Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour Magazine 2015

BANFF MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL MAGAZINE 2015–16 WORLD TOUR

SAVING CHINA’S SALWEEN RIVER THE MAKING OF AFTERGLOW BANFF MOUNTAIN PHOTO ESSAY WINNER WIN A TRIP TO EVEREST BASECAMP A Program of

Presenting Partners

As presenting sponsors of the Banff Mountain Film Festival, National Geographic and The North Face congratulate the festival team on 40 years of extraordinary films celebrating mountain culture and the spirit of adventure.

For more information on grants that support young explorers and encourage the next generation to discover the outdoors, visit nationalgeographic.com/yeg for National Geographic Young Explorers Grants and explorefund.org for The North Face Explore Fund grants.

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CONTENTS Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour Magazine 2015/2016

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pg.

There’s no easy way to say goodbye to a friend, especially when they’ve supported you through your darkest times DEPARTMENTS 8 Welcome 29 Contest 39 Film Award Sponsors 41 Book Award Sponsors 42 Last Words

FEATURES 10 ANOTHER DAM, ANOTHER NATION Salween Spring explores how one man is aiming to introduce Chinese people to their country’s greatest river before it’s dammed.

15 DENALI

22 THE MAKING OF AFTERGLOW

26

We talk to Sweetgrass Productions director Nick Waggoner about the trials and tribulations of making the critically-acclaimed ski movie Afterglow.

26 WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Saying goodbye is never easy: A heartfelt tribute to man’s best friend.

19 FROM EMPTY DESERTS TO ALPINE QUARTERS Why Leon McCarron and Alastair Humphreys decided to walk to Banff for the 2014 Banff Mountain Film Festival.

Cover photo: Les Drus, Chamonix © Soren Rickards

pg.

Top: Ben Moon and Denali, from Denali © Ben Moon

Catch up with the lads from And Then We Swam, Tashi and the Monk, climber David Lama, Wild Women slackliner Faith Dickey, Sufferfest’s Alex Honnold, and war veteran Frank Moore from Mending the Line.

32 EXPOSED

pg.

22

Justa Jeskova’s winning photo essay about unexpected finds in Guatemala.

Top right: Faith Dickey slacklining in Czech Republic © Basia Sobanska

Bottom right: What went into making Afterglow © Oskar Enander

BANFF MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL 2015 / 2016

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Welcome to the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour!

G

reetings from Banff, Canada! This year we’re celebrating #40EpicYears of the Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival and we couldn’t be more delighted to showcase a stellar lineup of mountain culture and adventure films that will be screened in more than 40 countries around the world on the 2015/2016 Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Festival, held annually in November on the campus of The Banff Centre in Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. The Banff Centre, situated in the stunning surroundings of the Canadian Rockies on the side of Sleeping Buffalo Mountain, the site of Treaty 7, home to the Tsuu T’ina, Stoney and Blackfoot people, is many things, but first and foremost it is a global creation space for artists of all disciplines to come and take time to conceive and develop work.

Creativity manifests itself at The Banff Centre every year during the nine-day Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival where we host three specific mountain themed residencies – the Adventure Filmmakers’ Workshop, the Mountain and Wilderness Writing Program and new for 2016, an interdisciplinary Mountain Culture residency open to a multitude of artists. Set against the arresting backdrop of Banff National Park, these hands-on programs give developing artists the tools and mentorship they need to craft their art, achieve results and set themselves on the path for future success as adventure filmmakers, writers and photographers, while also enjoying the best of the Festival’s film and book events.

After nine days of devouring films and books at the Festival, the World Tour heads out the door for more than 1,000 screenings all over the world – from Bulgaria to Boston and all places inbetween. We think we’re pretty good at spotting adventurous stories when we see them and for the past four decades, we’ve fine-tuned the art of curating the very best creations from mountain filmmakers and athletes to bring you a superb mix of high-octane exploration, adventure, and mountain culture films from around the world. In the mix this year we’ve got some epic climbs, nail biting ski descents, amazing adventures, and intense storylines from seasoned mountaineers.

Thank you for being a part of the Festival wherever you are in the world, and we hope that if Banff is on your bucket list that we’ll see you here one day soon.

So sit back and enjoy the ride – you’re in for a treat!

Deb Smythe Festival Director

Joanna Croston Programming Director

A Program of

Major Partners

Supporting Partners

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BANFF MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL 2015 / 2016

The Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival is proud to be a founding member of the

Presenting Partners

BANFF MOUNTAIN FILM AND BOOK FESTIVAL Magazine Editor Louise Healy Magazine Contributors Louise Healy, Nicky Lynch, Jenny Spurr Executive Director Media + Production Kerry Stauffer Festival Director Deb Smythe Programming Director Joanna Croston World Tour Manager Jim Baker Senior Producer, Media + Production Woody MacPhail Strategic Partnerships Manager Laurie Harvey World Tour Coordinator Seana Strain World Tour Program Coordinators Mark Louie, Anne-Marie Puccini, Suzanne White, Brenda Williams World Tour Onsite Coordinators Jamie Carpenter, Kristi Beetch, Michelle de Camp, Holly Elliott, Amelie Goulet-Boucher, Heather Hendrie, Deb Hornsby, Paul Price, Ray Schmidt, Charla Sharp Tomlinson Festival Coordinator Christine Thél Film Coordinator Lana Hettinga Festival Coordinators, Guest Relations Patsy Murphy, Kaari van Nostrand Program Coordinator, Adventure Filmmakers’ Workshop Christie Pashby Volunteer Coordinator Debra Hornsby Production Admin. Coordinator Bonnie Hamilton Video Packaging Leanne Allison, Willi Schmidt, Mark Tierney, Stephanie Turner Technical Assistants Holly Elliott, Paul Price, Clare Prosser MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS Marketing Officer Nicky Lynch, Media Relations Louise Healy Festival Design and Artwork Kelly Stauffer We wish to express our gratitude to The Banff Centre without whose support we could not produce the Festival or Tour, and to Banff Mountain Film Festival founder John Amatt, and former director Bernadette McDonald, whose visionary leadership elevated the Festival to the world stage.

BANFF MOUNTAIN FILM AND BOOK FESTIVAL The Banff Centre Box 1020, Banff, AB, Canada T1L 1H5 1-800-298-1229 email banffmountainfestival@banffcentre.ca Website banffmountainfestival.ca Box Office 1-800-413-8368 PUBLISHED BY COTTAGE LIFE MEDIA 54 St. Patrick Street, Toronto, ON M5T 1V1, (416) 599-2000 CEO Al Zikovitz Art Director Michael Zikovitz Production Manager Jodi Brooks Assistant Production Manager Denise Gray © 2015 Cottage Life Media No part of the publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the Cottage Life Media and The Banff Centre.

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FILM F E ATU R E

Salween Spring

ANOTHER DAM ANOTHER NATION

Saving the greatest Chinese river you’ve never heard of

BY LOUISE HEALY

D

eep in southeast Asia there is a kayaker’s utopia.

It starts at the Tibetan Plateau, carves a 13,000 foot “Grand Canyon of the East” through China’s Yunnan Province, and meanders for 2,700 km through to Burma before it reaches the Andaman Sea. This river is full of world-class whitewater and deep canyons suitable for multi-day rafting expeditions.

It also supplies water to 10 million people and remains, technically, one of the longest undammed rivers in the world.

But not for long.

China is searching for new sources of electricity and the Salween River proves an attractive prospect in the country’s expanding hydro-electrical stakes.

Travis Winn has been running rivers in China for the past 15 years, proudly completing first descents and painfully observing rivers as they ››

BANFF MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL 2015 / 2016

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At the rate they are being dammed very few Chinese people will ever have the chance to see these rivers in their pristine and natural state Travis Winn’s rafting customers enjoying the Salween

PREVIOUS PAGE: © WILL STAUFFER-NORRIS THIS PAGE: © WILL STAUFFER-NORRIS

disappear behind dams. In Salween Spring, US filmmaker Will Stauffer-Norris spent the spring of 2015 in China documenting Winn’s mission, through his rafting company, to bring Chinese people to see their rivers before they are dammed and irrevocably changed.

There are currently five dams proposed along the course of the Salween (originally there were 13). If built, these five dams would take out every section of accessible whitewater on the Salween.

“For your average Chinese citizen, I learned not only did people not have the opportunity to get out on rivers but at the rate many of these rivers are being dammed very few people will every have the chance to see these rivers in their pristine and natural state,” commented Winn in the film. “That was unthinkable to me and I had to do something about it.”

Salween Spring highlights China’s proclivity for dams (China has constructed half of the world’s dams over the last 60 years) and follows in the

footsteps of last year’s blockbuster environmental film DamNation, which documents the fight to abolish obsolete dams in the United States.

DamNation was a talking point around the world, seemingly everywhere except China, where it didn’t make it past government censorship approval.

“The film came to China but no one could watch it. There were underground, private screenings so some people did see it but there are big political repercussions and lots of consequences for speaking out about it,” noted Stauffer-Norris.

It is exactly this problem of censorship that drives Travis Winn to want Chinese people to experience one of their country’s best natural resources before it’s too late. “We’re not in as much control as we think we are,” says Winn in Salween Spring. “I’ve broken down. I’ve burnt myself out to the point where I’ve had mental health issues…and part of those have been associated with losing rivers that we’re really attached to and that we really want to protect.”

Winn’s company, Last Descents River Expeditions, is one of the few overnight rafting companies in China catering solely to Chinese guests.

Winn teaches Chinese children how to whitewater kayak on the Salween and attempts to impress upon the other guests (his clientele comprise mainly the ‘nouveau riche’ of China: CEOs and entrepreneurs) what the country will miss if the river is dammed.

Salween Spring is Winn’s meditation on change. “The most important thing is to get people on the river for several days at time so they can really have that visceral experience and feel that emotional connection to the river before it’s too late”, says Stauffer-Norris. “That’s essentially what it’s all about.”

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BANFF MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL 2015 / 2016

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FILM F E ATU R E

Denali

“There’s no easy way to say goodbye to a friend, especially when they’ve supported you through your darkest times” – director, Ben Knight

Denali A tribute to man’s best friend

BY JENNY SPURR

W

© BEN MOON

hen Ben Moon walked through the doors of an Oregon animal shelter at the age of 24, Denali knew he had found his best friend. The eight-week-old puppy was used to seeing humans come and go, having been in the shelter since birth. But he was a daring dog, and he found something about Moon fetching. He cocked his head, let out a yip, and the two left together that day. They spent the next 14 years cheek by jowl, chasing adventures and taking photos across North America.

“I feel like in a lot of ways, he chose me,” says Moon, who admits he wasn’t planning on taking a dog home that day. “I walked past and he let out this little, ‘hey look at me’-yip, and I thought, ‘uh oh’.” ››

BANFF MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL 2015 / 2016

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CONFIDENT WHEN IT MATTERS

FILM F E ATU R E

Denali

After high winds and frigid temps made bouldering unbearable, Denali, Jenn Choi, Ben Moon and Drew Peterson opted to sail instead.

TOP LEFT: ©LISA HENSEL; TOP RIGHT: ©CRISTINA ROSE PETERSON; BOTTOM: ©VIVIAN MOON

Ben and Denali climbing in Rifle, Colorado, 2002.

From then on the two were inseparable, traveling coast to coast in a camper van searching for good surf and big walls as Moon developed his photography skills. The nomadic lifestyle suited Denali, whose husky-pitbull blood gave him an instinctive wanderlust. “[Denali’s] favourite place to take me was anywhere outside,” says Moon. “That’s the beautiful thing about dogs; they think our lifestyle of looking at a computer is pretty silly so they always remind us that we’re most alive when we’re outside.”

Denali was also fiercely loyal. “He had this one side of him that wanted to be so close to me, he wouldn’t take his eyes off me,” admits Moon.

When Moon was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2004, Denali couldn’t be pulled away from his hospital bed, and stayed by Moon’s side for countless treatments and surgeries.

“He was my sidekick of sorts, my tirelessly loyal companion. I went through some really low points and he was always there for me.”

So, in a twist of fate, years later when Denali’s health began to deteriorate from cancer, Moon decided to repay his four-legged friend for years of support by visiting some of their favourite places one last time.

Cinematographer Skip Armstrong would capture the trip on camera, and director Ben Knight would write and edit the film, simply titled Denali. When it came to writing the script, they decided it would work best to narrate the film from the dog’s perspective. Moon gave Knight everything from old slides to photos and told him stories to help him perfectly capture Denali’s voice and tone.

Their first stop on their trip was the Oregon coast.

“The footage of him on the beach really meant

Denali keeping an ever watchful eye after Ben’s surgeries to remove the tumor, 2004.

That’s the beautiful thing about dogs…they always remind us that we’re most alive when we’re outside a lot to me because it was just him coming to life,” admits Moon, who asked Denali to stay happy and healthy for just a bit longer so they could finish the film. “The film was made a week or two before he passed. He didn’t have the young punk look in his eye at the time, but he really perked up at the beach.”

Shortly after filming wrapped, Denali came down with pneumonia and died in Moon’s arms.

So, what would Denali say if he was still here now? “That life and friendship isn’t always how you expect it, but when you’re there for each other, that’s what matters,” says Moon.

Spoken like a true best friend.

These talented filmmakers have contributed many excellent films to the Festival over the years.

Audiences may remember Ben Knight’s work in tour favourites like Eastern Rises, Red Gold, and DamNation. Ben Moon’s Castles in the Sky chronicled Sonnie Trotter’s 5.14 climb on Banff’s own Castle Mountain, while Skip Armstrong’s work includes the crazy paddling film DREAM and the adventure story Nobody’s River.

BANFF MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL 2015 / 2016

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icebreaker.com

FROM EMPT Y DESERTS TO A L P I N E QUA RTER S Why Leon McCarron and Alastair Humphreys decided to walk to Banff

TOP: ©ALASTAIR HUMPHREYS; BOTTOM: ©LEON MC CARRON

by Louise Healy

P Ò Alastair Humphreys at the 2014 Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival in Banff.

rofessional walkers Leon McCarron and Alastair Humphreys don’t do things by halves. When they only had five precious days to attend the 2014 Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival in Banff, they decided to spend three of those days walking to the Festival. In what some might describe as a slightly bonkers move in the bitter cold of November, the affable duo travelled the 144km or so from Calgary International Airport to the Rocky Mountains by foot.

“I was in agony during that walk,” recalls McCarron.

To put things into perspective, UK-based Humphreys, who was named one of National Geographic’s Adventurers of the Year in 2012, has cycled more than 74,000 km through 60 countries in four years. He’s also no stranger to a pair of walking boots, having walked across southern India and competed in six marathons through the Sahara desert.

Leon McCarron holds an equally impressive record – the Irishman has walked 4,830 km across China, cycled from New York to Hong Kong, and travelled down the longest river in Iran, the subject of his new film, Karun.

McCarron and Humphreys are the team behind Into the Empty Quarter, the walking film which retraces the footsteps of the British explorer Wilfred Thesiger, who pioneered expeditions through the Empty Quarter of the Arabian Peninsula: the world’s largest sand desert.

During their 2012 walking expedition, the “human-powered” ›› BANFF MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL 2015 / 2016

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McCARRON (LMC) AND HUMPHREYS (AH) TOP ADVENTURE TIPS: What do you always take travelling?

LMC: A hipflask of whiskey. Preferably Bushmills Irish whiskey (it can save you from the slight depression and misery of a bad trip!)

What is the longest time you’ve gone without a shower?

LMC: 47 days. It actually starts to feel ok…

What is your best river, land and cycling adventure to date?

AH: The Kaveri river (India), ice caps in Greenland, and cycling around the world.

adventurers (only ever doing expeditions naturally by foot, bike or on water) experienced the same oppressive heat, and ravenous hunger and thirst throughout their 1,600 km adventure that Thesiger did in 1940s.

So in comparison, we all thought that their walking jaunt to Banff would be a piece of cake.

“We spent most of the time walking along the road discussing with more and more seriousness whether we should hitch a lift,” said McCarron.

But just like Thesiger, they persevered. And despite being told that walking to Banff was not a wise idea, that temperatures would be at -20°C, that it would be miserable, “that we would likely die”, the pair managed to dodge some serious traffic on the highway out of Calgary, to find their way onto the alternative, more scenic road to Banff.

They walked and camped and walked and

Camping outside Calgary en route to Banff.

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When your friend is suffering…you start enjoying it all so much more camped and trudged for three days all the way through the flatlands beyond Calgary to the stunning surrounds of Banff National Park. Throughout their walk, they were seemingly unaware of the prospect of bears or even cougars roaming the land as they rested their heads each night. “We didn’t really think there would be bears. Do you have cougars there?” Their closest encounter with nature was hearing coyotes howling while they were camping on the side of the road.

The pair made it in one piece to Banff to attend one night of the Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival before they had to head back to Europe the following day. “Leon did a lot of complaining – I actually think he found walking to Banff harder than Into the Empty Quarter,” Humphreys mused.

“And when your friend is suffering – well, it makes you feel a whole lot better.

You start enjoying it all so much more.”

TOP: ©LEON MCCARRON; BOTTOM: ©ALASTAIR HUMPHREYS

Alastair and Leon on the last leg of their walk to Banff.

What do people need more of in their lives?

AH: Swimming in more rivers. (It’s actually a metaphor for taking more risks in life). It seems daunting at first but then you jump in, you love it and want to go back for more.

CREDIT: ALL CAPS

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BANFF MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL 2015 / 2016

THE MAK OF AFTER ING GLOW

(the light suit segm ent)

How Swe e Productio tgrass n pulled it o s ff by Louise He aly

THE LOWDOWN It was the biggest ski movie of 2014, the one that wowed audiences and elicited a collective gasp of, “WOAH! How did they do that?”

Hailed by Outside Magazine as “one of the most cinematically profound ski movies ever made”, Afterglow doubles as a ski movie and also as a commercial for Philips’s Ambilight television (cut into shorter segments for TV ads). We caught up with one of Sweetgrass Productions’ directors, Nick Waggoner, to find out exactly what it took to make Afterglow happen.

CREDIT: ALL CAPS

FIRST THINGS FIRST, WHAT’S SO SPECIAL ABOUT AFTERGLOW? Filmmakers had previously tried and failed at this creative endeavor. It was the first time a ski movie was filmed entirely at night using massive, brightly coloured lights to illuminate the slopes with skiers clad in a visually stunning collection of custommade LED ski suits.

HOW DID THEY DO IT? Making Afterglow was no easy day at the office.

To bring the film’s stylized lighting effects to life, Sweetgrass Productions’ directors Nick Waggoner and Mike Brown set up special lights at ski locations deep in the backcountry in Alaska and Canada in order to illuminate the ski runs. To complement this, the skiers also wore suits with 7,000 LED lights, making for even more dramatic footage. All the bright colours you see in the film were shot that way, not added in post-production. ›› BANFF MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL 2015 / 2016

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Y G R E N E D E SUSTAIN

CLIFBAR.COM © 2015 CLIF BAR & COMPANY. CB15_0842

FOR

It takes a lot for me to feel defeated but there was one night when I was impressed by how defeated I felt. – Director, Nick Waggoner

ALL PHOTOS: © OSKAR ENANDER

GIVE US SOME STATS… Lighting up entire mountains is no easy feat. To illuminate ski runs as long as 2,500 feet in the mountains in British Columbia’s Golden Alpine Holidays (Canada) and Alyeska, Alaska, directors Nick Waggoner and Mike Brown had to haul more than 4 tons of equipment to filming spots, 112 km from a road in -15°C temperatures.

BUT FILMING WASN’T ALL ROSES AND BUTTERFLIES… Director Nick Waggoner told us filming was so hard, he felt close to defeat. “[Sweetgrass] has a very long, deep history of doing things that are incredibly masochistic,” admits Waggoner. “It takes a lot for me to feel defeated (when filming) but there was one night in particular when I was impressed by how defeated I felt. I thought I couldn’t do it anymore. I felt foolish for even thinking this project would work and that we were the ones that could do it. It was a dark, dark feeling…but soon you recognize you’re your own worst enemy. It’s such a deep, psychological process.”

WHAT YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT AFTERGLOW… Waggoner says the crew had to become “part vampire” in order to make the film happen.

Breakfast was at 6 p.m., lunch was taken between 3 – 4 a.m. in between shoots on the slope, usually

in the middle of a snowstorm, and the day finished with spaghetti, meatballs and beer at 8 a.m.

FINAL WORD. WHAT IF I WANTED TO MAKE ONE OF THESE LED SUITS AT HOME? ADVICE? “You could easily go to the hardware store and try to make one but it’s definitely a finicky beast,” says Waggoner, laughing. “There were times when we would be sitting up at night at 4:30 a.m. soldering millions of light connections – it was almost like a scene from National Lampoon (film series) where Clark Griswold is trying to figure out which light bulb blew in a string of about two million lights. We were just like that. So…I don’t know if LED suits are necessarily ready for the consumer market just yet!”

WHAT IS SWEETGRASS WORKING ON NOW? Darklight – another film using similar lighting effects to Afterglow, but this time with mountain bikes. Sweetgrass spent the summer of 2015 filming in ‘undisclosed’ desert and forest locations in the US (where one of the athletes got bitten by a rattlesnake). Get ready for the next installment of high adrenaline and bright lights with bikes.

The production team was also busy working on a feature length documentary on the controversial development of the Jumbo Glacier Resort, in British Columbia, Canada. Jumbo Wild focuses on 24 years of land issues (the proposal includes

a 6,300-bed resort village and more than 20 ski lifts) and themes of universal development as environmentalists and locals continue to oppose the plans, citing the area as an important grizzly bear habitat. “It’s a tiny little place on the map that speaks to a universe of development issues and land use issues,” said Waggoner.

The documentary is scheduled to be released in October 2015.

BANFF MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL 2015 / 2016

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1

2

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? We caught up with some of the stars of the 2014/2015 Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour to see what they’ve been up to in the last year…

1 DAVID LAMA David Lama, the star of Cerro Torre: A Snowball’s Chance in Hell, recently completed a first ascent in Zion National Park (Utah, US) with climber Conrad Anker. The route they completed, which they named Latent Core, was a climb Conrad first attempted when David was still in his diapers! © JAMES Q MARTIN / RED BULL 2 FAITH DICKEY Wild Women’s Faith Dickey takes slacklining to a whole new level at the International Highline Weekend (a girls-only slackline festival) in Ostrov, Czech Republic.

4

© BASIA SOBANSKA

3 FRANK MOORE “Well of course I’m still fishing the Umpqua (river in Oregon, US), I’m only 93, what else would I be doing?” says Frank Moore, war veteran and star of Mending the Line

by Uncage the Soul Productions. © UNCAGE THE SOUL PRODUCTIONS

5 VASU SOJITRA Vasu Sojitra, star of Out on a Limb, had his right leg amputated when he was nine months old due to a blood infection. Last summer Vasu successfully completed the first ascent of the Grand Teton (Wyoming, US) by an adaptive athlete on crutches. © WILL STRATHMANN 26

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CREDIT: ALL CAPS

4 ALEX HONNOLD Sufferfest climber Alex Honnold has received the prestigious mountaineering award, the Piolet d’Or, with Tommy Caldwell for their seven-summit traverse of the Fitz Roy massif in Patagonia. He has also co-written a memoir, Alone on the Wall, which made its North American premiere at this year’s Festival in Banff. The book recounts the seven most impressive achievements so far in his meteoric climbing career. © AUSTIN SIADAK

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

CREDIT: ALL CAPS

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WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

ROWING INTO THE UNKNOWN Five kilometres from shore, two lads, one capsized row boat

R

owing in shifts around the clock for 116 days, seafaring novices James Adair and Ben Stenning became the first pair ever to row 5,630 kilometres across the Indian Ocean without a support boat. A few kilometres from the finish line in Mauritius, a 50-foot wave capsized them and they had to swim for their lives in shark-infested waters.

It all stemmed from a drunken bet years earlier between the two university students who had never spent a night at sea, nor had actually rowed before. They decided to spend their life savings on purchasing a seaworthy row boat and embark on the unthinkable. It’s this journey that inspired the book and the film, And Then We Swam.

And Then We Swam, director Ben Finney’s (a former volcanologist) first independent film project, went on to win Best Film Exploration and Adventure in the 2014 Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival.

The film is based on James Adair’s book of the voyage, Rowing After the White Whale, published in 2013.

We caught up with filmmaker Ben Finney and half of the rowing duo, James Adair, to find out what adventures the trio have been up to since their odyssey.

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BY NICKY LYNCH

How did any of the video footage survive?

BF When the boat capsized, the cameras were lost from the deck, along with memory cards containing footage from the second half of the voyage. The footage that survived was from a few memory cards stowed away in a waterproof box.

The boys were eventually re-united with the boat, and managed to get the footage back, without which, there would be no film.

How did you piece the whole story together?

BF A bit of creative editing was required, as well as some dramatic reconstruction of the final moments of the crossing. With a budget of absolutely nothing, we filmed these scenes in the seas around the UK in the depths of winter.

Any more seafaring filmmaking adventures?

BF I’ve been working on a project filming in the Canadian Arctic about the discovery of HMS Erebus, Sir John Franklin’s ship that was lost during an attempt to find the Northwest Passage in the 19th Century. It’s a huge undertaking which includes dramatic reconstruction of the last months

of the unfortunate sailors who perished. It’s a very different story to And Then We Swam, but the maritime adventure theme seems to have stuck.

Had you always planned on writing about your journey?

JA I decided to write the book shortly after we got back. Six months and 1,238 cups of tea later, I finally managed to finish. While it was written to tell our story I think it was useful to Ben (Finney) as a reference for his film.

I was staring at the moon and thought I could feel it emitting warmth – James Adair, prior to realizing they would be rescued

Ñ Ben Stenning (left) and James Adair safe and sound on terra firma. Ô These days James and Ben prefer

to stick to the safer sport of cricket.

BANFF MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL

TOP: © BEN FINNEY; LEFT AND RIGHT: © JAMES ADAIR

WORLD TOUR CONTEST Have you been keeping out of trouble since the making of the film?

JA Ben (Stenning) and I are still on speaking terms and played cricket together recently. We are now both married and I had a son, and named him Ben, just to confuse everyone. Sadly we are both working in sensible jobs (shipping) at the moment.

No adventures on the rowing scale, but we’ve moved around a bit over the past few years – I was working in Spain, and have now returned to the UK, and Ben is now living and working in Paris.

Can you give us a look into any future quests?

JA We’re planning to row the Atlantic around 2020 and then take on the Pacific in 2030 when we’ll be fifty. Not sure what the plan is for 2040 if we make it that far…probably sailing around the Caribbean drinking cocktails. At least until 2020 we’re going to be very sensible.

BANFF MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL 2015 / 2016

29

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WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

It seems as though the anger and trauma which were so close to the surface when we first met Tashi are slowly being healed – Andrew Hinton

Tashi and Jhamtse Gatsal founder, monk Lobsang Phuntsok.

WHAT BECAME OF TASHI AND THE MONK The power of community

PHOTOS © ANDREW HINTON

M

BY JENNY SPURR

any of you may remember the mischievous little sprite, Tashi, who won over the hearts of thousands in the film Tashi and the Monk. She also left a big mark on filmmakers Johnny Burke and Andrew Hinton.

Tashi is the slightly wild and troubled fiveyear-old orphan who was placed in Jhamtse Gatsal Children’s Community, a home for orphaned and neglected children in the remote Himalayan foothills of northeastern India, after her mother died and she was abandoned by her alcoholic father.

After spending months at the Jhamtse Gatsal alongside founder Lobsang Phuntsok (a Buddhist monk who was trained under the guidance of the Dalai Lama) and Tashi, the filmmakers knew they had to keep ties with everyone in the community – especially her.

“Even before we finished filming Johnny and I knew we wanted to stay in touch with everyone at Jhamtse [Gatsal], particularly Tashi, and decided the best way to do that was to sponsor her,” says Hinton. “We did and we’ve been fortunate to receive updates about and from her, including some drawings and paintings.”

The updates show promise as Tashi continues to blossom among her 84 siblings in her new environment.

“It seems as though the anger and trauma which were so close to the surface when we first met her are slowly being healed by the remarkable atmosphere at Jhamtse Gatsal, and the support of her peers and teachers,” adds Hinton.

Tibetan for “garden of love and compassion”, Jhamtse Gatsal was founded in 2006 by Phuntsok on the principles of his own Buddhist upbringing: love, compassion and wisdom. There, at-risk children from impoverished villages are given a secure home, good food, clothing, medical care and an education.

Like Tashi, the community is thriving thanks to the success of Tashi and the Monk, which won Best Film Mountain Culture at the Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival in 2014.

“The film festival screenings of Tashi and the Monk have helped Jhamtse International raise awareness and funds towards the capital campaign to build two new family houses and a new kitchen/dining facility at the Jhamtse Gatsal Children’s Community,” says Mark Foley, president of Jhamtse International. The goal is to raise $700,000 by the end of 2017 which will allow Phuntsok to welcome 40 new children to the community. As

of June 2015, the community is well on its way with $300,000 pledged.

For Burke and Hinton, seeing the support for Jhamtse Gatsal pour in from across Canada and beyond has been remarkable.

“Thousands of passionate Banff (Mountain Film and Book Festival) audience members have really connected with Lobsang Phuntsok and the work being done at Jhamtse Gatsal,” says Hinton.

“We’ve particularly enjoyed it when people have sent a personal note saying how moved they were, or how much parts of the film resonated with their own relationships or life.”

The success of the film has also inspired Jeff Jenner and his wife, Adarsh Mehta, who set up Jhamtse Canada as a registered charity, to release Tashi and the Monk on DVD with 50 percent of proceeds going directly to the community.

A final word from the filmmakers: “Overall we have been beyond delighted that the film became a small part of the global Banff family and we can’t wait to make another piece which is worthy of the festival and tour!”

For updates from the cast and crew, and to order your copy of Tashi and the Monk, visit jhamtsecanada.ca BANFF MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL 2015 / 2016

31

Û “A hand shake. Sometimes an ordinary moment in life can make for an extraordinary

image. The Mayan farmers of Lago De Atitlan are among the friendliest in the world.”

32

BANFF MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL 2015 / 2016

TREASURES BETWEEN THE TRAILS B A N F F M O U N TA I N P H O T O E S S AY C O M P E T I T I O N B Y N I C K Y LY N C H

W

hat begins as a trip to Guatemala with a crew of mountain bikers on a search for new trails evolves into a journey woven together with the beauty of light, landscape, culture and people in Justa Jeskova’s winning photo essay.

As much as Jeskova likes to shoot action, it is the people and the storytelling that she is truly passionate about. “It takes a while to break a barrier between my lens and a stranger, but once you do, you are rewarded with honest smiles and interesting stories.”

Despite the fact that Jeskova and her companions were documenting biking in a country that is not widely known for its mountain biking trails, they came to appreciate Guatemala’s diversity, its beauty, and the open hospitality and joy they found in these remote communities.

Born and raised in Slovakia, Jeskova moved to Canada seventeen years ago is a self-taught photographer based in Whistler, BC. Her work has appeared in international publications including National Geographic Adventure, Bike, Dirt, and Dirt Rag. ››

BANFF MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL 2015 / 2016

33

We were there for the riding but found so much more

Û “The intoxicating scent of green onion and seeing the valley

bathed in morning light was a complete sensory overload.”

34

BANFF MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL 2015 / 2016

B A N FF M O U N TA I N P H OTO E S S AY CO M P E T I T I O N

– Justa Jeskova Over 130 mountain-related photographic stories were submitted to the Banff Mountain Photo Essay Competition this year. After much deliberation by the jury, including award-winning adventure and environment photographers Dan Hudson, Henry Iddon and Ian McAllister, five essays were selected for public voting, of which Jeskova’s essay was chosen as the winner.

Established in 1996, the Banff Mountain Photo Essay Competition recognizes creative excellence in photography on mountain subjects, and includes a Grand Prize of $3,000. The competition aims to showcase the best in mountain-themed photo essays and recognize the best stories told through a series of still images.

Ü “This kind woman saw

us huddling underneath a tree in an intense thunderstorm and invited us into her small home.

She took six of us in and offered us dry clothing and let me photograph her cooking and weaving – a lesson in kindness I will never forget.”

Û “The bonus of getting up early before the sun got too high was hearing the towns far

below come to life and enjoying the sun rise from our perch high above.”

BANFF MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL 2015 / 2016

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Ù “As we were hiking up a

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Those smiles and laughter are something I remember vividly to this day.”

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FESTIVAL AND WORLD TOUR TIDBITS AND YOUR FEEDBACK

LAST WORDS 40

COUNTRIES

450,000 PEOPLE

FILMS SHOWN IN

SATISFYING OUTDOORSY FOLK SINCE

1976

35 1,000

SCREENINGS AROUND THE GLOBE

HEARD AROUND THE WORLD… I’VE FOUND MY TRIBE I stumbled across the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour by chance when I was backpacking in Patagonia several years ago. I haven’t missed a year since!

I have attended Banff twice now, and both times I have left feeling that it changed my life. I am inspired by the people who challenge themselves and at the same time do something positive for society, and I appreciate the artistry with which the films are created.

SIDE EFFECTS MAY INCLUDE… It’s like stepping out of reality for a second and allowing your mind to be completely engulfed by the passions and lives of extraordinary people. It reminds me of the importance of chasing what you love and to continue pursuing it throughout life.

These films reminded me of that. @BanffMtnFest @thebanffcentre #Banffworldtour

42

BANFF MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL 2015 / 2016

IT’S OUR ANNUAL RITUAL Look forward to each festival. Inspiring, astounding, head shaking – what were they thinking. Great entertainment.

For my dad and me, going to watch the World Tour is a non-negotiable annual tradition that we both enjoy. Each film inspires us to get out, do more and be more! Thank you guys at The Banff Centre for touring the globe to bring the adventure closer.

I LOVE YOU BECAUSE… What a crazy night of inspiring emotions! I was laughing, crying and dropping jaw in awe all in the same night. These films excite, educate, and inspire people to get outside and live. I can’t think of any better entertainment for the price!

Excellent global view of Mountain Culture, lifestyles and activities!! Keep up the good work! facebook.com/BanffMountainFilmFestival facebook.com/RadReels facebook.com/thebanffcentre

TOO MUCH CHOICE! It was very hard to pick a favourite film I loved them all!! They all touched me in many different ways. Totally opened my eyes I left the showing feeling uplifted, humbled adventures, and happy.

SOCIAL MEDIA @Schweitzer88: Everyone at the #stl #banffworldtour stop just spontaneously howled together at the end of intermission. #mypeople @jeromejnelson: Biggest mistake of 2014: missing #banffworldtour – NEVER AGAIN! @ BanffMtnFest in Berkeley, CA tonight!! @jennyG_24: Last night at the smallest venue on the #Banffworldtour (Downieville, #California) tears, cheers and reminders of what we must protect! @xavermatt: Inspirational night out @BanffMtnFest London with @netleadz keep pushing those limits #banffworldtour @thebanffcentre

youtube.com/thebanffcentre

Some of our most powerful stories began with a grant.

Learn about National Geographic’s Expeditions Council grants at nationalgeographic.com/council.

PHOTO CREDITS (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT): CARSTEN PETER; TOMMY HEINRICH; WES C. SKILES; STEVE WINTER