The Films
Soul of the Sea Ivan Hughes
(SATURDAY, 11:45 A.M., MAS; SUNDAY, 11:45 A.M., LIB)
IN PERSON: Producer Katie Mustard
The waters surrounding the island of South Georgia are as treacherous as any on the planet. Even at the most inviting times of year, winds are apt to top hurricane force and roughly coax dark ocean swells to a riotous crescendo. Not surprisingly, no one had ever solo-kayaked around the island. Perhaps no less surprising, wilderness guide and expedition leader Haley Shephard takes up the challenge. Shephard is a passionate and off-kilter character with an endearing penchant for tilting at improbable odds. In this case, it’s not just circumnavigation of the remote, wind-and-wave-battered island, but Shephard’s hope to help save the great albatross that is severely threatened by overfishing, longline fishing and the plastic detritus that too often ends up in albatross bellies. —PK (Canada, 2012, 35 min)
Stuff Everywhere Judith de Leeuw
(FRIDAY, 9:00 P.M., LIB; SUNDAY, 6:45 P.M., LIB)
For many of us, stuff rules our lives more than we would like to admit. This is definitely the case for Judith de Leeuw, who lives a normal life with her boyfriend and young son in a small apartment in the Netherlands. Stuff Everywhere documents her personal quest to discover the connection between people and their stuff. Slightly obsessed with her own possibly unhealthy connection to her stuff, she decides to count it — all of it. But counting stuff isn’t as simple as it might sound, and de Leeuw finds herself spiraling deeper and deeper into the obsession. Their small apartment is too small for the task, so she rents a warehouse and begins categorizing and chronicling. With humor, quirkiness and style, de Leeuw manages to tackle some big questions about, well, all sorts of stuff. —EL (The Netherlands, 2011, 54 min)
Tent Bound in Devil’s Bay Tim Kemple
(SATURDAY, 9:30 A.M., HC; SUNDAY, 4:00 P.M., HC)
IN PERSON: Alex Honnold
It was a good idea in theory. Climbers Hazel Findlay, Alex Honnold, James Pearson and Mark Synnott struck out for a remote bay in Newfoundland to establish new trad routes on a massive granite wall that juts 1,200 feet out of the ocean. After who knows how much planning and an arduous five-day journey, they arrived to find spectacular scenery, but climbing was swiftly shut down by relentless, cold rainfall. They were so close. And then they were stuck in their celllike tents to wait out the rain and wonder whether it was all worth it. Tent Bound in Devil’s Bay, a short film by Camp 4 Collective, highlights what happens when a trip challenges expectations and spirit — until the clouds break. —KK (USA, 2011, 8 min)
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