Kendal Mountain Festival is the UK’s premier Mountain Film Festival and in this selection from the ‘Best of Kendal 2011’ we show award winning films featuring climbing, sailing and music making in Greenland: the intense winter cold and commitment of Himalayan 8000m peaks and also a touching portrait of introducing skateboarding to the war weary youth of Afganistan. Best of Kendal is certainly one of the highlights of HVAFF 2012.
Vertical Sailing Greenland
60 mins
Directed and Produced by Sean Villanueva O' Driscoll
VERTICAL SAILING GREENLAND This film follows a skilled team of four climbers (Nicolas, Olivier Favresse, Ben Ditto, Sean Villenueva) and Scottish Reverend Captain Bob Shepton on a climbing sailing expedition to the West Coast of Greenland. Despite the seriousness of the climbing, it shows them laughing, having fun and playing music in the most bizarre locations. This expedition was awarded with the Piolet d'Or for showing great style, high technical level and huge camaraderie.
Awards
Best Mountain Adventure Film - Kendal Mountain Festival 2011
Skateistan
9 mins
Directed and Produced by Orlando von Einsiedel
SKATEISTAN The Skateistan project is Afghanistan’s - and the worlds - first co-educational skateboarding school. The school engages growing numbers of urban and internally-displaced youth through skateboarding, and provides them with new opportunities in cross-cultural interaction, education, and personal empowerment. In a country with innumerable problems, Skateistan represents an oasis where children can be children and where they can build the kinds of cross-cultural / class relationships that Afghanistan needs for future stability.
Intimate and challenging in its portrayal of the children’s stories and stunningly shot, Skateistan: To Live And Skate Kabul is a touching ray of light from a country that is only ever in the news for all the wrong reasons.
Cold
20 mins
Directed and Produced by Anson Fogel
For the past 26 years 16 expeditions have tried and failed to climb one of Pakistan's 8000 metre peaks in winter. On February 2nd 2011, Simone Moro, Denis Urubko and Cory Richards became the first. Cory is now the only American to summit any 8000 metre peak in winter. The journey nearly killed them. Cory carried a small camera and filmed the ordeal constantly. This is their story, as seen from the raw, honest perspective of Cory's lens.