminated by way of social media. —SC (USA, 2016, 110 min.)

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FILMS

FILMS

JUMBO WILD Nick Waggoner

JOE LAHOUT Nick Martini

THURSDAY, 8:45 P.M., BC FRIDAY, 9:45 P.M., HC SATURDAY, 12 P.M., NUG IN PERSON: NICK MARTINI, ANTHONY R. LAHOUT, JOSEPH LAHOUT, JR., JOSEPH LAHOUT III

Joe Lahout has been outfitting skiers of the Northeast since the very beginning — when a lift ticket at Cannon Mountain cost 25 cents. Born in 1922 in an apartment above Lahout’s Country Clothing and Ski Shop in Littleton, New Hampshire, Lahout still runs America’s oldest ski shop, which is crammed full of vintage leather ski boots and U.S. Ski Team memorabilia. Joe Lahout is the story of an old-timer who still believes in skiing’s simple roots: speed, freedom and the great outdoors. —HS World Premiere (USA, 2015, 4 min.)

30

SATURDAY, 12 P.M., MAS SUNDAY, 9:30 A.M., NUG IN PERSON: NICK WAGGONER, LAURA YALE, ROBYN DUNCAN

The North American frontier has been all but conquered, and few truly wild places remain. One of the last is the Jumbo Valley, located deep in the Purcell Mountains of British Columbia, a vast landscape home to incredible backcountry ski terrain, Native American ancestral lands and an increasingly threatened population of grizzly bears.

Occupied by the Ktunaxa Nation for more than 400 generations, the Jumbo Valley has, for the past few decades, been ground zero for a monumental fight — with environmentalists and First Nations pitted against developers aiming to turn the place into Jumbo Glacier Resort.

The battle to keep Jumbo wild has created an unlikely alignment between backcountry enthusiasts, trappers, politicians, the Ktunaxa Nation and environmentalists in an effort to keep the valley free from the resort and development that would accompany it. Jumbo Wild, a film by Sweetgrass Productions, weaves these complex threads into a thoughtprovoking question: What makes a place too sacred for human impact? —MS (Canada, 2015, 60 min.)

JUREK

Pawel Wysoczanski

FRIDAY, 9:15 P.M., SOH SUNDAY, 4:15 P.M., NUG IN PERSON: PAWEL WYSOCZANSKI

Jurek Kukuczka isn’t a household name, but in the niche of alpinism his feats have made him a legend. He’s considered a pioneer of the sport, marked by a tough-asnails style, huge ambitions and steely drive. Before Kukuczka died during a 1989 attempt to scale the south face of Llotse, he attained an impressive list of high-elevation achievements: second person to climb all 14 of the world’s 18,000-foot peaks; first to make winter ascents of Dhaulagiri, Kangchenjunga and Annapurna; and, with a partner, he established a new route on K2 that hasn’t been repeated. But his rise to success was unlikely. Kukuczka came from a working-class background, and before he was a climbing star he was a miner in communist Poland. Using archival footage, interviews with friends and photographs, Jurek creates a portrait of a man whose outward stoicism masked an intense fire to be in the mountains — giving insight into a mountaineer who was known by many but understood by few. —KK U.S. Premiere (Poland, 2015, 73 min.)

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P H OTO BY RYAN P ETERSO N

KAMCHATKA STEELHEAD PROJECT

Travis Rummel, Grayson Schaffer SATURDAY, 6:15 P.M., SOH SUNDAY, 6:45 P.M., NUG IN PERSON: GRAYSON SCHAFFER, BEN KNIGHT, RYAN PETERSON

Located between the Bering Sea and the Sea of Okhotsk, Russia’s remote Kamchatka Peninsula is home to some of the world’s most abundant steelhead runs. Under Russian law, the thick-bodied fish are protected as an endangered species, and it’s illegal to catch them — unless the fishing is done by anglers collecting biological data. The Kamchatka Steelhead Project is a U.S.-Russia partnership that monitors the steelhead population through catch and release. Over the course of 20 years it’s produced an extensive body of data about the fish in their wild and native habitat.

Produced by the Felt Soul Media team, this film is, in a way, the follow-up to their Russian fly-fishing classic Eastern Rises. —HS World Premiere (USA, 2016, 7 min.)

KICKASS KATIE LEE

KROGER’S CANTEEN

FRIDAY, 9:15 P.M., PALM SATURDAY, 8:45 P.M., HC SUNDAY, 6:45 P.M., SOH IN PERSON: BETH GAGE, GEORGE GAGE, KATIE LEE

FRIDAY, 9:45 P.M., HC SATURDAY, 12 P.M., NUG IN PERSON: KATHY GREEN

Beth Gage, George Gage

Activist, author and singer Katie Lee has been a mainstay at Mountainfilm for years, celebrated for her fierce environmentalism. Her hallmark issue was fighting Glen Canyon Dam, a battle she hasn’t given up decades after the dam was built and even after she passed the 90-year mark. The inimitable Lee has been in many films at the festival, but the short doc Kickass Katie Lee, made

by Beth and George Gage (the creators of Bidder 70), takes a different, more personal, look at this indomitable spirit. —DH World Premiere (USA, 2016, 8 min.)

Dean Leslie

Perched on a precarious notch in a jagged ridgeline at 13,100 feet in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains, Kroger’s Canteen — named after Telluride’s legendary Chuck Kroger — is an aid station along the Hardrock Hundred Mile Endurance Run. Staffed by a crew of seven, all veterans of the 100-mile ultramarathon, the station doles out supplies to hungry and thirsty runners — as well as a traditional shot of tequila for those embarking on the extraordinary race, which loops from Silverton through southwest Colorado’s Ouray, Lake City and Telluride. Aid station captain Roch Horton and his volunteers haul the station’s supplies in on their backs each year, but despite the rigorous work, manning the station is such an honor that there’s a wait list. This short film documents the power of human perseverance and the great rewards that can be reaped from helping others achieve their dreams. —MS Colorado Premiere (South Africa, 2015, 8 min.)

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FILMS

FILMS

LIFE AFTER WATER

LIFE, ANIMATED

SATURDAY, 6:15 P.M., SOH SUNDAY, 6:45 P.M., NUG IN PERSON: ANDREW ELLIS, MEREDITH HOGAN

FRIDAY, 12:30 P.M., SOH FRIDAY, 9:30 P.M., LIB SATURDAY, 9:30 P.M., NUG SUNDAY, 4 P.M., HC MONDAY, 9:30 A.M., HC IN PERSON: RON SUSKIND (SUNDAY)

Andrew Ellis

LANGTANG: SUMMITS OF MY LIFE

Sébastien Montaz-Rosset SATURDAY, 9:15 A.M., SOH SUNDAY, 10 A.M., SOH

In April 2015, ultrarunner Kilian Jornet was about to travel to Nepal on an expedition to Everest as part of his Summits of My Life project, an endeavor through which he has been shattering speed records on some of the most imposing mountains on the planet (Mont Blanc, Matterhorn, Denali, Aconcagua and others) in a minimalistic, fast-and-light style.

Two days before his departure, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake rocked Nepal. Rather than cancel his trip, Jornet traveled to Nepal to help on the frontlines of disaster recovery. Alongside fellow alpinist Jordi Tosas and filmmaker Sébastien MontazRosset, Jornet traveled to remote villages to help emergency responders unearth bodies from the rubble, distribute food and reopen routes connecting the villages to supplies from Kathmandu. Jornet will return to Nepal in 2016 to attempt his Everest speed record and support the mountaineering and tourist business upon which the country depends. —MS (Spain, 2015, 51 min.)

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Californian farmer Jesus Ramos was born in Mexico City and migrated with his family to the U.S. for a better life. He picked oranges in his youth and worked his way up to owning a 140-acre orange farm. As extreme drought wreaks havoc on the American West, Ramos finds himself on the front lines of a water shortage that threatens the future of his farm, his family and his community.

Ramos’ condition mirrors that of many farmers in California’s once-fertile Central Valley.

“Water — it makes life. Water disappears; the labor disappears.

Water disappears; my farming disappears,” Ramos says. “Do you question your faith, your belief in God when you see these things? I try not to, but your tone changes whenever you talk to him. ‘Hey, you’re pushing a little hard, no?’”

As agricultural communities struggle while big coastal urban centers boom, farmers are cutting their losses and beginning to think about life beyond the fields. —MS (USA, 2015, 10 min.)

Roger Ross Williams

Director Roger Ross Williams has brought Mountainfilm audiences a pair of memorable movies: Music by Prudence (2010) and God Loves Uganda (which won the festival’s Audience Award in 2013).

Now, he returns with another captivating documentary, this one about a boy named Owen Suskind whose autism made it impossible for him to communicate when he was young. When he became upset, which happened frequently, the best avenue to calm Owen was to let him watch animated Disney films. One day, Owen’s father, the renowned political writer Ron Suskind, went into his 8-year-old son’s room and grabbed a puppet of Iago, the parrot in Aladdin. Doing his best impression of the Gilbert Gottfried-voiced character, the father asked his son, “Owen, how does it feel to be you?” And Owen answered, providing the first conversation the two ever had. The film takes it from there, showing how story, imagination and the magic of movies can forge a family. —DH (USA, 2015, 91 min.)

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THE LIMESTONE CONFLICT Petter Ringbom

FRIDAY, 12:45 P.M., MAS SATURDAY, 12 P.M., SOH

Limestone is at the center of everything on Sweden’s largest island, Gotland. The sedimentary rock lays the foundation for the water source of the Ojnare bog and creates jobs when it’s mined for building materials. It’s also at the center of a battle.

The Limestone Conflict tells the story of a quarry’s quest for permission to mine in an untouched wilderness from the perspective of an activist, an industry employee and a neighbor. The controversial issue causes protests, disputes with police, threats and a media frenzy — and boils down to the age-old clash of environment versus industry. —HS U.S. Premiere (Sweden, 2016, 9 min.)

LOCKED IN: FIRST DESCENT OF THE BERRIMAN GORGE

Bryan Smith, Dave Pearson FRIDAY, 9:45 P.M., HC SATURDAY, 12 P.M., NUG IN PERSON: CHRIS KORBULIC, BEN STOOKESBERY

Locked In: First Descent of the Berriman Gorge brings us to Papua New Guinea, a country seldom traveled, and into the Berriman Gorge, a river even less traveled. Led by Ben Stookesberry and Chris Korbulic (whose memorable film Kadoma screened at Mountainfilm 2011), a team of four professional kayakers quest down this daunting river, which features a link-up of gorges so deep and narrow that you can’t see the bottom from a helicopter. What the kayakers encounter are classfive rapids, 40-foot waterfalls, slippery bushwhacking, “lethal caves” and one of the most arduous expeditions of their lives. Through rope work, paddle work, team work and sheer determination, they dare to attempt a first descent and plunge into a world of unknowns. —KC World Premiere (Canada, 2015, 25 min.)

LOOKING FOR TROUBLE Caroline Cuny, Bryan Campbell

FRIDAY, 10 A.M., MAS SATURDAY, 9:30 A.M., MAS IN PERSON: CAROLINE CUNY, BRYAN CAMPBELL

From 1991 to 1995, Serbian forces kept the city of Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, under a brutal siege that made everyday living deeply challenging.

It was the longest siege in modern-day history, forcing citizens of the city, which had recently hosted the 1984 Winter Olympics, into extreme measures to survive. One of the heroes of that horrific time was a forceful and resourceful American named Fred Cuny, who arranged ingenious water delivery into the city at great personal risk. An engineer and a humanitarian, Cuny, who died in Chechnya in 1995, is profiled in this film by Caroline Cuny, a young filmmaker and his granddaughter. —DH Colorado Premiere (USA, 2015, 22 min.)

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FILMS

FILMS

THE MILLION DOLLAR DUCK

MILE 19

Brian Golden Davis

Vincent DeLuca

FRIDAY, 6:30 P.M., NUG SATURDAY, 9:15 P.M., PALM IN PERSON: BRIAN GOLDEN DAVIS, ADAM GRIMM, ROB MCBROOM P HOTO BY P ETE MCB RI D E

MARTIN’S BOAT Pete McBride

SATURDAY, 6:15 P.M., SOH SUNDAY, 6:45 P.M., NUG IN PERSON: PETE MCBRIDE, JIM AIKMAN

Before he passed away in December of 2014, Martin Litton helped save what’s left of the wilderness in the American West, most notably the Colorado River and Grand Canyon. His efforts preserved an experience worth quitting your day job. Any job. Unless your job is to row a dory down the mighty Colorado River through the national park.

In that case, you’ve got the best job in the world. Martin’s Boat floats us down the giant hole in the ground known as the Grand Canyon with Duffy Dale, boatmaker and boatman for the river guide company Grand Canyon Dories, which was Litton’s creation. Duffy built a dory called Marble Canyon in honor of Litton, and it’s her maiden voyage.

Along the way, the film celebrates the legacy of Litton, a larger-than-life man, fierce protector of wilderness, legendary boatman, eloquent writer and influential activist.

—KC (USA, 2015, 24 min.)

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MASTERS OF SLACK Mattias Edlingder

SATURDAY, 9:30 A.M., HC SUNDAY, 9:15 A.M., PALM IN PERSON: JOACHIM HELLINGER, DANIELLA SCHMITT

One is a naked outlaw, a troublemaking desert rat, a pioneer of the sport. The other is a hardworking and self-disciplined kid from Estonia who is blowing up trick-lining comps all over the world. Andy Lewis and Jaan Roose are undisputed masters of slacklining, pushing the limits of the sport with audacious tricks, risky feats and incredible acrobatics. Their approaches are worlds apart: One flips the bird at authority; the other flips 109 times on command. But what fuels them is the same — passion, creativity and courage.

—KK Colorado Premiere (Germany, 2015, 10 min.)

The Federal Duck Stamp is many things: symbol of a successful wetland conservation program, 82-yearold art tradition, collector’s item and requirement for fowl hunters. And for the artists who submit to the national competition each year, it’s the Superbowl of wildlife art, the Big Kahuna of prestige and the ticket to a successful career. (They don’t actually win $1 million, but the esteem catapults them to the upper echelon of their field).

The Million Dollar Duck, a feature documentary from Brian Golden Davis, offers a quirky portrait of the microcosm that surrounds the Duck Stamp, a world of fowl obsession, fierce competition, crushing heartbreak, family dynasty and colorful characters. It follows several artists — sequin-clad outcast, young super-talent and favored winner among them — as they vie for the 2014 prize.

Along the way, it sketches the history of a program that’s preserved and acquired more than 6 million acres of wetlands and tells a story of the indelible bond between art and conservation. —KK Colorado Premiere (USA, 2016, 72 min.)

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FRIDAY, 7 P.M., HC SATURDAY, 9:15 A.M., NUG SUNDAY, 8:45 P.M., BC IN PERSON: VINCENT DELUCA, JOHNNIE JAMESON

MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE Danny Schmidt

FRIDAY, 12:45 P.M., MAS SATURDAY, 12 P.M., SOH IN PERSON: DANNY SCHMIDT, JAMES BALOG

After meeting the challenge of documenting the melting of the global ice pack, which culminated in the feature-length film Chasing Ice that screened at Mountainfilm in 2012, photographer James Balog is back as the narrator of the short documentary Message in a Bottle. This time Balog is “chasing” air. Of course rising CO2 levels in the atmosphere can’t be documented photographically the way melting glaciers can be, so Message in a Bottle documents how science conducts atmospheric measurements instead. This doesn’t mean Danny Schmidt’s film lacks for visual beauty — the splendor at the summit of Mauna Loa stands in counterpoint to the ineffable sadness of the data recorded there — and though his photographic work is not on display here, Balog is a compelling narrator. —SC Colorado Premiere (USA, 2015, 15 min.)

Since the inception of the Los Angeles marathon in 1986, 178 runners have completed every race. They’re called “Legacy Runners.” Johnnie Jameson is a member of this special group, but he’s not an elite runner: He’s a working man, a postal employee. And what he lacks in speed, he makes up for in creativity. He ran his first marathon backward, finishing in last place. He dribbled a basketball the next year. Each race, wearing his signature Payless shoes, he stops and talks and takes his time. And over the years, the marathon has become a form of therapy for Jameson, who was scarred deeply from serving as an infantryman in Vietnam. The annual challenge of running 26.2 miles has helped him cope, grow and recover from those traumatic experiences. “It’s not about how long you out there, it’s about completing the race,” he says. “You gotta grind it out, because life ain’t nothing but a grind.” This poignant film from Vincent DeLuca conveys a lifetime of lessons in 10 short minutes, spinning a powerful story of resilience, humor and healing. —KK World Premiere (USA, 2016, 10 min.)

MOT NORD

Jorn Nyseth Ranum

FRIDAY, 10 A.M., SOH SATURDAY, 3:45 P.M., HC SUNDAY, 12:30 P.M., SOH

Ice, driftwood, foamy waves and … skateboards? In this poetic short film by Jorn Nyseth Ranum, three skaters head north to the cold Norwegian coast, applying their urban skills to a wild canvas of beach flotsam, frozen sand and pastel skies.

The result is a beautiful mashup — biting winds and short days, ollies and one ephemeral quarterpipe. —KK Colorado Premiere (Norway, 2016, 10 min.)

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FILMS

FILMS

MOTHERING INSIDE Brian Lindstom

FRIDAY, 6:45 P.M., LIB SUNDAY, 12 P.M., NUG IN PERSON: BRIAN LINDSTROM

What happens when a mother of small children is “put on a time out”? At Oregon’s Coffee Creek Women’s Prison, the Family Preservation Project (FPP) helps inmates hone their parenting skills as it facilitates regular family visits. While imprisonment is hard on both prisoners and their families, Mothering Inside demonstrates that not all is lost when the prison helps sustain the parentchild relationship.

Shooting in a verité style, filmmaker Brian Lindstrom strives for unobtrusiveness as he records what he observes, uncovering the story along the way. Before our eyes, Lindstrom’s work morphs into a piece of advocacy. In the midst of filming, the Oregon Department of Corrections announced it would stop funding the FPP, and the viewer shares the heartbreak of the mothers suddenly faced with the prospect of losing their children all over again. —SC Colorado Premiere (USA, 2015, 30 min.)

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PHOTO BY MATTIA S FRED RIKSO N

THE MYSTERIES Skip Armstrong

FRIDAY, 10 A.M., SOH SUNDAY, 12 P.M., HC IN PERSON: STEPH DAVIS, KRYSTLE WRIGHT

The vision came to Krystle Wright in a dream: a bird’s-eye view of BASE jumpers in flight over a stark desert landscape.

When she awoke, the adventure photographer resolved to make that vision into reality. And with that, the dream turned into an obsession — one that led her on a four-and-a-half-year journey of failed attempts, uncooperative weather, disappointments and inward examination. The Mysteries, which features climber and BASE jumper Steph Davis, follows a tenacious, and perhaps crazy, quest to chase down an elusive image and provides a glimpse into the kind of singular passion that drives people to reach their goals, regardless of what stands in the way. —KK (USA, 2015, 8 min.)

NAMULI

Sarah Garlick, Paul Yoo, Majka Burhardt

FRIDAY, 6 P.M., SOH SUNDAY, 12 P.M., PALM IN PERSON: SARAH GARLICK, PAUL YOO

With their vertical aptitude, climbers go places few others can. Often that results in a first ascent, but occasionally, it also leads to exciting new discoveries. That’s certainly the case with the expedition at the center of Namuli, a 2015 Mountainfilm Commitment Grant recipient. Climber Majka Burhardt (a guest at Mountainfilm in 2008 and 2010) became so obsessed with this peak —the second-highest in Mozambique — that she assembled a team of athletes, scientists and community members to climb it in order to understand it better. In the process, they discover a bounty of unanticipated biodiversity and gain a better sense of why the region around this mountain deserves stronger conservation. —DH World Premiere (USA, 2016, 24 min.)

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NASCENT

ONE SEVEN EIGHT

Lindsay Branham, John Kasbe FRIDAY, 6:30 P.M., PALM SUNDAY, 9:15 A.M., HC IN PERSON: LINDSAY BRANHAM

Nascent is proof of how short films can impart big messages.

It’s a simple premise: two children, a Christian boy and a Muslim girl, give their perspectives on growing up in the divided and desperately poor Central African Republic.

Despite differences in their upbringings and religious backgrounds, the pair share a hopeful vision of peace that would allow them to be friends. This could have been an awkward film or, worse, a treacly one. But in the hands of director Lindsay Branham (who attended 5th and 6th grade in Telluride), the result is a thoughtful and powerful documentary that asks the simple question: Why can’t we all just get along? —DH (Central African Republic, 2015, 7 min.)

Greg Hackett

OFFSEASON Ben Moon

FRIDAY, 9:15 P.M., PALM SATURDAY, 8:45 P.M., HC SUNDAY, 6:45 P.M., SOH IN PERSON: BEN MOON

For Daniel Norris, baseball has been a passion, career, patient teacher and cruel master. But becoming a professional athlete means life in a high-stakes world of intense pressure where players are constantly under the microscope. That’s why, during the offseason, Norris lives in his VW van, Shaggy. It’s a simple existence. He travels alone, taking pictures, surfing, exploring the West and hoping that Shaggy will make it to the next destination. It’s not life in the fast lane; it’s life in the right lane, chugging along at 55 mph with other cars speeding past.

But that view is exactly what Norris needs. —KK World Premiere (USA, 2016, 8 min.)

FRIDAY, 9:15 P.M., SOH SUNDAY, 4:15 P.M., NUG IN PERSON: ALEX HAMLIN

Henrik Westling used to work too much. He had insomnia, panic attacks and felt the walls creeping in. So he made a change. Over six years, he slowly checked off each of the 178 summits in Sweden’s Jämtland province, becoming the first person to climb and ski them all. The ambitious project was about exploring new places and finding new terrain, but Westling discovered the journey was also an inner one. One Seven Eight is about finding a work/life balance and yourself in the process. —HS (Sweden, 2015, 6 min.)

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FILMS

FILMS

PROPERTY Allison Otto

POUMAKA PINK BOY Eric Rockey

OPERATION MOFFAT Claire Carter, Jen Randall

SATURDAY, 9:30 A.M., HC SUNDAY, 9:15 A.M., PALM IN PERSON: CLAIRE CARTER

Long before “dirtbag climber” was an archetype, Gwen Moffat exemplified it. As a young woman in the 1940s, the pioneering British climber pieced together work, camped in barns, hitchhiked from crag to crag, bathed in icy lakes, went days without food, deserted the Army and rearranged her life to maximize time spent scaling rock. She went on to become Britain’s first female mountain guide, as well as a mother, writer and force to be reckoned with.

With a rope around her waist and bare feet, she eschewed the path society told her to take in favor of an enduring and adventurous love affair with the mountains.

In Operation Moffat, young climbers Claire Carter and Jen Randall chronicle Moffat’s life, gleaning crucial lessons about sacrifice, passion, love and rock from the 91-year-old legend.

—KK (UK, 2015, 20 min.)

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PICKLE

Amy Nicholson

FRIDAY, 10 A.M., NUG SATURDAY, 9:30 P.M., SOH SUNDAY, 7:15 P.M., PALM

There was the obese chicken that fell off the Purdue factory truck, the cat with the heart condition, the goose that drowned and the paraplegic possum. And then there was Pickle, the finless fish that was propped up by a sponge in his tank so he could live out his days. These are among the menagerie of outcast animals that have been taken in and lovingly cared for by Debbie and Tom Nicholson.

Pickle, a perfectly quirky short film by Amy Nicholson, combines wry humor with a real-life story of animal rescue to portray the expansive capacity of humans to care for others — even those without fins. —KK Colorado Premiere (USA, 2015, 15 min.)

FRIDAY, 9:15 P.M., PALM SATURDAY, 8:45 P.M., HC SUNDAY, 6:45 P.M., SOH IN PERSON: ERIC ROCKEY, SANDI DUBOWSKI

Jeffrey, age 6, loves wigs and purses, princess gowns, making up dances, wearing high heels and the color pink.

He always has. His great aunt, who adopted Jeffrey as a baby after he was taken from his birth mother, has had to learn to balance his tastes with the harshness of a world that can be intolerant. Pink Boy, a short film by Eric Rockey, is a story of the unconditional love of family and parents who recognize the importance of creating a safe space for their son to live out his truth. —KK Colorado Premiere (USA, 2015, 15 min.)

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Andy Mann, Keith Ladzinski

FRIDAY, 6 P.M., SOH SUNDAY, 12 P.M., PALM IN PERSON: MIKE LIBECKI, KEITH LADZINSKI

“Blood, sweat and tears,” climber Mike Libecki proclaims as he holds up his bloody hand for the camera.

And that’s just the beginning: mud, wind, rain, crumbling flora and world-class tower climbing are also in the mix (along with Angie Payne, the first woman to climb V13) in Poumaka, a film from 3 Strings Productions. Set in the wild jungle of Ua Pou, an island in French Polynesia, Poumaka is the epitome of adventure climbing — pain, suffering, unknowns, miserable weather and, ultimately, triumph. —KC World Premiere (French Polynesia, 2016, 14 min.)

PRONGHORN REVIVAL Ben Masters

SATURDAY, 3:30 P.M., MAS SUNDAY, 3:45 P.M., MAS IN PERSON: BEN MASTERS, TITO WEST

In parts of West Texas, pronghorn antelope populations have been in decline due to habitat fragmentation, drought and urban sprawl. Unwilling to let an iconic species disappear from its natural habitat, conservationists, government agencies and ranchers developed a restoration program in the northern panhandle of the state. This film, directed

by Ben Masters (producer and star of Unbranded) shows how the pronghorn are caught and transported via helicopter to areas where their populations have dwindled in the hope of restoring this speedy and elegant animal to the grasslands of West Texas. —HS World Premiere (USA, 2016, 7 min.)

SATURDAY, 3:30 P.M., MAS SUNDAY, 3:45 P.M., MAS IN PERSON: ALLISON OTTO

The National Wildlife Property Repository is a 22,000-squarefoot warehouse outside of Denver, Colorado, where law enforcement officials around the country send confiscated illegal wildlife items. The repository holds more than 1 million pieces in total and received more than 35,000 items in 2015 alone. Among the seized goods are mounted tigers, kangaroo wallets, crocodile-skin purses and trinkets of carved ivory.

The illegal industry that creates these products out of rare and endangered species is one of the biggest contributors to the decline of threatened species.

The repository is a little-known but stark reminder of the illicit trade in wildlife that’s changing the face of the planet. —MS World Premiere (USA, 2016, 3 min.)

PRESENTATIONS | EVENTS | AWARDS & JUDGES | BOARD & DONORS | STAFF | VOLUNTEERS | IN MEMORIAM | MAPS

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FILMS

FILMS

P HOTO BY GARR ET S MI TH

RUNNING WILD

THE SAN DIEGO HIGHWAYMAN

Danny Schmidt

SUNDAY, 4 P.M., SOH MONDAY, 11 A.M., PALM IN PERSON: DANNY SCHMIDT, GREGG TREINISH

The wolverine is a rugged and resourceful animal that lives in isolated arctic and alpine regions of North America. When a wolverine was photographed in Utah’s Uinta Mountains, scientists installed remotebaited camera stations across 80 miles to learn whether the notoriously ferocious carnivores are expanding their range.

Who better to tend the cameras than ultra runners? That’s what the group behind the project, Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation, figured. Able to travel great distances through the mountains quickly and lightly, runners check the cameras, change the batteries and refill the bait in the hopes that they can be part of a scientific discovery.

—HS World Premiere (USA, 2016, 7 min.)

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SANDORKRAUT Emily Lobsenz, Ann Husaini

FRIDAY, 9:30 P.M., MAS SATURDAY, 12 P.M., PALM

For Sandor Katz, the food writer and queer farmer who spurred the recent fermentation revival with his best-selling book The Art of Fermentation, fermentation goes beyond the sublime tastes and beneficial health effects of bread, sauerkraut, tempeh, meads and misos. The transformative action of microorganisms has also transformed his relationship with life and death. —KK (USA, 2014, 12 min.)

Brent Foster

FRIDAY, 9:15 P.M., PALM SATURDAY, 8:45 P.M., HC SUNDAY, 6:45 P.M., SOH IN PERSON: BRENT FOSTER, TAMMY FOSTER

When he was 16, Thomas Weller drove his car into a snowbank and was rescued by a passerby who refused payment, only asking that Weller pay it forward by helping others. He took that message to heart and has spent a half century patrolling the highways and byways of Southern California to help stranded motorists. He’s been dubbed “The Highwayman” for his selfless good Samaritan deeds. Over the decades, he’s also handed out thousands of cards with simple instructions to continue the kindness. Like a one-man pebble, he sends out ripples of goodness into the universe. —MS (USA, 2014, 5 min.)

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THE SCULPTOR OF DAMASCUS Mehyar Sawas, Gabriel Lifton-Zoline

SATURDAY, 3:15 P.M., SOH SUNDAY, 9:15 A.M., MAS IN PERSON: GABRIEL LIFTON-ZOLINE, JOI LEE

In the fall of 2015, Telluride native Gabriel Lifton-Zoline was in Eastern Europe reporting on the refugee crisis. While there, he befriended a young Syrian refugee named Mehyar Sawas and gave him a phone to document his journey.

Over the next five months, the pair exchanged more than 164 pages of messages online.

Mehyar, meanwhile, filmed his life. The result is The Sculptor of Damascus, a poignant film that puts a powerful face on the refugee situation. In Mehyar, we discover a peaceful young man who is tortured over the abandonment of his family, who has dreams to be an artist and who seeks, more than anything, to survive. —KK World Premiere (Austria, 2016, 12 min.)

SENIOR: 82 WINTERS IN TELLURIDE SEA GYPSIES: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD Nico Edwards

FRIDAY, 8:45 P.M., BC SATURDAY, 8:45 P.M., MAS IN PERSON: NICO EDWARDS, DAVID BOWIE, MATHIAS LESSMANN, PETER FALCK

Many of us dream of taking leave of the daily grind and heading out into the great unknown. For some, that may be the desert, others a dusty road or winding river, but for Nico Edwards, the director and a character in Sea Gypsies: The Far Side of the World, it was the ocean. After deciding to check out of society, he found passage as a crew member on a boat called Infinity, which set sail from Australia to Patagonia via some of the planet’s roughest waters in the Ross Sea. A 2015 Mountainfilm Commitment grantee, this film manages to be smart and thoughtful, yet fun and rollicking at the same time. It documents a tremendous journey, showing what it takes — mentally, physically and nautically — to take on this kind of wild adventure. —DH World Premiere (USA, 2016, 88 min.)

Ben Knight, Travis Rummel FRIDAY, 9:15 P.M., PALM SATURDAY, 12:15 P.M., HC SATURDAY, 8:45 P.M., HC SUNDAY, 6:45 P.M., SOH IN PERSON: BEN KNIGHT

Long before Telluride made its famous transition from mining hub to ski town, William “Senior” Mahoney skied here.

As a boy growing up in the box canyon, he flew down snowcovered streets on two planks and took laps on the Town Park hill. As he grew older, he ventured far into the mountains to make turns in the high basins of the San Juans.

As a miner himself, he recognized that the town was dying and needed a new economic foundation. That’s why he was one of the early proponents of building a ski resort in Telluride, working with John Zoline to plot the runs and later becoming the area’s first mountain manager.

This short portrait by Felt Soul Media offers a look into a bygone era in Telluride — a time when when streets were unpaved and homes were cheap — and pays homage to a seminal skier and straight-talking man whose influence on the town is beyond compare. —KK (USA, 2015, 5 min.)

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FILMS

FILMS

THE SONG COLLECTOR Erik Koto

FRIDAY, 6:45 P.M., MAS SUNDAY, 12 P.M., MAS IN PERSON: ERIK KOTO, MORUP NAMGYAL, CHOROL NAMGYAL

SIERRA QUITIQUIT: HOW DID I GET HERE Chris Kitchen

THURSDAY, 8:45 P.M., BC SATURDAY, 6:15 P.M., HC IN PERSON: SIERRA QUITIQUIT, CHRIS KITCHEN

With a résumé that includes professional skier and successful model, you might think Sierra Quitiquit has it made. But as is so often the truth, it’s more complicated than what appears on the surface.

Sierra Quitiquit: How Did I Get Here is an intimate portrait of a woman from humble beginnings whose devotion to her family leads her to hoist a huge amount of responsibility on her shoulders. This comingof-age film follows Quitiquit on far-flung adventures, through heartbreak and exploration and, ultimately, to a place of real growth. —KK (USA, 2014, 58 min.)

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SIMON BECK — SNOW ARTIST

Audun Fjeldheim, Sindre Kinnerød FRIDAY, 9:15 P.M., PALM SATURDAY, 8:45 P.M., HC SUNDAY, 6:45 P.M., SOH

British artist Simon Beck walks with purpose through the snow, counting his paces and humming a tune. But Beck isn’t en route to a typical winter adventure: Using snowshoes and a ski pole, he’s meticulously stomping elaborate geometric patterns in the pristine white of Norway’s mountain meadows.

Best admired from above, Beck’s unique works of art are inspired by ice crystals, spiderwebs, ferns and other patterns found in nature. —HS (Norway, 2016, 6 min.)

SNOWFLAKE SKATEBOARDING IN PINE RIDGE Greg Hunt

SATURDAY, 12 P.M., MAS SUNDAY, 9:30 A.M., NUG IN PERSON: BRIAN NEWMAN

The Oglala Lakota of South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Reservation believe the seventh generation of youth will lead a new awakening — through skateboarding. Skateboarding in Pine Ridge chronicles the lives of skater and suicide prevention counselor Brian Sherman and his young mentee Emily Earring (one of the park’s few female skaters). A skate park built in 2011 is now a second home and safe haven for 100 kids. Tribal elders hope another newly opened park in neighboring Manderson will be equally successful. For young Pine Ridge residents, skateboarding represents a way to break the reservation’s cycle of poverty, drug abuse and alcohol dependence, and reaffirm ties to their ancestry.

—HS Colorado Premiere (USA, 2015, 18 min.)

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Ben Sturgulewski

WEDNESDAY, 8:45 P.M., HC FRIDAY, 9:45 P.M., HC SATURDAY, 12 P.M., NUG IN PERSON: BEN STURGULEWSKI

Sometimes truth lies not in the obvious and mainstream, but in the eccentric and wild.

Enter Snowflake, a Swiss skier who exudes contentment in his words and demeanor. His patched-up, well-worn and allwhite ski gear defines him less than his irrepressible laughter, which bubbles from his soul frequently and punctuates his words. In this DPS Cinematic film by Ben Sturgulewski, Snowflake muses about perfect snow conditions, the joy of skiing and the value of chasing passions. “Somebody else may say, ‘what a crazy idiot.’ And he’s right! I know that I’m a crazy idiot. But, I’m sorry. I feel happy like I am,” Snowflake says. If only we all looked at the world through Snowflakecolored lenses. —MS (USA, 2015, 8 min.)

Even remote Ladakh in the Indian Himalaya hasn’t escaped modernity, represented by jets overhead, computers, tourists and cultural homogenization.

Morup Namgyal has made it his life’s mission to preserve at least one essential part of Ladakh’s traditional Buddhist culture: the folk songs. As part of the effort, Namgyal was a founder of the Lamdon School, which has become a flourishing institution of education and cultural preservation. The Song Collector is suffused with archival footage and the nostalgia of an indigenous culture experiencing the erosion of not just of its music, but of its style of dress, ceremonies, language and, even, Morup says, “our good way of thinking, our manner of conversion, our bonds with each other.”

Yet Namgyal has come to understand that while progress can’t be denied, culture can be sustained with effort. Erik Koto’s first feature-length film bestows recognition on a Ladakhi icon who has instilled cultural self-awareness among his people, and the film itself is part of the inspiring movement.

—SC World Premiere (India, 2016, 53 min.)

SONITA

Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami

FRIDAY, 10 A.M., MAS SATURDAY, 9:30 A.M., MAS

In many ways, Sonita is like any other teenage girl: She loves music, dreams of being famous, and giggles and jokes with her friends. But Sonita, who grew up in a strictly Muslim household in Afghanistan before fleeing to Iran with her sister, faces challenges no young woman should have to experience. Her mother would like to sell her as a bride to a much older man in a tradition of forced marriage that has long trapped young Afghan girls in a cycle of oppression, forced domesticity and dashed ambitions. Despite the pressures exerted by her family, home country and culture, Sonita doesn’t give in. Instead, she mounts a musical campaign against child brides and — with the help of unlikely allies — works hard to forge a new destiny for herself. Sonita, a film

by Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami, offers a triumphant portrait of a modern-day hero who risks it all to create a better life for herself — and for all Afghan girls. —KK (Germany, 2015, 90 min.)

PRESENTATIONS | EVENTS | AWARDS & JUDGES | BOARD & DONORS | STAFF | VOLUNTEERS | IN MEMORIAM | MAPS

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FILMS

FILMS

TRAIL ANGEL

STRONGWATER Jordan Halland P HOTO BY TRAVI S R U MME L

THE SUPER SALMON Ryan Peterson

FRIDAY, 6:30 P.M., NUG SATURDAY, 9:15 P.M., PALM IN PERSON: RYAN PETERSON, MIKE WOOD, MOLLY WOOD

Proponents of a plan to construct a $5.2-billion mega-dam on Alaska’s Susitna River say it wouldn’t affect the watershed’s famous salmon runs because the site would be 184 miles upstream from where fish usually swim. Tell that to Super Salmon, one particularly determined king salmon that swam more than 300 miles, dodging hungry seals from Cook Inlet to the Susitna’s icy headwaters. The Super Salmon highlights the tale of one fish to illustrate the importance of the river to the area’s wildlife, tourism, economy and lifestyle.

Told by passionate and animated Talkeetna fisherman and activist Mike Wood, the story examines the potential consequences of constructing an enormous and outdated technnology to meet Alaska’s need for renewable energy. —HS (USA, 2016, 25 min.)

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FRIDAY, 10 A.M., SOH SATURDAY, 3:45 P.M., HC SUNDAY, 12:30 P.M., SOH IN PERSON: JORDAN HALLAND, CAMERON HOTCHKISS

Surfing typically requires ocean waves, but StrongWater upends that presupposition. In this film, a group of board lovers go surfing — not near the beaches of Hawaii, but in the river city of Missoula, Montana, where surfers have transformed the sport and the scene of this iconic pastime. —KC World Premiere (USA, 2016, 10 min.)

TO SCALE: THE SOLAR SYSTEM THROW

Darren Durlach, David Larson

FRIDAY, 9:15 P.M., PALM SATURDAY, 8:45 P.M., HC SUNDAY, 6:45 P.M., SOH IN PERSON: DARREN DURLACH, DAVID LARSON, COFFIN NACHTMAHR

Growing up in East Baltimore surrounded by poverty and violence is hard enough. Coffin Nachtmahr had the added challenge of being different.

He stutters. He never quite fit in, and he was picked on.

Then he discovered a lifeline in the unlikeliest of pursuits: yo-yoing. In the subculture of “throwers,” he found purpose, acceptance and community.

Today, Coffin is the city’s best, transforming the simple activity of yo-yoing into a transfixing dance of creativity, innovation and connection.

—KK World Premiere (USA, 2016, 10 min.)

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Alex Gorosh, Wylie Overstreet

FRIDAY, 12:45 P.M., NUG SATURDAY, 9:30 A.M., PALM MONDAY, 11 A.M., PALM IN PERSON: WYLIE OVERSTREET

Look at any picture of the solar system, and it seems that everything is relatively close together — the moon an inch or two away from Earth, Mars a little over an inch away from the moon and so on. But posters and websites betray the truth: Things are much, much farther apart. In an attempt to give Earthlings a new perspective of the universe, filmmakers Wylie Overstreet and Alex Gorosh head to the Black Rock Desert to build the first to-scale model of the solar system. With an Earth the size of a marble and seven miles of open space with which to work, Overstreet, Gorosh and a few friends embark on a unique scientific endeavor, creating something that only 24 people in the history of mankind have actually seen: a perspective of the solar system, to scale. —KC (USA, 2015, 7 min.)

Ryan Heffernan, Grayson Schaffer

SATURDAY, 9:15 A.M., SOH SUNDAY, 10 A.M., SOH IN PERSON: ASHLEE LANGHOLZ, RYAN HEFFERNAN, GRAYSON SCHAFFER, ANNA CALLAGHAN, GILLIAN BRASSIL

Thru-hiking the length of the 2,180-mile Appalachian Trail is no easy task. Among other things, hikers yearn for food beyond the trail mix, dehydrated apricots and beef jerky that fills their backpacks. Seemingly from heaven, but literally out of the woods, comes “Ponytail Paul,” a trail angel. Cookies, donuts, potato salad and a little peace of mind is what he brings to the symbiotic relationship between hiker and good Samaritan. —KC (USA, 2016, 7 min.)

PHOTO BY JO EY SC HUSLER

THE TRAIL TO KAZBEGI Joey Schusler

FRIDAY, 10 A.M., SOH SATURDAY, 3:45 P.M., HC SUNDAY, 12:30 P.M., SOH IN PERSON: JOEY SCHUSLER, SAM SEWARD

The former Soviet Republic of Georgia, which is located in the heart of the Caucasus Mountains and has a complicated past, is a mostly forgotten pocket of the world. But for four American adventurers, it’s ripe for exploration. They plot out an ambitious plan to transect the rugged Caucasus, a raw landscape filled with rocky passes and sketchy border regions, before ending their journey in the beautiful Kazbegi region. On mountain bikes.

Unsupported.

What they encounter are colorful locals, ancient trading paths, snowfields, stone-faced border patrolmen, a fair amount of suffering, wild storms and a host of unknowns. All the ingredients, in other words, of a great adventure. —KK (USA, 2015, 16 min.)

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FILMS

FILMS

WALT

Justin Clifton

PHOTO BY RO BIN HA MMO ND

FRIDAY, 9:15 P.M., PALM; SATURDAY, 8:45 P.M., HC SUNDAY, 6:45 P.M., SOH IN PERSON: JUSTIN CLIFTON, SINJIN EBERLE

URBAN CIRCUS FISH Chris Kitchen, Sam Pope, Josh Prestin

FRIDAY, 10 A.M., SOH SATURDAY, 3:45 P.M., HC SUNDAY, 12:30 P.M., SOH IN PERSON: CHRIS KITCHEN, SAM POPE

“When that fish comes up to eat, man you’re excited,” says KC Badger, a fly fisherman in Phoenix, Arizona — not exactly a mecca of the sport, but all the more reason Badger and his friend, Kenny Price, enjoy the fish of their labors.

From carp to koi and bass to trout, Badger and Price travel through the metropolitan area in search of fish less caught.

And when he’s not hauling fish out of canals, urban ponds and other unorthodox water sources, Badger is chasing his other passion: BMX biking. —KC Colorado Premiere (USA, 2015, 10 min.)

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Organic raisin farmer Walter Shubin believes that rivers are sacred and spiritual national treasures. That’s why he’s been fighting for the past 65 years to restore the once-mighty and free-flowing San Joaquin River to California’s Central Valley. Decades of dams, levees, diversions and drought have left the channel a dry and dusty shell of the life-giving river Shubin remembers from childhood. He knows restoring water to the river is the only thing that will keep communities in the Central Valley alive. —HS Colorado (USA, 2015, 6 min.)

WASFIA

Sean Kusanagi

THE WARMTH OF WINTER Ben Sturgulewski

FRIDAY, 9:45 P.M., HC SATURDAY, 12 P.M., NUG IN PERSON: BEN STURGULEWSKI

Seeking to escape the raging storms outside, a trio of adventurers find a mysterious door set into a snowy mountainside. Inside, they discover a roaring fire, an immaculately dressed bartender and vinyl spinning on a player. This DPS Cinematic short recalls the pleasures of winter over a cocktail that warms the insides and loosens the storytelling tongue. The tales revolve, naturally, around dream-like ski lines, sunny days, epic crashes and courage in the mountains. —MS (USA, 2015, 6 min.)

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FRIDAY, 6 P.M., SOH SUNDAY, 12 P.M., PALM IN PERSON: WASFIA NAZREEN, SEAN KUSANAGI (SUNDAY)

Wasfia Nazreen trained her body by high-altitude trekking and her mind by meditation in order to carry the flag of Bangladesh to the top of the highest mountains on all seven continents. In November 2015, she became the first from her country to complete the Seven Summits. Nazreen has made it her purpose to brave these climbs for the sake of something larger — the women of Bangladesh. Lyrical and poetic, this short documentary is a reflective character portrait that takes us from the depths of Nazreen’s struggles to the highest peaks on the planet as we explore what it means to pursue the unknown. —HS World Premiere (Nepal, 2016, 11 min.)

WE’RE ALL COMPLICIT Nick Fitzhugh

SATURDAY, 3:15 P.M., SOH SUNDAY, 9:15 A.M., MAS IN PERSON: NICK FITZHUGH, ROB SHORE

Photojournalist Robin Hammond is haunted by the people he has walked away from. His subjects are the victims of unspeakable atrocities, and they, he notes matter-of-factly, are still there — in the conflict zone — after he’s left. Through his work, Hammond makes all of us witnesses, as well. Thus, he proposes, “ignorance cannot be used as an alibi for inaction,” and “we are all complicit.”

Having taken on the bleakest of all possible subjects, Hammond finds redemption in the humanity of his images. —SC World Premiere (USA, 2015, 7 min.)

THE WEIGHT OF WINTER Ben Sturgulewski

FRIDAY, 10 A.M., SOH SATURDAY, 3:45 P.M., HC SUNDAY, 12:30 P.M., SOH IN PERSON: BEN STURGULEWSKI

The epic powder storms of Hokkaido, Japan, are legendary.

This gorgeous short from DPS Cinematic captures the full brutality of the storms, as well as their blissful aftermath. Skiers Stephan Drake, Piers Solomon and Santiago Guzman get the goods, surfing through fields of fluff and floating down steps stacked with cottony snow.

Elemental and raw in nature, The Weight of Winter depicts the coldest season in its glorious depths. —MS (USA, 2015, 4 min.)

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FILMS

FILMS

THE WRESTLING CHOLITA Harri Grace

WILD HORSE RESOLUTION

PHOTO BY CARLO S B LAN CHAR D

Ben Masters

WHEN THE MOUNTAINS WERE WILD

Johannes Hoffman, Simon Platzer, Jakob Schweighofer, Mitch Tölderer

FRIDAY, 9:45 P.M., HC SATURDAY, 12:15 P.M., HC

Wanting to get away from the crowds, lifts and hullabaloo of Central Europe, five freeriders from Innsbruck, Austria, travel through the Balkans to the Albanian Alps. A sparsely populated region known as the Valbona Valley, which has seen more than its share of brutal conflict, serves as their homebase as they skin, hike, snowshoe and billy goat around the area in search of lines seldom skied. —KC (Austria, 2015, 19 min.)

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FRIDAY, 6:30 P.M., NUG SATURDAY, 9:15 P.M., PALM IN PERSON: BEN MASTERS, TJ HOLMES

WHEN WE WERE KNIGHTS Anson Fogel

SATURDAY, 9:30 A.M., HC SUNDAY, 9:15 A.M., PALM IN PERSON: ANSON FOGEL, MATT BLANK

Understanding that his life was threaded with risk, climber and BASE jumper Matt Blank embarked on a project: writing letters to his closest friends and family to let them know how much they meant to him. That way, he figured, if his life was cut short he’d leave something behind to express his affection.

What he didn’t expect was that one of the recipients — his best friend and longtime climbing partner Ian Flanders — would go first. When We Were Knights, an elegiac film by Anson Fogel, explores friendship, partnership, adventure and the many iterations of love that give meaning to our lives. —KK (USA, 2016, 12 min.)

Ben Masters, the producer and star of the 2015 Mountainfilm Audience Award-winning documentary Unbranded, continues to be concerned about how wild horses are treated in the American West.

Wild Horse Resolution looks at a method — pioneered by T.J. Holmes, a BLM volunteer who lives in Disappointment Valley near Telluride — that darts wild horses with a contraceptive to prevent propagation, ensuring better survival chances for the rest of the species. Through his success with Unbranded, Masters got to know Holmes.

And in this short documentary, he tells a story that could lead to a better situation for wild horses. —DH World Premiere (USA, 2016, 7 min.)

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FRIDAY, 10 A.M., MAS SATURDAY, 9:30 A.M., MAS

In Bolivia, indigenous Cholita women are easily recognized by their bowler hats, pollera skirts and plaited braids. Cholitas have long been mistreated in this South American country, but that’s changing, thanks to antidiscrimination legislation and new progressive politicians. It’s also thanks to individuals like Teresa Huayta, the wrestling Cholita. This diminutive woman is a force of nature in the ring, proving with each match that it’s a badge of pride — not a mark of shame — to be a Cholita. —KK (UK, 2016, 9 min.)

PHOTO BY GUS GUSC IO RA

MOUNTAINFILM’S VIRTUAL REALITY STUDIO FRIDAY-SUNDAY, 9:30 A.M.-6 P.M. MONDAY, 9:30 A.M.-NOON GALLERY 81435, 283 S. FIR STREET

Mountainfilm is thrilled to expand its film offerings into foreign territory in 2016 with the festival’s first-ever Virtual Reality Studio.

The studio, which is free and open all weekend, will feature a library of VR headsets loaded with immersive and powerful experiential films. Mountainfilm has partnered with our friends at RYOT to curate a program of VR films, and we hope these stories — about endangered species, national parks and famine in Africa, among other things — will allow participants to step into another world, learn about important issues and walk away more aware, compassionate and inspired. —KK

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ADRENALINE

ADRENALINE

ADRENALINE

SATURDAY, 8:45 P.M., BASE CAMP OUTDOOR THEATRE SUNDAY, 6:45 P.M., HIGH CAMP Free and open to the public. The audience is encouraged to bring warm layers, blankets, stoke and low-backed chairs. Films are listed in screening order.

DARKLIGHT Mike Brown The team that brought us Afterglow returns with another surreal cinematic painting of light, motion and landscape. Only this time, they swap skis for bicycles and snow for Ewok forests and desert rocks. —KK (USA, 2015, 8 min.)

ONE OF THOSE DAYS 3 Candide Thovex A manhunt is underway in the Alps to arrest French skier Candide Thovex. His crime? Where do we start? Dude skis over a helicopter, into camera vans, hits trees, interrupts races and busts through barns.

In One of those Days 3, he takes his POV delinquency to new limits. —KK (France, 2016, 5 min.)

DA R K L IG H T

CJ COLLINS: PAPERCLIPS Josh Henderson We can’t all be child prodigies, but we can watch as the youth continue to prove serious talent. Like the legends who came before, CJ Collins has style, skills and a smile. And at 12 years old, he’s poised to become a household name in skateboarding. —NS (USA, 2015, 3 min.)

ACTIVEWEAR Christiaan Van Vuuren The ladies of Skitbox have nailed a cultural phenomenon: stretchy pants for everything.

—NS (Australia, 2015, 2 min.)

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THE ACCORD RC Cone In Iceland, the wind is unpredictable at best, perfect waves are almost as rare as albino elephants and frigid temps require a full wetsuit arsenal. In other words, being a surfer in Iceland requires a particular mix of hardiness, patience, passion and insanity. And more than anything, it requires befriending that mercurial, capricious, wildly drunken and occasionally benevolent wind.

—KK (Iceland, 2016, 18 min.)

ACROSS THE SKY Tim Kemple, Renan Ozturk and Anson Fogel Walking 500 meters — the length of nearly five football fields — is no big deal. But when you walk it on a slackline, suspended between the great towers of Utah’s Castleton Valley, like Théo Sanson did in November of 2015, it becomes a mega-feat of endurance, exposure and courage. —KK (USA, 2015, 2 min.)

CASCADIA Seamus Makim, Danny Macaskill, Robbie Meade Danny MacAskill journeys over the Canary Island rooftops of Gran Canaria in this highly stylized film that showcases why he’s the best trials rider in the world. —SW (Germany & Spain, 2015, 6 min.)

SAMMY C. SHORT Sammy Carlson & Teton Gravity Research Twenty-four stories of speed sends Sammy Carlson flying through the air. Not only does he land this monstrosity, he goes back for more — backwards. —NS (USA, 2015, 6 min.)

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T H E AC C O R D

GREY Brendan Calder, Tyler Haft Breaking the stereotype of Adrenaline, a beautifully shot film of ankle-high waves can be brilliant when done with thoughtful artistry and the right skills on a longboard.

—SW (USA, 2016, 3 min.)

ONESHOT Teton Gravity Research For years, TGR has pushed the boundaries of outdoor filmmaking, always finding a new angle to showcase our passions. This oneshot bike segment blows the minds of even our most ardent Adrenaline screeners. —SW (USA, 2015, 4 min.)

KALEIDOSCOPE Ben Scott BMX phenom Kriss Kyle sees the world differently. This film will make you see it differently, too. Mixing mirrors and lights with optical illusions, perception-tricking visuals and astounding riding, Kaleidoscope leaves us wondering: Could any BMX film ever top this? —KK (UK, 2015, 5 min.)

SHOWDOWN AT HORSESHOE HELL Zachary Barr, Peter Mortimer, Nick Rosen Horseshoe Canyon Ranch is a sleepy patch of rural Arkansas where nothing much happens. Except for once a year, when hundreds of climbers descend on the place for 24 Hours of Horseshoe Hell, a climbing competition that’s a bizarre mix of Burning Man and Climbing magazine. When elite climber Alex Honnold shows up, he brings his A game. But he might not be prepared for two things: the level of rowdiness and a pair of underdog climbers. —KK (USA, 2015, 20 min.)

ICELAND. PROVEN HERE. Craig Grant, Joey Schusler The moss and mountains of Iceland make for an otherworldly landscape. Add Yeti ambassador Sam Seward, riding swooping singletrack, and you’ve got mountain biking eye candy at its best. —NS (USA, 2015, 6 min.)

ANGEL COLLINSON ANNIHILATES ALASKA Teton Gravity Research In 2015, Angel Collinson won the award for the Best Female Freeride Performance at the Intern­ational Freeskiing Film Festival. It’s not hard to see why: She’s fast, fierce and can send it with the best of them. The spines of Alaska don’t stand a chance against her.

—NS (USA, 2015, 4 min.)

KELLY MCGARRY RED BULL RAMPAGE Kelly McGarry In February, the mountain bike community was shocked and saddened by the news that Kelly McGarry — the fearless and deeply talented Kiwi freerider who was known as “McGazza” — passed away after collapsing on a ride at the age of 33. Mountainfilm will honor the memory of the great rider with this GoPro video that shows, firsthand, his prowess. —KK (USA, 2013, 2 min.)

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MARCUS KIEBLING Photo by: Marcus Kiebling

YETI COOLERS ARE BUILT TO BE INDESTRUCTIBLE AND KEEP ICE FOR DAYS. BUILT FOR GOING PLACES OTHERS DON’T. BUILT FOR UNEXPECTED ENCOUNTERS.

OVER

BUILT FOR KEEPING GRIZZLIES OUT OF YOUR LUNCH. BUILT FOR THE WILD.

MOUNTS

ACCESSORIES

#BEAHERO

KIDZ KINO

KIDZ KINO TO SCALE: THE SOLAR SYSTEM Alex Gorosh & Wylie Overstreet To Scale: The Solar System is a cool film because some guys go out into the middle of nowhere and make a model of our solar system! They make these marbles that glow for each planet, and they make a sun that matches the real sunrise.

—Joe, age 10 (USA, 2015, 7 min.)

U NC O N TA INAB LE

KIDZ KINO

MONDAY, 11-1 P.M., PALM THEATRE A perennial favorite, Mountainfilm’s Kidz Kino program is free to all passholders and kids under 12. Tickets are available to the general public for $10. This program was curated by a special committee of young film watchers, who also wrote the synopses.

SKY HIGH Stewart Powers Sky High is an awesome set up because a random guy is drawn onto a whiteboard using an Expo marker, and he uses different objects to go into the sky. It’s funny to watch because there is a hand from another random girl or boy who helps him if he falls.

—Joe, age 10 (UK, 2015, 2 min.)

5M80 Nicolas Deveaux Giraffes make epic dives into a pool.

—Jake, age 11 (France, 2012, 6 min.)

GENERATION UP Sender Films Two of the best young climbers in the world are Kai Lightner and Ashima Shiraishi. In this fun film, they go climbing together in Norway to see what they can achieve.

—Wiley, age 14 (USA, 2015, 5 min.)

PAPA Natalie Labarre The short film Papa is about a little girl and her father. The sweet message is that you can always find a compromise to any situation and still have fun together.

—Brooke, age 13 (USA, 2016, 8 min.)

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ZEBRA Julia Ocker Hahaha. I laughed so hard. A zebra is not all stripes after all.

—Zoe, age 4 (USA, 2014, 3 min.)

RUNNING WILD Danny Schmidt Some long-distance runners try to set a camera trap to get a photo of a wolverine.

Does it work? You have to see the movie to find out.

—Wiley, age 14 (USA, 2016, 7 min.)

SWEET COCOON Matéo Bernard, Matthias Bruget, Jonathan Duret, Manon Marco, Quentin Puiraveau Sweet Cocoon is about a caterpillar that is trying to get into a cocoon, and she gets help from some other bugs. But when she finally gets to a cocoon, it takes a turn! I hope you laugh like I did!

—Bella, age 13 (France, 2014, 6 min.)

UNCONTAINABLE Red Bull Shipping containers make the best bike park ever.

—Henry, age 12 (Canada, 2015, 3 min.)

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PICKLE Amy Nicholson A menagerie of wacky pets coupled perfectly with their loving and eccentric owners, who go to great lengths to keep their animals content. From opossum scooters to sponge fish beds, Pickle is a zany, laugh-out-loud short for kids and grownups alike.

—Kitty, age 16 (USA, 2015, 15 min.)

FORMS IN NATURE Kevin Dart This short film explores the human use of natural shapes to create smart and useful things.

—Maia, age 12 (USA, 2016, 2 min.)

FINCONCEIVABLE Lily Williams This is an awesome animation about how the loss of sharks can affect the balance of life and knock our natural system into chaos.

—Maia, age 12 (USA, 2014, 5 min.)

THE ELEPHANT AND THE BICYCLE Olesya Schukina The Elephant and the Bicycle is about this giant elephant that, every single day, exits his house to go clean the streets of a town.

He does this when he didn’t even make the mess! Then, one day, the elephant sees a sign for a bicycle. He wants to get the bicycle, so he saves up for it. But, unfortunately, when he goes to buy it there is something off.

This film helps people see that some people do things for others, and those people are generous people.

—Bella, age 13 (France, 2014, 9 min.)

CJ COLLINS: PAPERCLIPS Josh Henderson This kid sure can skateboard, and this fun film shows us how good he is.

—Wiley, age 14 (USA, 2015, 3 min.)

U M B R E L L A GI R L

UMBRELLA GIRL Monika Norcross-Cerminara Umbrella Girl shows us that you can turn a cloudy situation into a colorful and fun exploration by using your imagination. This film’s animation style, and going from black and white to beautiful water colorful, gives you a feeling of catharsis at the end.

—Brooke, age 13 (USA, 2015, 2 min.)

SNOMAHA Brett Schreckengost Cedar crushes it, and so do the Broncos.

—Wiley, age 14 (USA, 2016, 2 min.)

PRESENTATION: THE REWARDS OF GETTING LOST Jasper Childs Jasper Childs is a 12-year-old Norwood kid who goes on long, meandering walks through the desert canyonlands with his dad, the writer Craig Childs. He’s learned on these walks that getting lost isn’t all that bad. In this presentation, he’ll talk about how it can be fun to not know where you are or where you’re going.

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EVEN KALE CAN’T

DO IT ALONE. Grilled Corn & Quinoa Burger Salad with Veggie Bacon

BETWEEN EVENTS

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REFRESH

Give those greens some extra veggie protein. More veggies means more good for both you and the world. #WayToVeg MorningStarFarms.com

WITH A QUICK BITE AT THE BAR

SUSHI blend of rustic elegance and Western charm, the Mountain Lodge Telluride offers private luxury cabins, deluxe condominiums and lodge rooms. The View Bar & Grill features spectacular views of the San Juan Mountains. Enjoy a casual meal or cocktail in relaxed ambience with the charm of a rustic, western log cabin home.

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AT THE END OF YOUR DAY

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WITH DINNER AND FRIENDS

for up-to-date lodging specials call 866-368-6867 or visit us online at MountainLodgeTelluride.com

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dinner: 5 - 9:30 happy hour: 5 - 6 (sushi and drink specials at bar, lobby & outdoor patio only) make your online reservation at www.cosmotelluride.com In the Hotel Columbia • 970.728.1292

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3:45 4:00 PM 4:15 4:30 4:45 5:00 PM 5:15 5:30 5:45 6:00 PM 6:15 6:30 6:45 7:00 PM 7:15 7:30 7:45 8:00 PM 8:15 8:30 8:45 9:00 PM 9:15 9:30 9:45 10:00 PM 10:15 10:30 10:45 11:00 PM 11:15 11:30 11:45 12:00 AM

8:00 AM 8:15 8:30 8:45 9:00 AM 9:15 9:30 9:45 10:00 AM 10:15 10:30 10:45 11:00 AM 11:15 11:30 11:45 12:00 PM 12:15 12:30 12:45 1:00 PM 1:15 1:30 1:45 2:00 PM 2:15 2:30 2:45 3:00 PM 3:15 3:30

Q&A

Kickass Katie Lee (p. 31) Simon Beck – Snow Artist (p. 42) The San Diego Highwayman (p. 40) Edges (p. 22) Pink Boy (p. 38) Offseason (p. 37) Walt (p. 46) Throw (p. 44) Senior: 82 Winters in Telluride (p. 41)

MEET THE PEOPLE SHORTS

9:15-11:30 p.m.

Q&A

6:30-8:45 p.m.

Nascent (p. 37) Almost Sunrise (p.19)

NUGGET

12:45-2:45 p.m.

Q&A

Pickle (p. 38) The Happy Film (p. 26)

10 a.m.-12 p.m.

CAPACITY [160]

9:15-11:15 p.m.

Q&A

Poumaka (p. 39) Namuli (p. 36) Adventures of the Dodo (p. 18) Wasfia (p. 47) Fledglings (p. 25)

6-8:30 p.m.

UP THERE SHORTS 1

12:30-2:30 p.m.

The Adventure Dispatch (p. 18) When the Mountains Were Wild (p. 48) Fast Forward (p. 24) Locked In (p. 33) Joe Lahout (p. 30)

Q&A

MASONS

LIBRARY CAPACITY [66)

9:15-11:15 p.m.

Q&A

EVENTS

Q&A

PRESENTATIONS

Q&A

9:30-11:30 p.m.

Sandorkraut (p. 40) BUGS (p. 20)

Q&A

GALLERY WALK 3:30–6:30 P.M. (p. 86–89)

Q&A

12:45-3 p.m.

The Limestone Conflict (p. 33) Message in a Bottle (p. 35) 62 Years (p. 16) The Age of Consequences (p. 18)

Q&A

10 a.m.-12:15 p.m.

The Wrestling Cholita (p. 49) Looking for Trouble (p. 33) Sonita (p. 43)

CAPACITY [120]

FILMS

9:30-11:30 p.m.

George Saunders: On Story (p. 25) Life, Animated (p. 32)

The Super Salmon 6:45-9 p.m.

6:45-9 p.m. (p. 44) Canyon Song (p. 20) Mothering Inside Wild Horse Resolution (p. 36) Irene (p. 29) (p. 48) The Song Collector Do Not Resist (p. 21) The Million Dollar (p. 43) Q&A Duck (p. 34)

6:30-8:45 p.m.

Q&A

To Scale: The Solar System (p. 45) George Saunders: The Clock of the Long On Story (p. 25) Now (p. 21) Life, Animated (p. 32) E.O. Wilson: Of Ants and Men (p. 23)

Q&A

Urban Circus Fish (p. 46) StrongWater (p. 44) The Weight of Winter (p. 47) A Simple Machine (p. 17) Heavens Eleven (p. 27) The Mysteries (p. 36) The Trail to Kazbegi (p. 45) Mot Nord (p. 35) 70-Some Years (p. 17)

10 a.m.-12 p.m.

OUT THERE SHORTS 1

CAPACITY [230]

SHERIDAN OPERA HOUSE

In The Arena (p. 29) 1-800-Give-Us-YourKidney (p. 16) The Forecaster (p. 25) Snowflake (p. 43) Enlighten Us: The One Seven Eight Engler (p. 23) Rise and Fall of (p. 37) The Warmth of James Arthur Ray Winter (p. 46) Jurek (p. 30) (p. 23) Kroger’s Canteen (p. 31)

OUT THERE SHORTS 2

9:45-11:45 p.m.

Q&A

7-9:15 p.m.

Ace and the Desert Dog (p. 17) Mile 19 (p. 35) The Great Alone (p. 26)

(p. 70–72)

HIGH CAMP 9 A.M.-3 P.M.

CAPACITY [500]

CAPACITY [650]

MOVING MOUNTAINS SYMPOSIUM

HIGH CAMP

PALM

SCHEDULE FRIDAY SCHEDULE FRIDAY

60

3:45 4:00 PM 4:15 4:30 4:45 5:00 PM 5:15 5:30 5:45 6:00 PM 6:15 6:30 6:45 7:00 PM 7:15 7:30 7:45 8:00 PM 8:15 8:30 8:45 9:00 PM 9:15 9:30 9:45 10:00 PM 10:15 10:30 10:45 11:00 PM 11:15 11:30 11:45 12:00 AM

8:00 AM 8:15 8:30 8:45 9:00 AM 9:15 9:30 9:45 10:00 AM 10:15 10:30 10:45 11:00 AM 11:15 11:30 11:45 12:00 PM 12:15 12:30 12:45 1:00 PM 1:15 1:30 1:45 2:00 PM 2:15 2:30 2:45 3:00 PM 3:15 3:30

Q&A

NUGGET

6:15-9 p.m.

Q&A

50 Feet from Syria (p. 16) How We Choose (p. 28) We’re All Complicit (p. 47) Clínica de Migrantes: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness (p. 21) The Sculptor of Damascus (p. 41)

3:15-5:45 p.m.

THE REFUGEE SHORTS

Q&A

12-2:15 p.m.

The Limestone Conflict (p. 33) Message in a Bottle (p. 35) 62 Years (p. 16) The Age of Consequences (p. 18)

Q&A

MEET THE PEOPLE SHORTS

8:45-11 p.m.

6:15-8:15 p.m.

Q&A

Pink Boy (p. 38) Offseason (p. 37) Walt (p. 46) Throw (p. 44) Senior: 82 Winters in Telluride (p. 41)

Q&A

Pickle (p. 38) The Happy Film (p. 26)

9:30-11:30 p.m.

MASONS CAPACITY [120]

LIBRARY CAPACITY [66)

9:15-11:30 a.m.

Locked In (p. 33) Joe Lahout (p. 30)

11:15-12:30 p.m.

(p. 96-97)

3:45-5 p.m.

Q&A

EVENTS

9:30-11:30 p.m.

George Saunders: On Story (p. 25) Life, Animated (p. 32)

Q&A

PRESENTATIONS

Q&A

8:45-10:45 p.m.

Fallen Feather (p. 24) Sea Gypsies: The Far Side of the World (p. 41)

SKYPE Q&A

Jim: The James Foley Story (p. 29)

6-8:15 p.m.

FILMS

BOOZE & BANTER 5:30–6:30 P.M.

Q&A

3:30-5:30 p.m.

Colorado Avenue (p. 101)

ICE CREAM SOCIAL 2–3:30 P.M.

Camel Gastrolith Tools for Grassroots Mothering Inside (p. 20) Activists (p. 82) (p. 36) Property (p. 39) Do Not Resist (p. 21) Pronghorn Revival Q&A (p. 39) BLOOD LIONS (p. 19)

4-6:15 p.m.

Q&A

Artists Talk: Father and Son, Subversive Ducks and 12-1:45 p.m.

12-2 p.m.

National Parks OUT THERE (p. 82) Skateboarding in Pine SHORTS 2 Ridge (p. 42) Snowflake (p. 43) Bisonhead (p. 19) Engler (p. 23) Jumbo Wild (p. 30) 1-2 p.m.

The Warmth of Winter (p. 46) Q&A Virtual Reality: Kroger’s Canteen (p. 31) The New Frontier The Adventure Dispatch in Documentary (p. 18) Filmmaking (p. 82) Fast Forward (p. 24)

Q&A

9:15-10:45 a.m.

Meet the People of The Wrestling Cholita National Geographic (p. 82) (p. 49) Looking for Trouble (p. 33) Sonita (p. 43) 9:30-11:30 a.m.

COFFEE & CONVERSATION 8–9 A.M. (p. 92-94)

CAPACITY [160]

Life After Water (p. 32) Elk River (p. 22) The Great Siberian Kamchatka Steelhead 6:45-9 p.m.

Traverse (p. 26) Project (p. 31) 1-800-Give-Us-YourSierra Quitiquit: How Martin’s Boat (p. 34) Kidney (p. 16) Did I Get Here (p. 42) Holy (un)Holy River Enlighten Us: The Q&A Rise and Fall of (p. 27) James Arthur Ray Q&A (p. 23)

Q&A

Urban Circus Fish (p. 46) StrongWater (p. 44) The Weight of Winter (p. 47) A Simple Machine (p. 17) Heavens Eleven (p. 27) The Mysteries (p. 36) The Trail to Kazbegi (p. 45) Mot Nord (p. 35) 70-Some Years (p. 17)

3:45-5:45 p.m.

OUT THERE SHORTS 1

Q&A

When the Mountains Were Wild (p. 48) Travis Rice (p. 78) Senior: 82 Winters in Telluride (p. 41)

12:15-2 p.m.

Q&A

Masters of Slack (p. 34) Operation Moffat (p. 38)

The Super Salmon Kickass Katie Lee (p. 31) (p. 44) Simon Beck – Snow Artist (p. 42) Wild Horse Resolution The San Diego (p. 48) Highwayman (p. 40) The Million Dollar Edges (p. 22) Duck (p. 34)

9:15-11:30 p.m.

Q&A

How to Let Go of the World and Love All the Things Climate Can’t Change (p. 28)

6:15-8:45 p.m.

3:30-5:30 p.m.

Terry Tempest Williams (p. 80) Doug Tompkins Tribute (p. 79)

Q&A

Sandorkraut (p. 40) BUGS (p. 20)

12-2 p.m.

Q&A

To Scale: The Solar System (p. 45) The Clock of the Long Now (p. 21) E.O. Wilson: Of Ants and Men (p. 23)

9:15-11:30 a.m.

CAPACITY [230]

SHERIDAN OPERA HOUSE

Ace and the Desert Trail Angel (p. 45) Dog (p. 17) UP THERE Langtang: Summits SHORTS 2 Mile 19 (p. 35) of My Life (p. 32) High and Mighty (p. 27) Sarah Marquis (p. 75) The Great Alone Equal Footing (p. 24) (p. 26) In Search of Zotz When We Were Knights (p. 28) Q&A (p. 48)

9:30-11:30 a.m.

CAPACITY [500]

CAPACITY [650]

9:30-11:30 a.m.

HIGH CAMP

PALM

SCHEDULE SATURDAY SCHEDULE SATURDAY

62

3:45 4:00 PM 4:15 4:30 4:45 5:00 PM 5:15 5:30 5:45 6:00 PM 6:15 6:30 6:45 7:00 PM 7:15 7:30 7:45 8:00 PM 8:15 8:30 8:45 9:00 PM 9:15 9:30 9:45 10:00 PM 10:15 10:30 10:45 11:00 PM 11:15 11:30 11:45 12:00 AM

8:00 AM 8:15 8:30 8:45 9:00 AM 9:15 9:30 9:45 10:00 AM 10:15 10:30 10:45 11:00 AM 11:15 11:30 11:45 12:00 PM 12:15 12:30 12:45 1:00 PM 1:15 1:30 1:45 2:00 PM 2:15 2:30 2:45 3:00 PM 3:15 3:30

TBA

10 p.m.-12 a.m.

Q&A

Pickle (p. 38) The Happy Film (p. 26)

7:15-9:30 p.m.

Q&A

How to Let Go of the World and Love All the Things Climate Can’t Change (p. 28)

4:15-6:45 p.m.

Q&A

Poumaka (p. 39) Namuli (p. 36) Adventures of the Dodo (p. 18) Wasfia (p. 47) Fledglings (p. 25)

UP THERE 1

12-2:30 p.m.

Q&A

High and Mighty (p. 27) Equal Footing (p. 24) When We Were Knights (p. 48) Masters of Slack (p. 34) Operation Moffat (p. 38)

9:15-11:15 a.m.

TBA

9:15-11:15 p.m.

ADRENALINE PROGRAM (p. 50)

6:45-8:45 p.m.

Q&A

George Saunders: On Story (p. 25) Life, Animated (p. 32)

4-6:15 p.m.

Q&A

12-2 p.m.

The Mysteries (p. 36) Eclipse (p. 22) Paul Nicklen (p. 77)

Q&A

9:15-11:30 a.m.

Nascent (p. 37) Almost Sunrise (p. 19)

CAPACITY [500]

CAPACITY [650]

UP THERE 2

HIGH CAMP

PALM

NUGGET

MASONS CAPACITY [120]

9:30-11:30 a.m.

9:15-11:30 a.m.

THE REFUGEE SHORTS

Q&A

TBA

9:30-11:30 p.m.

Q&A

Kickass Katie Lee (p. 31) Simon Beck – Snow Artist (p. 42) The San Diego Highwayman (p. 40) Edges (p. 22) Pink Boy (p. 38) Offseason (p. 37) Walt (p. 46) Throw (p. 44) Senior: 82 Winters in Telluride (p. 41)

6:45-9 p.m.

EVENTS

TBA

9:30-11:30 p.m.

Q&A

Project (p. 31) Martin’s Boat (p. 34) Holy (un)Holy River (p. 27)

6:45-9 p.m.

6:15-8:45 p.m.

PRESENTATIONS

TBA

9:15-11:15 p.m.

SKYPE Q&A

Jim: The James Foley Story (p. 29)

FILMS

TBA

9-11 p.m.

TBA

6:15-8:15 p.m.

4-5 p.m.

Photography: Getting the Perfect Shot (p. 83)

BOOZE & BANTER 5:30–6:30 P.M. (p. 96-97) MEET THE PEOPLE Life After Water (p. 32) SHORTS Kamchatka Steelhead

Q&A

3:45-5:45 p.m.

READING FRENZY 2–4 P.M. (p. 99)

12-2:15 p.m.

Camel Gastrolith (p. 20) Elk River (p. 22) 4:15-6:15 p.m.

Property (p. 39) National Geographic In The Arena (p. 29) Young Explorers The Forecaster (p. 25) Pronghorn Revival (p. 76) (p. 39) One Seven Eight In Search of Zotz BLOOD LIONS (p. 19) (p. 37) (p. 28) Q&A Jurek (p. 30) Running Wild (p. 40) 4-6:15 p.m.

12-2:30 p.m.

Q&A

10:45- 12 p.m.

Morning Reading: Memoir, Prose and Pictures (p. 83)

Expanding Documentary Storytelling (p. 83)

9:15-10:15 a.m.

Mothering Inside Canyon Song (p. 20) (p. 36) 12:30-2 p.m.

Irene (p. 29) 12:30-2:15 p.m.

Do Not Resist (p. 21) The Song Collector Works in Progress: OUT THERE SHORTS 1 Peru, Ice Expedition, Q&A (p. 43) Urban Circus Fish (p. 46) Public Lands and a Q&A StrongWater (p. 44) Farm Film (p. 83)

The Weight of Winter (p. 47) A Simple Machine (p. 17) Heavens Eleven (p. 27) The Trail to Kazbegi (p. 45) Mot Nord (p. 35) 70-Some Years (p. 17)

LIBRARY CAPACITY [66)

COFFEE & CONVERSATION 8–9 A.M. (p. 92-94)

CAPACITY [160]

Skateboarding in Pine 50 Feet from Syria (p. 16) Ridge (p. 42) 10 a.m.-12 p.m.

How We Choose (p. 28) Bisonhead (p. 19) Trail Angel (p. 45) We’re All Complicit (p. 47) Langtang: Summits Jumbo Wild (p. 30) Clinica de Migrantes: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of of My Life (p. 32) Q&A Happiness (p. 21) Pasang Lhamu The Sculptor of Damascus Sherpa Akita (p. 74) (p. 41)

CAPACITY [230]

SHERIDAN OPERA HOUSE

SCHEDULE SUNDAY SCHEDULE SUNDAY

FILMS EVENTS

PRESENTATIONS

TBA

CLOSING PICNIC 1–4 P.M.

Telluride Town Park (p. 101)

11 a.m.-1 p.m.

Tracings: An Interactive Performance (p. 83)

9:30-10:30 a.m.

TBA

9:15 a.m.-1 p.m.

Jim Jennings 970.729.0065

Trout Lake Land Company #50

308 N Trout Lake Rd - Trout Lake

28 Old Water Tank Lane is a family owned cabin in very good condition that has been recently, partially, remodeled. Site Number Fifty has great unobstructed views of the incredibly scenic Trout Lake & surrounding 12 & 13,000 peaks. It features 3 bedrooms and 2 bathroom and a large great room a vaulted ceiling and a wood burning stove.

308 North Trout Lake Road is a new, log cabin in very good condition located one hundred feet from the north shore of the incredibly scenic Trout Lake. It features three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a large south facing great room with vaulted ceilings and a gas fireplace.

Views include Sheep Mountain, Vermillion Peak and Blackface with easy access to Lizardhead pass.

Offered at $529,000

Offered at $399,000

9:15 a.m.-1 p.m.

TBA

9:15 a.m.-1 p.m.

COFFEE & CONVERSATION 8–9 A.M. (p. 92-94)

Real Estate in Telluride ~ Since 1985 970 • 728 • 4454 w w w. n e v a s c a . c o m

Q&A

11:45-1:45 p.m.

11 a.m.-1p.m.

KIDZ KINO (P. 54)

Q&A

Life, Animated (p. 32)

Almost Sunrise (p. 19)

TBA 9:30 a.m.-11:15 a.m.

TBA

9-10:30 a.m.

3:45 4:00 PM 4:15 4:30 4:45 5:00 PM 5:15 5:30 5:45 6:00 PM 6:15 6:30 6:45 7:00 PM 7:15 7:30 7:45 8:00 PM 8:15 8:30 8:45 9:00 PM 9:15 9:30 9:45 10:00 PM 10:15 10:30 10:45 11:00 PM 11:15 11:30 11:45 12:00 AM

64

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8:00 AM 8:15 8:30 8:45 9:00 AM 9:15 9:30 9:45 10:00 AM 10:15 10:30 10:45 11:00 AM 11:15 11:30 11:45 12:00 PM 12:15 12:30 12:45 1:00 PM 1:15 1:30 1:45 2:00 PM 2:15 2:30 2:45 3:00 PM 3:15 3:30

LIBRARY

CAPACITY [66)

MASONS NUGGET

CAPACITY [500] CAPACITY [650]

CAPACITY [230]

HIGH CAMP PALM

SHERIDAN OPERA HOUSE

CAPACITY [160]

CAPACITY [120]

SCHEDULE MONDAY

PRESENTATIONS | EVENTS | AWARDS & JUDGES | BOARD & DONORS | STAFF | VOLUNTEERS | IN MEMORIAM | MAPS

65

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11:30

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10:45

10:30

10:15

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8:30

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MONDAY

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8:45-10:45 p.m.

Snowflake (p. 43) Eclipse (p. 22) That’s It, That’s All (p. 78)

8:45-10:45 p.m.

Joe Lahout (p. 30) The Great Siberian Traverse (p. 26) Sierra Quitiquit: How Did I Get Here (p. 42)

Fallen Feather (p. 24) Sea Gypsies: The Far Side of the World (p. 41)

8:45-10:45 p.m.

ADRENALINE PROGRAM (p. 50)

8:45-10:45 p.m.

8:45-10:45 p.m.

Ace and the Desert Dog (p. 17) Mile 19 (p. 35) The Great Alone (p. 26)

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8:15

THURSDAY

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WELCOME | SPONSORS | CONTENTS | FESTIVAL TIPS | OUR MISSION | WHAT’S NEW | FILMS | SCHEDULE

PRESENTATIONS | EVENTS | AWARDS & JUDGES | BOARD & DONORS | STAFF | VOLUNTEERS | IN MEMORIAM | MAPS

69

SYMPOSIUM

SYMPOSIUM MORNING SESSION: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE OF OUR PARKS

MOVING MOUNTAINS SYMPOSIUM NATIONA L PARKS C E N T EN N I A L

GLAC IER NATIONAL PA RK , 1 932.

[GEO RGE GRANT/NPS HP C]

“We have fallen heirs to the most glorious heritage a people ever received, and each one must do his part if we wish to show that the nation is worthy of its good fortune.”

— Theodore Roosevelt In 1916, the National Park Service was founded, creating what has become, 100 years later, a stunning assemblage of some of the most breathtaking and essential landscapes in the world. Mountainfilm has always had a deep interest in wild lands, and this centennial celebration of our national parks offers an opportunity for the Moving Mountains Symposium to examine the past, present and future of this remarkable system.

Our parks are home to graceful arches of sandstone and otherworldly badlands, of alligator-infested mangrove forests and bison-studded plains. Immense river canyons where time stretches beyond imagination, massive caves draped with stalactites, historic battle sites, the country’s hottest deserts and the tallest mountain in North America. While it would be easy to focus the conversation on postcard images and self-congratulatory 70

tales of idyllic places saved, there are many thorny issues that face the parks. As a result, we’ll also explore use conflicts, wildlife threats, minority engagement, the future of conservation and our stewardship role heading into the next 100 years. And in the second half of the symposium, we’ll take a deeper look at the world’s first national park, Yellowstone.

We’ve gathered a slate of experts, photographers, storytellers and individuals who have formed unbreakable connections to our parks. CHERYL STRAYED, the awardwinning author of Wild and a previous Mountainfilm guest, will lead the program as emcee. We hope this symposium will spark meaningful, game-changing dialogue and action to ensure that America’s iconic wildscapes remain intact and thriving for another century.

WELCOME | SPONSORS | CONTENTS | FESTIVAL TIPS | OUR MISSION | WHAT’S NEW | FILMS | SCHEDULE

Tonisha Draper: Performance Tonisha Draper is a 12-year-old Navajo singer who has grown up learning the language and ceremonies of her ancestors within the sacred walls of Canyon de Chelly National Monument.

Douglas Brinkley: The Origins Award-winning author, professor and CNN Presidential Historian Douglas Brinkley will kick off the morning conversation by painting a rich history of America’s national parks: the hatching of the great idea, the formation of the NPS and the larger-than-life individuals instrumental in its creation.

Betty Reid Soskin: History Through Her Story In her early 20s, Betty Reid Soskin worked for the all-black auxiliary of a segregated boilermakers union. In the ’60s, she was an activist and civil rights songwriter. And late in life, she helped create The Rosie the Riveter World War II Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond, California.

Today, at 94, Reid is the oldest active ranger with the National Park Service. She will share her perspective on national history — and national parks history — that was informed by her own life.

Michael Gauthier: A Growing Demand on Parks Being a climber, guide book author and a park ranger who has worked in Mt. Rainier, Denali and now Yosemite National Park — where he is chief of staff — Michael Gauthier straddles two worlds: recreation and park management. That gives him a unique perspective on an issue that’s growing evermore urgent: how to meet the increasing demands and widely varied interests of the nearly 300 million people who visit and recreate in the parks each year. Gauthier will tackle this tricky issue of balance, growth and stewardship.

Vanessa Torres: Relevancy, Diversity and Inclusion The U.S. Hispanic population has reached the 50 million mark, and other ethnic populations are growing as well. Despite that, the majority of visitors in — and employees of — our national parks are Caucasian. Vanessa Torres, Santa Monica Mountains NRA Los Angeles district supervisor, will talk explain why attracting a diverse crowd is important for securing future park stewards.

Park Ranger Panel SOSKIN, GAUTHIER and TORRES join STRAYED for a panel on the pressing issues facing the National Park System.

Tom Butler: The National Park Idea Goes Global The national park idea began in America but quickly spread around the globe, and some park advocates believe we may be entering a new golden era of park creation and expansion. One of the most prominent examples is the unprecedented private initiatives of Kristine and Doug Tompkins to create new parks in South America. Writer and conservationist Tom Butler, long-time staffer of Tompkins Conservation, describes these parkland protection milestones.

Kevin Fedarko and Pete McBride: Parks in Peril Despite the fact that The Grand Canyon is widely recognized and universally loved, it’s surrounded on all sides by threats: mining activity, helicopter traffic and development proposals among them. In order to explore this paradox, filmmaker Pete McBride — Holy (Un)holy River (page 27) and Martin’s Boat (page 34) — and author Kevin Fedarko decided to do something drastic: Walk a mega-transect through the heart of the canyon, from Lee’s Ferry to Grand Wash Cliffs.

Setting off in the fall of 2015, they embarked on what turned into an epic, illuminating, blister-inducing and arduous adventure of nearly 650 miles. They’ll discuss how the challenges facing the Grand Canyon are emblematic of the country’s entire national park system.

PRESENTATIONS | EVENTS | AWARDS & JUDGES | BOARD & DONORS | STAFF | VOLUNTEERS | IN MEMORIAM | MAPS

71

SYMPOSIUM

SINCE 1991

P H OTO BY JOE RIIS

LUNCH BREAK 12:15 p.m.-1:15 p.m.

AFTERNOON SESSION: A DEEPER LOOK AT YELLOWSTONE David Quammen: The Paradox of the Cultivated Wild Greater Yellowstone is a vast place where fierce wildness — roiling rivers, howling wolves and hulking grizzlies — exists in the same landscape as extensive human infrastructure. We’ve riddled it with souvenir shops, boardwalks, lodges and pavement.

Despite man’s impact, we’ve yet to tame it. Writer David Quammen (Spillover, The Song of the Dodo) will discuss this paradox and pose the question: Can true wildness be reconciled with human demands?

Joe Riis: Tracking the Migrations of Yellowstone Wildlife biologist turned photojournalist Joe Riis documented the migrations of pronghorn, mule deer and elk in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem for nearly a decade — following the animals over rocky passes, through swollen rivers and across remote wind-swept ridges. His groundbreaking work offers a fresh perspective of the park, and, he hopes, encourages a new appreciation and understanding of its crucial role for wildlife.

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David Guttenfelder: Examining the Relationship Between Humans and Wildlife In 2015, World Press Photo Award-winning photojournalist David Guttenfelder moved back to America after two decades abroad to spend a year documenting Yellowstone. He will talk about the complicated, synergistic, difficult and politically charged relationships between humans and wildlife in Yellowstone.

Yellowstone Panel: New Understanding of the Park QUAMMEN, RIIS and GUTTENFELDER will join STRAYED for a panel discussion on the complicated interplay of human needs, wildlife and conservation that exists in this remarkable place.

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SPEAKERS

SPEAKERS

PHOTO BY MINGMA D O R J E S HE RPA

Pasang Lhamu Sherpa Akita SUNDAY, 10 A.M., SHERIDAN OPERA HOUSE

Pasang Lhamu Sherpa Akita is a dauntless pioneer: She was the first Nepali female mountain guide, the first woman to ascend 24,117-foot Nangpai Gosum II, a member of the first team of Nepali women to climb K2 (widely regarded as one of the hardest peaks in the world to scale) and this year, she reached a new summit when she was named the 2016 National Geographic People’s Choice Adventurer of the Year.

Other peaks she has climbed include Mt. Everest, Ama Dablam and Yala.

Guiding is a challenging career choice anywhere, and particularly in Nepal. “It was very hard for me to choose this profession as a woman — especially in our culture.

Daughters are supposed to stay home, get married and take care of the family.

Mountaineering is very male-dominated.

You have to be mentally and physically strong. It was really, really hard for me,” she says.

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Her impact extends beyond the mountains; Pasang is also a humanitarian who, along with her husband, traveled deep into disaster zones to supply food, tarps, blankets and supplies to victims after the 2015 earthquake that devastated her country. She coordinated truck convoys, organized volunteers and locals and ensured that supplies were distributed equitably, playing a crucial role in the relief effort.

She even gave talks in refugee camps about how people could protect themselves from trafficking.

Pasang grew up in the town of Lukla, which is in the shadow of Everest, and was inspired by the great mountain as a child. Today, this formidable and incredibly humble woman inspires countless others in her troubled country and abroad with a message about what it takes to change your destiny — against all odds.

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PHOTO BY KRYSTLE WRIGHT

Sarah Marquis SATURDAY, 9:15 A.M., SHERIDAN OPERA HOUSE

Sarah Marquis likes to walk. And walk and walk. She stopped counting the miles after circumnavigating the globe on foot once — when she walked through the Andes, the Australian outback and the Pacific Crest of the U.S., among other places. Still, she kept walking. In 2010, the National Geographic Explorer of the Year embarked on a three-year solo walk from Siberia to the southern Australian coast, a journey of almost 12,500 miles that entailed walking through the arid Gobi desert and the jungles of Laos and Thailand before boarding a cargo boat to Australia, where she walked across the forbidding continent.

Along the way, she starved, overheated, froze, was held hostage and explored her own limits of self-reliance.

As she explains, “After six months of an expedition, the noise stops in my head. I just go back to a basic animal connection.

I’m hunting sometimes. I’m surviving, basically. Being with nature for 1,000 days in a tent, with no water, no wash — my idea in doing this is to be a voice for nature.”

Marquis documented the journey in her international bestseller Wild By Nature. At Mountainfilm, she’ll talk about the rewards, and drawbacks, of her incurable wanderlust.

“For me, walking is more than walking.

I’m like a little bridge between humans and nature. I’m just there to try to communicate this connection that we’ve all got. It takes determination, a lot of courage and a lot of perseverance. It takes a lot, but anybody can do it,” she says.

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SPEAKERS

SPEAKERS

ALEC JAC O BSON

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC YOUNG EXPLORERS SUNDAY, 4 P.M., SHERIDAN OPERA HOUSE

National Geographic has launched the career of many a photographer, scientist, storyteller, adventurer and researcher through its Young Explorers Grants Program, which provides seed grants to 18 to 25 year olds for fieldwork and exploration around the globe. Each year, National Geographic brings a handful of “YEGs” to Mountainfilm to share their work.

MOLLY FERRIL is a photographer, writer

and filmmaker based in Southeast Asia.

She first had the chance to photograph and film wild elephants in Kenya and Tanzania, where she was studying wildlife management in the national parks. Since then, she’s gone on to document the unique relationship between elephants and people in Myanmar, a country where rapid development is changing the role of an animal that’s long been part of industry, religion and culture.

From folk art to salt and pepper shakers to animals and curios — America’s roadside attractions have long been home to colorful collections. During the summer of 2015, MARISSA GAWEL traveled 3,000 miles around the country’s midsection to gather stories of the people who have opened their homes and passions to the public, capturing a time capsule of American roadside nostalgia as she went.

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A trained environmental scientist who grew up on the coast of Maine, KYLE HEMES spent three years living, studying and working in Laos, Thailand, China and Vietnam. His project, “The Friction of Terrain,” was born out of a fascination with the changing people and landscapes of the southeast Asian uplands, where recent largescale infrastructure has removed separations that long kept inhabitants semi-autonomous.

He and a team set out on touring bicycles to discover the changes firsthand.

Young Explorer ALEC JACOBSON holds the distinction of being being based out of Mountainfilm’s hometown of Telluride, where he founded the nonprofit online news site The San Juan Independent. As a YEG, he traveled to Uganda to document overfishing in Lake Victoria, a pervasive problem with deleterious impacts on the regional environment and the people who live there.

PRASENJEET YADAV studied molecular biology and ecology for years in his native India before realizing his true passion lies in storytelling. He now combines his experience in research with his formidable camera skills in an effort to popularize ecological and conservation sciences. He was awarded a Young Explorers Grant to produce a story about evolution and speciation in the Shola grasslands of India’s Western Ghats.

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Paul Nicklen SUNDAY, 12 P.M., HIGH CAMP

Renowned photographer and marine biologist Paul Nicklen specializes in documenting polar landscapes, an interest that emanates from his upbringing in one of the few non-Inuit families on Baffin Island. His stunning images of leopard seals, emperor penguins, icebergs, beluga whales and polar bears — which have graced magazine covers and best-selling photo books (Polar Obsession) — not only showcase incredible products of nature, but also reveal the effects of humaninduced climate change as it eliminates entire ecosystems.

“Extreme environments like the high arctic get little coverage, and yet their species need protection due to the dwindling ice,” Nicklen says. “I want people to care about these regions as much as I do, and I hope my images can inspire

an audience.”

Even though he trained as a scientist, Nicklen was overwhelmed by the need to create memorable images in spite of having no formal photography schooling.

“I realized I was more of a right-brain artist than a left-brain scientist,” he explains, adding, “my body of work is the result of learning from mistakes and by experience.”

And his experiences include intense physical and mental hardships. “If I find myself standing shoulder-to-shoulder with a lot of other photographers, I know I am in the wrong place. If I am cold and miserable and alone under the sea ice, and my assistant hates me for being there, and big animals with large and sharp protruding parts are staring at me, I know I am in the right spot.”

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SPEAKERS

SPEAKERS

P H OTO COURTESY OF RE D B U LL

Travis Rice

Doug Tompkins Tribute

SATURDAY, 12:15 P.M., HIGH CAMP

As a native of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where his father was on ski patrol, Travis Rice has snowboarding in his blood. Still, he was an unknown outsider when, at 18, he showed up to his first major competition — Snowboard magazine’s Superpark contest in Mammoth — and blew everyone away by launching a backside rodeo across a 117-foot gap jump.

That jaw-dropping feat set the tone for Rice’s career, and today the 33 year old is widely considered one of the most influential, talented and visionary snowboarders in the sport’s history. His athleticism is superhuman — he rides the steepest of Alaskan spines with the same precision and grace with which he executes tricks off enormous backcountry jumps and sticks medal-winning lines in the X-Games. But what set Rice in his own stratosphere is more than athleticism. He 78

SATURDAY, 3:30 P.M., PALM THEATER

is also part of the creative force behind the boundary-shattering films That’s It, That’s All (page 67) and The Art of Flight — which represents a new era of craftsmanship in snowboard documentaries. In addition, he has shaped the evolution of snowboarding by pioneering new tricks and founding Supernatural, a backcountry freestyle competition in Canada that uses natural features in a way that’s never been done in snowboarding.

His accolades are too numerous to list, but include National Geographic Adventurer of the Year, TransWorld’s Rider of the Year, X-Games gold medalist and inaugural Supernatural champion.

Rice has been working on his newest film, The Fourth Phase, since The Art of Flight was released in 2013. He will discuss his life’s work, expansive visions and rad new film project.

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The outdoor and conservation world was shocked and saddened by the news in December of 2015 that Doug Tompkins died in an accident while sea kayaking with friends Rick Ridgeway and Yvon Chouinard in Patagonia. Tompkins was a massive figure in conservation who lived a colorful and influential life.

He was a member of the infamous Fun Hogs, whose epic 1968 climb of Fitzroy in Patagonia became the stuff of legend.

His next iteration was entrepreneur, cofounding The North Face, which focused on high-performance sleeping bags, tents and backpacks. The business sold for $50,000 in the late ’60s, and he used that money to start the clothing company Esprit, which was considerably more successful financially for him.

Over the years, Tompkins grew disillusioned with the fashion industry.

Increasingly disturbed about its

environmental impact, he sold Esprit and turned his energies toward conservation. The tireless efforts of Tompkins and his wife, Kristine McDivitt Tompkins, created a remarkable stretch of national parks in Patagonia that today covers more than 2 million acres of wilderness in Chile and Argentina. At first, their efforts were met with skepticism and even scorn by many locals, but after Tompkins’ death the Chilean Senate voted unanimously to make him an honorary citizen. His work has prompted some experts to call him the greatest land conservationist since John Muir.

Doug and Kris Tompkins spoke at the festival in 2003, and for this special tribute Kris returns with friends, including Rick Ridgeway and Lito Tejada-Flores (cofounder of Mountainfilm), to honor the expansive life and enduring legacy of her husband — a true icon in our world.

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Painting © Rodger Mason

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Terry Tempest Williams SATURDAY, 3:30 P.M., PALM THEATER

She is a professor, activist, poet and author. But more than anything, Terry Tempest Williams is a writer who gives eloquent voice to the West, to the crucial power of wildness and to the connection of our inner and outer landscapes.

The Utah native, who grew up in the Salt Lake Valley, has spent her career penning words that speak to morality and preservation, to gratitude and awe, to the striking beauty of a bird in flight and the importance of finding home. She has been a guest at the White House, a barefoot artist in Rwanda, a contributor to Orion and The New Yorker, and the author of books that include When Women Were Birds, Finding Beauty in a Broken Word and Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place.

To honor the centennial of America’s National Parks System — which have his-

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torically offered a taste of nature in a world where wild places are vanishing steadily — Tempest Williams has written a new book, The Hour of Land. In it, she delves into the complexities of our national parks in both shadow and light. She asks the essential questions about what national parks mean to us and what we mean to them — getting to the heart of why wild lands are essential to our very humanity.

“We are at a crossroads,” she writes. “We can continue on the path we have been on, a path that privileges profit over people and land; or we can unite as citizens with a common cause — the health and wealth of the Earth that sustains us. We have arrived at the hour of land.” * Williams will be signing books at Between the Covers bookstore Saturday, 2-3:30 p.m., during the Ice Cream Social.

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LIBRARY

LIBRARY SUNDAY Expanding Documentary Storytelling 9:15-10:15 A.M.

[G EO RGE GRANT/ NP SH PC]

The Library

All workshops, presentations and events at the Library are free to the public after passholders are seated.

SATURDAY Meet the People of National Geographic 9:15-10:45 A.M.

National Geographic continues its commitment to excellent journalism, arresting photography and ground-breaking exploration. Hear from National Geographic staff who develop content for the magazine, channel and online: MARY ANNE POTTS, SADIE QUARRIER and PETER GWIN on the publishing side; RACHEL LINK with the multimedia team; and BRIAN LOVETT with NG Channels. REBECCA MARTIN, a longtime friend of the festival, and KATIA ANDREASSI will also share information about grants from the nonprofit National Geographic Society that support science and exploration.

Following the presentation, take part in individual breakout sessions with the NG team in the Camel’s Garden Hotel lobby (250 W. San Juan Ave.) — bring your portfolios or big ideas.

Artists Talk: Father and Son, Subversive Ducks and National Parks 11:15 A.M.-12:30 P.M. Father and son CARL AND CALEB MARCUS

will explore how their visual aesthetic passed from one generation to another; iconoclastic artist ROB MCBROOM will talk about shaking up traditionalists with nonconforming art; 82

and painter RACHEL POHL will explain how a passion for Patagonia and conserving wild lands has driven her work.

Virtual Reality: The New Frontier in Documentary Filmmaking 1-2 P.M.

Virtual reality is taking documentary filmmaking into unprecedented forms of immersive storytelling. Find out more about the technology, tools and equipment it takes to make a VF film and about some of the groundbreaking stories told in this mind-boggling new format. BRYN MOOSER and GABE LIFTON-ZOLINE from RYOT, one of the leading content studios creating documentary-style virtual reality films, will discuss this new frontier.

Tools for Grassroots Activists 3:45-5 P.M.

For more than two decades, Patagonia has hosted a Tools for Grassroots Activists Conference where experts provide practical training to help activists maximize their effectiveness. Now the company has condensed this knowledge into a book by the same name. KRISTEN GRIMM of Spitfire Strategies, LISA PIKE of Patagonia and legendary conservation activist DAVE FOREMAN will explain how communication, strategizing, fundraising, lobbying, working with businesses and grassroots organizing is essential to making a meaningful impact.

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The documentary genre is evolving rapidly, and we’ve gathered four diverse experts to provide a sense of what is possible today.

IAN DURKIN is the curator for Staff Picks at Vimeo and will discuss how online exhibition for documentaries is changing.

MARK SHAPIRO from LAIKA — the animation studio behind the three Oscarnominated features Coraline, Paranorman and The Boxtrolls — will share how to use animation in documentaries successfully.

NILES LICHTENSTEIN, who founded the digital storytelling platform History Project, will talk about how to give a project new life online after it’s released. ROB CAMPBELL, executive producer of sports and outdoor with GoPro, will provide insight on how POV cameras are changing filmmaking.

Morning Readings: Memoir, Prose and Pictures 10:45 A.M.-12 P.M.

Take a respite from the moving pictures with author readings from recently published books. BRENDAN LEONARD’s Sixty Meters to Anywhere is a memoir that chronicles how a second-hand climbing rope provided him a lifeline to identity and redemption; HELEN AND RENDER DAVIS’ photography book Landscapes for the People is a collection of the work of George Grant, the first chief photographer for the National Park Service; Telluride author and screenwriter JEFF PRICE’S debut novel, Improbable Fortunes, is a darkly humorous murder mystery with a Western flavor.

Works in Progress: Peru, Ice Expedition, Public Lands and a Farm Film 12:30-2 P.M.

Four Mountainfilm veterans will discuss the daunting process of conceiving, funding and executing a passion project and share clips from their current projects.

Mountainfilm Commitment grantee JIM AIKMAN stumbled across a remarkable story

of an anthropologic discovery high in the Peruvian Andes; TAYLOR REES and RENAN OZTURK followed a team of young British explorers as they attempted to cross Iceland in the middle of winter; DAVE BYARS, another Commitment Grant recipient, has been examining the battle over public lands in “Untitled Malheur Documentary”; JOHN CHESTER, who was at Mountainfilm in 2009 with Rock Prophecies, has started a biodynamic farm in Southern California and chronicled the effort on film.

Photography: Getting the Perfect Shot 4-5 P.M.

Some iconic photographs just happen.

Others take blood, sweat, tears, meticulous planning, failed attempts and years before they’re executed as envisioned.

KRYSTLE WRIGHT, an Australian adventure photographer who is the subject of the film The Mysteries (page 36); climber and BASE jumper STEPH DAVIS, who has worked extensively with Wright; and REUBEN KRABBE, a Canadian photographer whose images have graced the pages of Bike, Powder and Freehub and who is featured in the film Eclipse (page 22); will talk about the compulsion that’s at the heart of many perfect shots. AARON HUEY, a longtime Mountainfilm guest and a regular contributor to National Geographic, will address his approach from portraits to landscapes.

MONDAY Tracings: An Interactive Performance 9:30-10:30 A.M.

Medical anthropologist KATINKA HOOYER, a character in the film Almost Sunrise (page 19), focuses on nature-based and alternative therapies to ease veteran reintegration.

In this special Memorial Day interactive performance, Hooyer will lead a reading of veterans’ experiences from serving and coming home.

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EVENTS

Telluride Mountainfilm Festival

Making a Difference for 38 years!

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GALLERY WALK

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Rick Topper rickt@cpcsolutions.com 970.261.5877

ACRES OF ICE

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PHOTO BY ERIC MO O RE

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SPECIAL EVENTS

PHOTO BY MELISSA PLA NTZ

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GALLERY WALK

GALLERY WALK

C AL E B M ARCUS

L I N D E WA I D H O F E R

GALLERYWALK

AH HAA HALLWAY

OPENING RECEPTION FRIDAY, 3:30-6:30 P.M. Mountainfilm’s Friday evening programming kicks off with the Gallery Walk, a vibrant and lively event that takes place in downtown galleries and other venues. Artists will speak about their exhibits at 5:30 p.m. during the Gallery Walk, and the work will be displayed throughout the festival weekend.

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AH HAA EAST

Ace Kvale Ace Kvale, a photographer who has captured extreme environments and rich cultures around the world, first met Dr. Geoff Tabin — co-founder of the Himalayan Cataract Project — on assignment for Outside magazine. What grew from that encounter was a lasting friendship and a photo project that has spanned years. Kvale has been documenting the work of Tabin, whose nonprofit aims to eradicate blindness by setting up eye surgery clinics in sub-Saharan Africa and the Himalaya, for more than a decade. The result, Kvale says, represents some of the most important work of his life.

Carl and Caleb Cain Marcus One is a prolific Telluride-based photographer who documents the miracles of light, life and form in the San Juan Mountains. The other, a New York Citybased photographer who explores the physicality of space through ethereal images of ice, fog-enshrouded villages and cityscapes. Together, father and son Carl and Caleb Cain Marcus join forces for an intergenerational exhibit.

AH HAA WEST

National Geographic Young Explorers Each year, Mountainfilm hosts a handful of National Geographic Young Explorers for presentations and exhibits. This year’s crop includes MOLLY FERRILL, MARISSA GAWEL, KYLE HEMES, PRASENJEET YADAV and Telluride’s ALEC JACOBSON. A collection of their photography will fill the Ah Haa’s West Gallery.

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AH HAA FOYER

Mehyar Sawas Mehyar Sawas is a young Syrian-born artist who uses wood, fire, metal and rock to express the gamut of human emotions. He has fostered a passion for sculpting his whole life, but his art — and life — were upended by the Syrian War. After earning his diploma in Damascus, he fled for Turkey to avoid being forced into the conflict. He arrived in Vienna in 2015 as refugee with next to nothing. Since then, he has worked to build his life back up from scratch, using metal forming to express suffering and resilience. He is the subject of The Sculptor of Damascus (page 41).

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Everyday Climate Change Caroline Bennett is part of a diverse group of photographers who launched Everyday Climate Change, an Instagram account that shares images of the effects of climate change via social media. She will exhibit a selection of photographs from the “Voices from Earth’s Last Wilds” project, which feature testimonies from indigenous peoples who are on the frontlines of climate change.

Rachel Pohl Rachel Pohl began painting when she was 5 and hasn’t stopped since. But she has added skiing and climbing to her passions.

As she’s adventured her way around the U.S. and Canada, she’s painted meaningful landscapes, including national park scenes from Canyonlands and Bryce. Her work is vibrant, stylized, surreal and bold.

ARROYO

Keith Ladzinski Keith Ladzinski is an adventure photographer and filmmaker whose work has taken him to remote reaches of all seven continents — from the forests of South Africa to the beaches of Iceland. Along with contributing to such magazines as Outside, Discover and Men’s Journal, he is the co-founder of 3 Strings Productions in Boulder, Colorado. He was recently assigned to document the effects of climate change in national parks for National Geographic and has a film, Poumaka (page 39), premiering in this year’s festival.

Parks in Peril Mega malls, oil rigs, smog, well pads and overfishing are among the issues that threaten America’s national parks. In an effort to highlight these issues, the National Parks Conservation Association launched a campaign called Parks in Peril, which features vintage park posters tweaked to reflect these modern manmade hazards.

K E I T H L A DZ I N SK I

Linde Waidhofer For Linde Waidhofer, landscape photography is both profession and all-consuming passion.

She has amassed a large body of striking and colorful images over her career, capturing everything from New Mexico’s badlands to Chile’s marble canyons. She has published nine photography books, and, in recent years, her work has been propelled by an intense love of Patagonia as she has documented the work of Doug and Kris Tompkins (page 79).

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GALLERY WALK

GALLERY WALK

J E T S O N O RAMA

THE BUTCHER & THE BAKER

Rob McBroom Rob McBroom, a Minneapolis-based artist, holds the distinction of being the only Federal Duck Stamp competitor to adorn his abstract works with glitter, rhinestones and Communist insignia. He has been antagonizing his fellow Duck Stamp entrants with his unorthodox paintings for many years. He is a subject in the film The Million Dollar Duck (page 34).

GHOST TOWN - OUTSIDE

Artist in Residence: Chip Thomas Chip Thomas is an artist, activist and doctor who lives and works on the Navajo reservation. Long drawn to black-andwhite photography and street art, Thomas, aka jetsonorama, puts up eye-catching installations where you’d least expect them: on trailers, water towers and abandoned buildings on Navajo lands. His special installation will stay up after the festival.

HIGH CAMP

George A. Grant As the first chief photographer for the National Parks Service, George A. Grant is responsible for much of the early documentation of our park system. Grant worked for the service from 1929 to 1954, creating a staggering 30,000 to 40,000 images of the people, places, history architecture and landscapes of these 88

K RYST L E W R I GH T

special places. Perhaps because his photos were often credited “NPS Photo,” Grant never achieved the same level of fame as contemporaries like Ansel Adams, but his work speaks of a prolific and talented man.

LA COCINA

Remembering Charlie Fowler Charlie Fowler was a climber, photographer, accomplished mountaineer, Norwood resident and friend of Mountainfilm who was killed in 2006 while climbing a peak in southern China with his partner Christine Boskoff. On this 10th anniversary of his death, Mountainfilm is celebrating the life of Fowler with a special exhibit that features photos of him doing what he did best: living boldly.

STRONGHOUSE

Artist in Residence: Ben Moon Pacific Northwest-based photographer and filmmaker Ben Moon is known for dynamic action photography and arresting black-andwhite portraits. Moon is also the subject of Denali, which played at Mountainfilm 2015 to much acclaim before going viral online. The 2016 artist-in-residence will work on and exhibit a collection of portraits during the festival that features faces of Mountainfilm. His film Offseason (page 37) is premiereing at the festival.

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TELLURIDE GALLERY OF FINE ART

TELLURIDE TRANSFER WAREHOUSE

Reuben Krabbe Wanderlust, of both the creative and physical varieties, drives Canadian photographer Reuben Krabbe to find unique ways to capture the world of action sports. His obsession with seeking different light, angles and objectives has landed his photos on covers of Skier, mtb pro and Powder. This obsession is also at the heart of the story that drives the film Eclipse (page 22).

Locals El Niño Show The winter of 2015/16 was generous to Telluride, delivering storm after storm to the San Juan Mountains on the shoulders of a strong El Niño pattern. Mountainfilm celebrates the season with a special locals’ show that highlights the glories of El Niño: adventurous lines, deep powder and a town revelling in the bounty of an epic winter.

Paul Nicklen Globally renowned environmental photographer and marine biologist Paul Nicklen has been documenting both the beauty and plight of the Earth’s polar regions for more than two decades. The Canadian native is an assignment photographer for National Geographic, a job that allows him to use his evocative images to spark a dialogue about the effects of climate change, the threat to wild habitats and the future of the planet. His books include Polar Obsession and Bear: Spirit of the Wild.

Krystle Wright Adventure photographer, Aussie and selfproclaimed child of the universe Krystle Wright has captured epic images of life on the edge in locations that range from the skies above Pakistan and the glaciers of Alaska to the waters of the Great Barrier Reef. Wright is the subject of The Mysteries (page 36).

REUBEN KRABBE

VARIOUS OUTDOOR LOCATIONS

National Geographic’s Yellowstone National Geographic’s May issue was devoted to exploring the contemporary issues of wildlife and human conflict in Yellowstone National Park. The magazine is bringing several large images by project photographers MICHAEL NICHOLS, CHARLIE HAMILTON JAMES, DAVID GUTTENFELDER, JOE RIIS, DREW RUSH, THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE and RONAN DONOVAN to

display in several outdoor locations.

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Chuck & Rich, We will be climbing and building with you forever.

Chuck Kroger Rich Mitchell 1946 - 2007 1951 - 2013

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WELCOME | SPONSORS | CONTENTS | FESTIVAL TIPS | OUR MISSION | WHAT’S NEW | FILMS | SCHEDULE

PRESENTATIONS | EVENTS | AWARDS & JUDGES | BOARD & DONORS | STAFF | VOLUNTEERS | IN MEMORIAM | MAPS

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TOWN TALKS

TOWN TALKS

COFFEE TALKS

SUNDAY

SATURDAY, SUNDAY AND MONDAY, 8-9 A.M.

LOCATIONS

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

AH HAA WEST AH HAA EAST CHRIST CHURCH UPSTAIRS CHRIST CHURCH DOWNSTAIRS HOTEL TELLURIDE MOUNTAIN LODGE TELLURIDE BLACK IRON @ MADELINE HOTEL

SATURDAY

1 Writing About The West

The particular landscapes of the Western United States — canyons, rugged peaks, glacier-carved basins and empty spaces — have long inspired some of the country’s greatest writers. Renowned authors TERRY TEMPEST WILLIAMS (Refuge, When Women Were Birds, The Hour of Land) and DAVID QUAMMEN (The Song of the Dodo, The Reluctant Mr. Darwin) talk about how place imbues their prose.

2 Film Festival Strategy As film festivals proliferate, it’s become harder for filmmakers to know the best strategy for maximum exposure. MICHAEL BRODY, founder and director of the Crested Butte Film Festival; documentary film consultant BRIAN NEWMAN; and Tribeca Film Institute Executive Director ANNA PONDER discuss how to navigate this complex landscape with Mountainfilm Festival Director DAVID HOLBROOKE. 3 Moral Injury The feature documentary Almost Sunrise (page 19) introduces the concept of “moral injury,” the psychological harm service members face when experiences on the battlefield challenge their principles. Iraq veterans and film subjects TOM VOSS and ANTHONY ANDERSON and the film’s director MICHAEL COLLINS discuss the growing understanding of moral injury and its implications on soldiers.

4 Nepal: One Year Later A year after the 7.8-magnitude earthquake and its aftershocks devastated much of Nepal, the country and its people continue to suffer. DICK GRACE, a philanthropist who has spent considerable time in the country; JIM NOWAK, the founder of the dZi Foundation, Mountainfilm’s nonprofit partner; PASANG LHAMU SHERPA AKITA, a Nepali alpinist and humanitarian (page 74); and GEOFF TABIN, the surgeon behind the Himalayan Cataract Project, delve into the considerable challenges facing Nepal.

5 Your Brain on Nature Scientific evidence shows that exposure to nature does more than just inspire humans — it has physiological benefits that can reduce stress hormones, increase heart health and help moderate mood. Writer FLORENCE WILLIAMS (page 100), alpinist CONRAD ANKER and filmmaker JUSTIN BOGARDUS, who made Nature Rx (which screened at Mountainfilm 2015), discuss the science of getting outside.

6 Syria — The Abyss Nearly a quarter of a million people have been killed in the Syrian War, and hundreds of thousands of refugees have fled the country in search of safe havens. Former CIA agent and Telluirde local BOB BAER, filmmaker SKYE FITZGERALD (50 Feet from Syria, page 16) and filmmaker GABRIEL LIFTON-ZOLINE (The Sculptor of Damascus, page 41) look at this intractable problem.

7 Parks in Peril The United States is celebrating the centennial of its National Parks System in high style, but that doesn’t mean we can simply pat backs and rest on our laurels.

Writer KEVIN FEDARKO (page 71), who spent the last year transecting the Grand Canyon; VANESSA MAZAL of the National Park Conservation Association; and National Geographic photographer DAVID GUTTENFELDER (page 72) discuss the threats to our national parks.

1 The Long Walk One step at a time. That’s how explorer SARAH MARQUIS (page 75) traveled 10,000 miles from Siberia to Australia, how veteran ANTHONY ANDERSON (Almost Sunrise, page 19) traversed the United States, how photographer and filmmaker PETE MCBRIDE (page 71) transected the length of the Grand Canyon. These intrepid adventurers explain why walking is the ideal speed to take in the world.

2 Meditation and Healing

Meditation is emerging as an effective tool for everything from battling depression to reducing blood pressure, managing ADHD and aiding the process of healing from trauma. TOM VOSS, a meditation instructor, veteran and subject of Almost Sunrise (page 19), leads a meditation session followed by a conversation about the benefits of this quiet practice.

3 The Art of Conservation Artists have been painting, photographing and replicating nature for as long as they’ve been holding paintbrushes and cameras. Wildlife photographer PAUL NICKLEN (page 77), who uses his camera to document the effects of climate change on polar landscapes; ADAM GRIMM, a painter, film subject and a two-time winner of the Federal Duck Stamp Competition (The Million Dollar Duck, page 34); and ANAND VARMA, a National Geographic photographer who helps biologists communicate their work through images (In Search of Zotz, page 28), explore how art can propel conservation.

4 Whither the Environmental Movement?

Activist and filmmaker JOSH FOX (How to Let Go of the World and Love All the Things Climate Can’t Change, page 28), photographer JAMES BALOG (Chasing Ice and Message in a Bottle, page 35) and Earth First! founder DAVE FOREMAN ponder the future of environmentalism in the face of looming crises such as climate change.

5 Finding Alex Lowe In early May, the body of renowned mountaineer Alex Lowe was found alongside that of his climbing partner David Bridges on Shishapangma in Tibet. It had been 16 years since they were killed in an avalanche while attempting to climb the peak with a party that included alpinist CONRAD ANKER. Anker his wife JENNI LOWE-ANKER (who is also Lowe’s widow) and Alex Lowe’s son MAX LOWE will talk about the discovery and the legacy left behind by the great climber.

6 I Have a Story That I Think is a Film. What Now? Many aspiring — and seasoned — filmmakers are all too familiar with the feeling: You find a compelling story screaming to be told, but how do you navigate the financial, technical, practical and logistical hurdles to get from from concept to reality? SANDI DUBOWSKI, filmmaker of Trembling Before G-d and and Outreach Director for Good Pitch; JOHN HOFFMAN, the executive vice president of documentaries and specials for Discovery; and SUZAN BERAZA, a Telluride filmmaker who directed past festival films Bag It (2009) and Uranium Drive-in (2013), discuss the daunting process of getting a film off the ground.

7 Engaging the Next Generation of Parkgoers As part of its centennial celebration, the National Parks Service has set forth a goal to better engage the populations necessary to sustain parks for another 100 years — namely, young people and ethnic minorities. But how do you attract people who have long had valid reasons to skip the park experience? NPS rangers VANESSA TORRES (page 71) and MICHAEL GAUTHIER (page 71) and National Geographic Explorer JUAN MARTINEZ talk about reaching people who aren’t traditional parkgoers.

PRESENTATIONS | EVENTS | AWARDS & JUDGES | BOARD & DONORS | STAFF | VOLUNTEERS | IN MEMORIAM | MAPS

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MONDAY

1 American Politics, Behind the Scenes RON SUSKIND is the author of Life, Animated, a beautiful memoir about his autistic son, Owen, that was the basis for the unforgettable documentary by the same name (page 32). He is also a Pulitzer Prize-winning political writer whose articles have appeared in The New York Times and Esquire. Suskind, who has reported extensively on American politics, discusses the 2016 presidential campaign and what it says about the state of America.

2 Charlie Fowler, Remembered Ten years ago, the legendary climber Charlie Fowler — a Telluride-area local who pioneered climbing routes here and beyond — was killed in an avalanche in China with his partner, Christine Boskoff. His sister GINNY FOWLER HICKS and climbers and friends STEPH DAVIS and JOHN CATTO (page 104) discuss his life and legacy, which includes Mountainfilm’s Charlie Fowler Award for the best climbing film of the festival.

3 Music Monday

In what has become a Mountainfilm tradition, we invite our musically inclined guests to gather on Monday for an hour of song and celebration. Join banjo player and filmmaker JOSH FOX (How to Let Go of the World and Love All the Things Climate Can’t Change, page 28), Indian musician and film subject MORUP MANGYAL (The Song Collector, page 43), Navajo singer and film subject TONISHA DRAPER (Canyon Song, page 20), singer and songwriter PETER YARROW and other melodious guests for a morning of music.

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4 Giving a Voice to Wildlife Today, more than ever, wildlife face myriad human-caused challenges in a quest for survival. How do we give a voice to these voiceless creatures? Filmmaker IAN MICHLER (Blood Lions, page 19), wildlife photojournalist and film subject JOE RIIS (Elk River, page 22) and filmmaker BEN MASTERS (Wild Horse Resolution, page 48) talk about the challenges of being an activist for animals.

5 Exporting America’s Best Idea America pioneered the concept of national parks and created 58 of them, but only 2 percent of total U.S. landmass is dedicated to parks. This “best idea” has gone international, now having been adopted by nearly 100 countries, some of which (e.g.

Belize) have allocated as much as 38 percent of their acreage for this public purpose. TOM BUTLER and KRIS TOMPKINS have worked together in Chile and Argentina to conserve land for parks, while LINDE WAIDHOFER has spent recent years photographing parks in Patagonia.

6 Social Change and Social Media As social media edges out television, radio and print as a resource for information, photo apps such as Instagram become tools for social change. Photographers CAROLINE BENNETT (page 87), CRISTINA MITTERMEIER and KEITH LADZINSKI (page 87) share how they capitalize on their social media followers to get their messages out.

Sao Paulo, Brazil Baltimore, MD Winthrop, WA Aspen, CO Ojai, CA Boise, ID Seattle, WA Olympia, WA Squamish, B.C. Southampton, NY Virginia Beach, VA Raleigh-Durham, NC Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Mammoth Lakes, CA Seeley Lake, MT Calgary, Alberta Redding, CA Atlanta, GA London, UK Newtown, CT Mill Valley, CA Bar Harbor, ME High Point, NC Annapolis, MD Charlotte, NC Crestone, CO Laramie, WY Fairfield, CT Arica, Chile Hailey, ID

Charleston, SC Burlington, VT Killington, VT Arlington, MA Winona, MN Moscow, ID Amherst, MA Portland, ME Providence, RI Watercolor, FL Beaver Creek, CO Culver City, CA Fort Worth, TX Fort Collins, CO Durham, NH Santa Barbara, CA Austin, TX South Royalton, VT Bend, OR Grand Junction, CO Rome, GA Steamboat Springs, CO Haines, AK Winston-Salem, NC Henrico, VA Washington, D.C. Boulder, CO Great Falls, MT Ridgway, CO Middlebury, VT Saugatuck, MI Waitsfield, VT Springfield, MO Whitefish, MT Bentonville, AK Portland, OR Oklahoma City, OK Helena, MT Colorado Springs, CO Palmer, AK Cradle Mountain, Tasmania Paonia, CO Bretton Woods, NH Omaha, NE Mumbai, India Wichita, KS Serenbe, GA Dolores, CO Big Sky, MT Concord, NH Hong Kong Missoula, MT Keene, NH Carrollton, GA Fruita, CO Dunsmuir, CA Antarctica Cimarron, NM Singapore Bayfield, CO

Santa Cruz, CA Rapid City, SD New York, NY Salida, CO Miami, FL Malvern, PA Durango, CO Montrose, CO Futaleufu, Chile Albuquerque,NM Angel Fire, NM Champaign, IL Girdwood, AK Sheffield, MA Newtown, PA Homer, AK Ouray, CO Juneau, AK Houston, TX Deerfield, MA Anchorage, AK Santa Fe, NM Savannah, GA Nashville, TN Hanover, NH Paradox, CO Denver, CO Valdez, AK Tulsa, OK Alta, UT

Mountainfilm on Tour & MOUNTAINFILM FOR STUDENTS Our mission is to use the power of film, art and ideas to inspire audiences to create a better world. Through Mountainfilm on Tour, we reach over 65,000 people each year and connect with students worldwide with our free educational screenings. Catch us on the road, or contact us to learn how you can bring Mountainfilm on Tour to your town.

7 Meet the New CEO of Telski

BILL JENSEN was appointed CEO and part

owner of Telluride Ski and Golf in December of 2015. A longtime force in the industry and a member of the Colorado Ski Hall of Fame, Jensen will share his vision of the Telluride Ski Resort’s future and take questions from the community.

WELCOME | SPONSORS | CONTENTS | FESTIVAL TIPS | OUR MISSION | WHAT’S NEW | FILMS | SCHEDULE

tour@mountainfilm.org | mountainfilm.org/tour | education@mountainfilm.org

to learn more, Join the tour team at high pie pizzeria & Taproom on friday, may 27, from 2:30 – 4:30 P.M. or sunday, may 29, from 1 – 3 P.M.

TOWN TALKS

TOWN TALKS

TOWN TALKS

P H OTO BY ERIC MOOR E

PHOTO BY D . J. PIERC E

BOOZE & BANTER SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, 5:30-6:30 P.M.

LOCATIONS

1 2 3

OAK RESTAURANT SMUGGLER’S BREW PUB BLACK IRON @ MADELINE HOTEL

SATURDAY

1 The End of Everest?

In the wake of three consecutive tragic years on Mount Everest — which saw both Sherpas and climbers killed and tensions rise in Base Camp — many guides and alpinists are rethinking the world’s tallest peak. DAVE MORTON, a guide and executive director of a nonprofit that assists the families of Sherpas killed on expeditions; DAVE HAHN, a veteran guide who has summited the peak 17 times; BEN AYERS, country director of the dZi Foundation (Mountainfilm’s nonprofit partner); and Nepali native and guide PASANG LHAMU SHERPA AKITA (page 74) join journalist ABE STREEP to consider the future of Everest.

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SUNDAY

1 Fierce Females in the

2 The Canine Connection

LANCE MACKEY, who stars in The Great Alone (page 26), has faced enormous challenges in his life and emerged on the other side, often triumphantly. Through it all, the Iditarod racer has been propped up by a remarkable relationship with his dogs. ACE KVALE, the subject of Ace and the Desert Dog (page 17), lives in a remote pocket of Utah with10-year-old blue heeler Genghis. Mackey and Kvale delve into the companionship of animals, the tribulations of life and the long stretches of time on the trail when it’s just them with their dogs.

3 No-Fun Zones?

National Park Conflicts One man’s park is another man’s no-fun zone. That’s the case with America’s national parks, where rules about mountain biking, dogs, camping, BASE jumping, etc. have prompted many to avoid them all together.

Yosemite National Park Chief of Staff MICHAEL GAUTHIER (page 71), climber and BASE jumper STEPH DAVIS (The Mysteries, page 36) and BASE jumper MATT BLANK (When We Were Knights, page 48) discuss the rules, regulations and rogues of the parks.

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Adventure World The realm of adventure — whether it’s skiing, climbing, alpinism, photography or filmmaking — has long been dominated by males. But among all the dudes are fierce women who are smashing expectations and making names for themselves as athletes and storytellers. Climber and filmmaker CLAIRE CARTER (Operation Moffat, page 38), photographer and film subject KRYSTLE WRIGHT (The Mysteries, page 36) and professional skier SIERRA QUITIQUIT (Sierra Quitiquit: How Did I Get Here, page 42) voice the pitfalls and rewards of working in a domain populated mostly by men.

2 Mister Postman Telluride postal clerk JIM LOONEY is a hometown hero who knows everyone’s post office box by heart and runs long distances in his free time. Los Angeles postman and film subject JOHNNIE JAMESON (Mile 19, page 35) is a Vietnam vet who has run every single L.A. Marathon since 1986. The two endearing characters chat about how running heals, why the mail still matters and other lessons of living.

3 Getting Out There.

Way Out There.

Many of us at Mountainfilm like to fancy ourselves adventurers. But in most cases, our outdoor exploits pale in comparison to this bunch of rowdy explorers. Climber MIKE LIBECKI (Poumaka, page 39) manages to find and put up first ascents in a world where new lines are ever more rare. JOEY SCHUSLER (The Trail to Kazbegi, page 45) is only 26, but he’s already bike-packed across the Republic of Georgia, through Peru, Iceland and the length of the Colorado Trail. STEVE FASSBINDER (The Adventure Dispatch — Steve Fassbinder, page 18) combines fat-bikes with climbing gear for epic off-the-beaten path adventures. BEN STOOKESBERRY (Locked In, page 33) is a professional kayaker who spends six months of the year seeking out the biggest and most far-flung rivers in the world.

PRESENTATIONS | EVENTS | AWARDS & JUDGES | BOARD & DONORS | STAFF | VOLUNTEERS | IN MEMORIAM | MAPS

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READING FRENZY

THE OFFICIAL WINE OF

TELLURIDE MOUNTAINFILM #EXTREMEWINEMAKING

P H OTO BY K I T T Y H OL BROOK E

THE READING FRENZY

SUNDAY, 2-4 P.M. MADELINE HOTEL BALLROOM IN MOUNTAIN VILLAGE

RESTORE, TRANSFORM

& RENEW

844.330.1860 | ThePeaksResort.com/Spa 98

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Between the Covers Bookstore — Telluride’s independent purveyor of books — moves to Madeline Hotel Sunday for a celebration of Mountainfilm authors who will sign and sell their books. It’s a bookworm’s dream come true. *Check our website or app for off-site signings.

Conrad Anker James Balog Bob Baer Anna Brones Douglas Brinkley* Tom Butler Shushana Castle Craig Childs Susan Dalton Helen & Render Davis Steph Davis Glen Denny Kevin Fedarko Dave Foreman Dick Grace Hawkeye Huey Katie Lee Brendan Leonard

Jenni Lowe-Anker Caleb Marcus Sarah Marquis Ben Masters Pete McBride Luke Mehall Paul Nicklen Jeff Price Patagonia David Quammen Rick Ridgeway Tom Shadyac SHEL Cheryl Strayed Ron Suskind Lito Tejada-Flores Florence Williams Terry Tempest Williams*

PHOTO BY D . J. PIERC E

PRESENTATIONS | EVENTS | AWARDS & JUDGES | BOARD & DONORS | STAFF | VOLUNTEERS | IN MEMORIAM | MAPS

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SPECIAL EVENTS

SPECIAL EVENTS

FREE-RANGE PROGRAMS SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY

Mountainfilm is rooted in getting outside, and to honor that tradition we once again offer Free-Range Programs — events that take people out of the theaters and into the forests, waters and trails of Telluride. Passholders and the general public can sign up for these free events at Hospitality, 112 E. Colorado Ave., beginning Thursday, May 26. Space is limited, so sign up early.

Your Shot Sunrise Hike: Chase the Light with NatGeo SATURDAY, 5:30 A.M.

MEET IN FRONT OF BAKED IN TELLURIDE 127 S. FIR ST.

National Geographic’s Your Shot is a community some 700,000 strong of photographers around the world who connect through visual storytelling. Join National Geographic photographers and Young Explorers for this photo walk to capture the early morning light of Telluride.

Experience the Forest: Shinrin-Yoku SATURDAY, 2 P.M. MEET IN ELKS PARK

Author FLORENCE WILLIAMS (page 99) has written about the beneficial effects of nature on human physiology for Outside and National Geographic. She will introduce festival goers to shinrin-yoku — a Japanese concept known as “forest bathing” — with an immersive hike up Bear Creek.

SUPing at Trout Lake

SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, 11 A.M. MEET AT JAGGED EDGE 223 E. COLORADO AVE.

The good folks at Jagged Edge Mountain Gear are hosting SUP excursions at stunning Trout Lake south of Telluride. No experience necessary; shuttles will be provided. Register at Jagged Edge.

Yoga with Babsi

SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, NOON ELKS PARK

Join yoga instructor BABSI GLANZNIG on the lawn of Elks Park for free midday yoga.

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Packraft and Bike with Steve Fassbinder (aka Doom) SUNDAY, 1 P.M.

MEET IN FRONT OF BOOTDOCTORS ON MAIN

Paddle down the San Miguel River, have a beer at Telluride Brewery and pedal back to town with DOOM. Rafts, bikes and shuttle provided. Sign up at BootDoctors.

Bio Blitz: Become a Citizen Naturalist

SUNDAY, 2 P.M.

MEET AT ELKS PARK

With online forums, apps and education programs, it’s easier than ever to become a citizen naturalist. JOHN FRANCIS, a marine biologist and former vice president of Research, Conservation and Exploration at National Geographic, will team up with Telluride naturalist and guide JOHN SIRJESSE for a walk and talk to introduce participants to their surroundings.

Your Shot Sunset Hike: Chase the Light with NatGeo SUNDAY, 7 P.M.

MEET IN THE PARK IN FRONT OF THE SHERIDAN OPERA HOUSE

Join Nat Geo photographers on a photo hike to chase Telluride’s magic sunset light.

Memorial Day Walk: Remembering our Vets MONDAY, 9:15 A.M.

MEET IN FRONT OF GHOST TOWN 210 W. COLORADO AVE.

Almost Sunrise (page 19) subjects TOM VOSS and WOLF WALKER, Mile 19’s JOHNNIE JAMESON (page 35) and others will lead a short walk to the waterfall in Town Park to pay respect and reflect upon the sacrifices of the American veterans — young and old, alive and passed — who have served their country.

PARTIES, ETC.

Just when you thought there couldn’t be room for anything else amid the films, presentations, panels, hikes, book fairs and art walks, Mountainfilm squeezes a few parties and special surprises into the mix. Special events are free, unless noted.

Virtual Reality Studio

Closing Awards Picnic

FRIDAY TO SUNDAY, 9:30 A.M.-6 P.M. MONDAY, 9:30 A.M.-NOON

MONDAY, 1-4 P.M. AWARDS CEREMONY, 2:30 P.M.

GALLERY 81435

TELLURIDE TOWN PARK

Mountainfilm is thrilled to dive into the exciting, immersive and experiential world of virtual reality and has partnered with RYOT to feature a variety of VR films. These stories about endangered species, famine in Africa and national parks allow people to step into another world. The VR studio will be open all weekend. Don’t miss it.

Wrap up the festival with a tasty vegetarian lunch and the awards ceremony in the park.

This year, weather permitting, Mountainfilm will host a special fly-in featuring the GoPro Bomb Squad and special guests Steph Davis and Matt Blank. The picnic is free with Fitzroy, Sunshine, Wilson, Ama Dablam and Patron passes. Tickets are on sale at Hospitality and the picnic entrance for $25.

Ice Cream Social

SATURDAY, 2-3:30 P.M. COLORADO AVENUE (MAIN STREET) BETWEEN ASPEN AND FIR STREETS

During our annual Ice Cream Social, volunteers give away countless scoops of delicious frozen treats. But the Social is a lot more than just eating ice cream; it’s a block party that hosts local and national nonprofits, a farmers market, a place to grab lunch and a large outdoor gathering that’s perfect for discussing the films and ideas that have blown your mind wide open. The Farmers Market runs from 1 to 5 p.m.

Meet the Mountainfilm on Tour Team FRIDAY, 2:30-4:30 P.M. SUNDAY, 1-3 P.M.

HIGH PIE PIZZERIA & TAPROOM 100 W. COLORADO AVE.

Mountainfilm on Tour travels to more than 120 locations around the world with the bestloved films from the festival, reaching over 65,000 people every year. Through the tour, Mountainfilm is also able to inspire students globally with educational screenings. To learn more about the tour and education programs, swing by High Pie.

Late-Night Parties FRIDAY, 9 P.M.

LAST DOLLAR SALOON 100 E. COLORADO AVE.

This Friday night tradition is hosted by the American Alpine Club and features longtime Mountainfilm regular Timmy O’Neill performing with Raillery — an Irish punk-folk, blues-funk band by way of Flagstaff, Arizona.

SATURDAY, 9 P.M. TELLURIDE TRANSFER WAREHOUSE

National Geographic hosts a party to celebrate its 2016 Adventurers of the Year in this historic Telluride venue. Ama passholders are admitted free; others can pay a cover. The band SHEL will perform.

Mountainfilm DownLow

MONDAY, 7 P.M., AH HAA SCHOOL

The DownLow, a storytelling event organized through Telluride Theatre, features ingenious, hilarious, outrageous and touching tales told by its performers. This special Mountainfilm edition is themed “Close Calls” and features Mountainfilm guests and Telluride locals.

PRESENTATIONS | EVENTS | AWARDS & JUDGES | BOARD & DONORS | STAFF | VOLUNTEERS | IN MEMORIAM | MAPS

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AWARDS & JUDGES

PHOTO BY MELISSA PLA NTZ

Festival awards are announced at the Closing Picnic & Awards Ceremony, which takes place in Telluride Town Park from 1 to 4 p.m. on Monday, May 30. The ceremony starts at 2:30 p.m.

MOVING MOUNTAINS PRIZE A powerful cloud-based, digital asset management platform created by photographers, for everyone.

TANDEMVAULT . COM

This $3,000 juried prize supports a nonprofit featured in a festival film: Judges watch nominated films and examine the mission of each organization, considering its scope, impact and need. (Filmmaking is not part of the decision.)

CHARLIE FOWLER AWARD

Charlie Fowler was a Telluride local and world-class climber who died on a 2006 climbing expedition in China.

He’s represented in spirit by this $1,000 juried award that goes to a climbing film.

Mountainfilm will also celebrate his life with a gallery exhibit (page 88) and coffee talk (page 94) on this 10th anniversary of his death.

AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD

All passholders will receive ballots to cast their vote for the Audience Choice Award.

Ballots are collected at Hospitality (until Monday morning) and at the Closing Picnic.

102 WELCOME | SPONSORS | CONTENTS | FESTIVAL TIPS | OUR MISSION | WHAT’S NEW | FILMS | SCHEDULE

NORMAN VAUGHAN INDOMITABLE SPIRIT AWARD

The great polar explorer Norman Vaughan’s motto was “Dream big and dare to fail.”

Funded by his widow Carolyn MueggeVaughan, Rick Silverman and Lindsey Walker, this award is given to a film that epitomizes Vaughan’s indomitable spirit.

FESTIVAL DIRECTOR’S AWARD

Mountainfilm Festival Director David Holbrooke gives this award to one of his festival favorites.

CINEMATOGRAPHY AWARD This juried award goes to the film with the most outstanding cinematography.

STUDENT AWARD

High-school students from the immersive Mountainfilm for Students festival program select the film they think will most inspire their generation.

PRESENTATIONS | EVENTS | AWARDS & JUDGES | BOARD & DONORS | STAFF | VOLUNTEERS | IN MEMORIAM | MAPS

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AWARDS & JUDGES

AWARDS & JUDGES

MOVING MOUNTAINS PRIZE

JOHN HOFFMAN Veteran documentary producer John Hoffman is the executive vice president of documentaries and specials for Discovery Channel. He has worked in film and television for decades, including 17 years at HBO Documentary Films. Before joining Discovery, he founded The Public Good Projects, a nonprofit that directs the power of media toward America’s pressing social problems.

LARRY KRAMER Law scholar Larry Kramer serves as president of The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, a San Francisco granting organization that aims to reduce global poverty, limit the risk of climate change, improve health worldwide and advance education. Prior to joining the foundation, he worked as a law professor and clerk in the U.S. Court of Appeals. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

ANNA PONDER Anna Ponder is the executive director of the Tribeca Film Institute, which provides a platform for storytellers to be catalysts for change through funding and resources. She spent her first six years in New York managing donations at the Robin Hood Foundation, holds a Ph.D. in political science from Yale University, and has a profound interest in social justice and social responsibility.

CHARLIE FOWLER AWARD

JOHN CATTO Throughout his career, photojournalist, climber and filmmaker John Catto has documented expeditions, scientific explorations, and environmental issues in remote and harsh environments around the world. Along with shooting volcano research, big-wall climbing and Himalayan alpinism, he’s spent a significant chunk of his life struggling against gravity, putting up numerous first ascents in the U.S. and beyond. He appeared in the 1983 film La Escoba de Dios with Charlie Fowler.

JULIE HODSON Julie Hodson is a skier, climber, traveler and longtime denizen of the San Juan Mountains. She has been a guide for Telluride Adventures for many years, serves as an EMT on the Telluride ambulance and runs a real estate business. She spent millions of hours climbing with Charlie Fowler.

JOHN MCCALL When he’s not treating patients and professional athletes, orthopedic surgeon John McCall is a mountaineer and explorer. The Scottish-born surgeon, who practices in Ontario, has climbed peaks and sailed the world — from Baffin Island to the Antarctic Peninsula. He has worked on three Olympic medical teams and is currently the Alpine Club of Canada representative for the International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation Medical Commission. Charlie Fowler was a friend and climbing partner.

104 WELCOME | SPONSORS | CONTENTS | FESTIVAL TIPS | OUR MISSION | WHAT’S NEW | FILMS | SCHEDULE

PHOTO BY D.J. PIERCE

CINEMATOGRAPHY AWARD

STEVE CASIMIRO Steve Casimiro is the founding editor of Adventure Journal, an online magazine devoted to outdoor adventure in all its forms. Before launching AJ, he worked as editor of Powder, Bike and National Geographic Adventure. In 2016, he shepherded AJ from the digital screen to the newsracks with the inaugural hardcopy edition.

ANSON FOGEL Anson Fogel is a film director and owner at Camp4 Collective, which spins advertising, action sports and documentary films into cinematic gold. A child of the rural West, he grew up devouring books, music and movies, moving on to forge a career in film by creating potent, emotive pieces with a strong sense of place.

TYLER MEASOM Producer, director and cinematographer Tyler Measom’s searing documentary Sons of Perdition — which follows a group of young fundamentalist Mormon men who are kicked out of their community by church elders — screened at Mountainfilm in 2012 to wide acclaim.

He was back in 2014 as the producer of An Honest Liar, a fascinating tale of escape, magic and deception. He has been making commercials, narratives and documentaries for over a decade.

PRESENTATIONS | EVENTS | AWARDS & JUDGES | BOARD & DONORS | STAFF | VOLUNTEERS | IN MEMORIAM | MAPS

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BOARD & DONORS BOARD OF DIRECTORS Kimberly Williams, President Lance Waring, Vice President Erik Dalton, Secretary Bonnie Cohen, Treasurer Jack Castle Steve Cieciuch Mallory Dimmitt Cathe Dyer

Brooks Entwistle Beth Gage Lindsay Hower Sheryl Tishman Brian Werner

Susan Dalton

HONORARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES Tully & Elise Friedman

Ann & Rich Teerlink

ADVISORY BOARD Advisory Board Conrad Anker James Balog Arlene Burns Wade Davis Lynn Hill Aaron Huey

Pico Iyer Chris Jordan Ben Knight Ace Kvale Frans Lanting Katie Lee Maya Lin

EMERITUS BOARD MEMBERS Mike Shimkonis

Rebecca Martin Hilaree O’Neill Doug Peacock Louie Psihoyos Chris Rainier Beth Wald Paul Watson

Rick Silverman

DONORS LEGACY CIRCLE We thank our most generous donors who have included Mountainfilm in their

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Anonymous

s j i n d e p e n d e n t.o rg

Ruth E. Bender

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STAFF

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MEDIA

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TECHNICAL PRODUCTION

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WEBSITE & PROGRAM WRITERS

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Seth Berg • Ashley Boling • Elissa Dickson Will Evans • Jessica Galbo • Art Goodtimes Marcus Haney • Megan Heller • Jen Julia Andy Konigsmark • Jim Nowak • Lance Waring Brad Zaporski

DJ Babb • Mike Babb • Greg Babush • Mark Burrows Gypsie Frank • Jeff Gabel • Barbara Grassia Michael Lawless • Karl Mehrer • Chas Phillips Dean Rolley • Curt Rousse April Bindock • Ron Borrego • Sherry Brieske Dean Bubolo • Stephen Burns • Joshua “Jasper” Daniel Mark Davis • Seth Green • Geoff Hanson • Rob Huber Ben Kerr • Josie Kovash • Gerry LaBonte Cat Lee-Covert • Julie McNair • Lauren Metzger Michelle Montague • Kathleen Morgan • John Rosenberg Amy Russell • Douglas Seitsinger • Jeff Shannon Tim Vierling

TMVOA is the funding source of the gondola, Dial-A-Ride, Sunset Concert Series and other events that help make Mountain Village the special place that it is.

THEATER EMCEES

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VOLUNTEERS

IN MEMORIAM PHOTO BY GUS GUSCIORA

IN MEMORIAM

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Henry Bendinelli Hillman Curtis Yvonne Dowlen Allen Hill Kelly McGarry PHOTO BY MELISSA PLANTZ

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LODGING SPONSORS SUMMIT

CAMP III

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Camel’s Garden Hotel • The Hotel Telluride BASE CAMP

Alpinist’s Kim and Julia explore the isolation of Wyoming’s sweeping landscape and the fabric of their experience in the outdoors.

A Film by Dan Holz & Osprey Packs

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Photographer Joe Riis received a grant from the National Geographic Society to support his documentation of pronghorn migrations in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. As a result of his work, the state of Wyoming built its first migratory overpasses for wildlife. See Joe’s subsequent project on Yellowstone migrations with wildlife ecologist Arthur Middleton in the May 2016 issue of National Geographic magazine.

PHOTO BY JOE RIIS

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