2009 04 23

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Sopris Sun THE

VOLUME 1, NUMBER 11 • APRIL 23, 2009

By Chris Van Leuven “I can stand above a huge waterfall and be OK with it,” says local filmmaker Fred Norquist of his experience filming top-ranked athlete and Carbondale student Jake Sakson on a Class 5 rapid. Norquist is even at ease running the gambit himself.“But hanging from ropes is scary.” Despite his fear of hanging off the edge of a steep cliff, Norquist’s has to get the shot. So he buries his fear and ascends the rope higher, all the while filming hot–shot rock climber Hayden Kennedy, also a Carbondale high school student, for Norquist’s film “Life as a Non-Collegiate: Living the Dream,” which premieres at the 5Point Film Festival. The festival is running May 7-10 with screenings and panel discussions at the Carbondale Recreation and Community Center. Norquist, 19 and emerging into adulthood, has been inspired since meeting filmmaker Carl Moser at the World Class Kayaking Academy two years ago. However, it has been 5Point founder Julie Kennedy, 54, and program director Beda Calhoun, 21, who have been mentors to him during the filmmaking process. Their shared spirit “to inspire adventure of all kinds, to connect generations through shared experience and respect, to engage passion with a conscience, and to educate through film” has pushed Norquist to the next level in his work. Kennedy and Calhoun, generations apart themselves, are passing the torch of adventure, courage and tenacity through filmmaking. “When he came to us,” Kennedy says with a warm smile, “Fred really wanted to shoot action ‘porn.’ With 5Point he’s competing against the crème de la crème and 12 hours of film time. [His original footage] was just nothing but him kayaking: me, me, me,” she said. In that vein, Kennedy encouraged Norquist to scrap the original project and got him into a film that weighs heavily on character and less on ego. Indeed, Kennedy founded the film festival to honor adventurers who have turned their individual desires into a mission to help others. “Through film and thoughtful conversation, we explore the passions behind this elemental shift away from oneself toward the greater human community and celebrate our common spirit,” states the film fest’s mission statement. “Living the Dream” profiles Jake Sakson, currently ranked fifth in the CRMS GRAD page 6

Life Edge on the

Local filmmaker debuts at 5Point Film Festival

CRMS alum Fred Norquist films Hayden Kennedy at the Pioux in Glenwood Canyon. Norquist’s film “Life as a NonCollegiate: Living the Dream” features the athletic pursuits of CRMS buddies Kennedy, telemark skier Jake Sakson and Norquist himself. The film premiers May 7 at the 5Point Film Festival. Photo by Michael Kennedy


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