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We are excited to give you a sneak peek into our 21st Annual VIMFF taking place from February 9-17, 2018! Read more below to get a glimpse into some of the incredible guest speakers and programming we have lined up for you. Our full program will be announced on January 12 – mark your calendars.
National Geographic photojournalist and adventurer of the year, Cory Richard’s camera has taken him from the controlled and complex studio to the wild and remote corners of the world, from the unclimbed peaks of Antarctica to the Himalayas of Nepal and Pakistan all in the attempt to capture not only the soul of adventure and exploration, but also the beauty inherent in our modern society.
As a girl growing up in the traditional and religious society of Iran, dreaming about reaching the top of the world without any support seems impossible, but not to Parvaneh Kazemi. Parvaneh was the first woman in the world to reach the summit of Everest & Lhotse not only in a single season, but a single week! She has become a symbol of hope to both the female and climbing community in Iran.
Chris Bertish is an ocean pioneer, Stand Up Paddle Boarding world record holder and big wave surfing champion. He recently redefined the concept of Extreme Adventure by becoming the first person ever to Stand Up Paddle across any ocean. Defying all odds, Chris paddled 7500km solo, unsupported and unassisted for 93 days, across the Atlantic Ocean.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_masonry_media_grid grid_id=”vc_gid:1515525945832-f1fe7e89-3501-4″ include=”10151,10152,10153″][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]National Geographic Explorer Mike Libecki has completed more than 75 expeditions all over the planet from Afghanistan to Antarctica, to Greenland to Guyana, to Siberia to Socotra Island Yemen and everywhere in between… His pride and joy is being a father to his daughter Lilliana. And, Lilliana, at the age of 14, has already been to 25 countries and all 7 continents and founded her own humanitarian non-profit organization, The Joyineering Fund.
Following their celebrated presentation at the VIMFF 2017 Fall Series, Martina and Tania Halik are back with their Coast Mountain Epic a live premiere multi-media presentation detailing a five and half month long ski traverse of the Coast Mountains of BC and Alaska. Undertaken from January to June of 2017 by a mother and daughter team from BC, this presentation features their challenges, close-calls, failures and successes throughout the Epic.
After surviving a 100 foot ground fall that resulted in a fused back and neck as well as the amputation of his right leg, Craig Demartino returned to climbing with a new perspective. He has since gone on to be the first amputee to climb Yosemite’s El Capitan (3000 ft) in under 24 hours and also led the first ever all disabled ascent of the same cliff. Craig travels, climbs and teaches adaptive climbing clinics all over the world.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_masonry_media_grid grid_id=”vc_gid:1515525945838-4c1b0b6c-6ece-5″ include=”10155,10150,10154″][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]
In addition to our film and guest speaker line-up, we are thrilled to announce the addition of two workshops that will be held during the Festival and is available to anyone interested in adventure filmmaking or expedition planning.
The Adventure Filmmaking workshop will feature world renown directors and producers including Keith Partridge and Darcy Turenne. It will be a great workshop for existing filmmakers, aspiring filmmakers and anybody interested in what it takes to make award winning adventure documentaries.
The Expedition Trip planning Workshop will give you the chance to learn from experienced adventurers on how best to plan a major trip into the wild. Join Martina and Tania Halik who undertook a 6 month ski traverse from BC to Alaska and Janneke Vissers who hiked the 1100km Great Divide Trail and learn the ins and outs of planning your own epic adventure.
[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_masonry_media_grid grid_id=”vc_gid:1515525945842-5f96f179-2ea3-5″ include=”10157,10158,10161″][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]Say YES to great 2018 by applying to our grants and initiatives! Deadlines have been extended for the MEC Adventure Grant and the Arc’teryx Adventure Filmmaking Grant to January 12th. The deadline to enter photos into the 2018 Photo Competition, as well as the last day to nominate an individual for the 5th Annual Tim Jones Community Achievement Award is January 15th![/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_masonry_media_grid element_width=”3″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1515525945847-439c3993-19e9-9″ include=”9767,9768,9766,9765″][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]
Stay tuned for more – the full 21st Annual VIMFF program including all the films and guest speakers will be released on January 12th. This will be the biggest VIMFF Festival to date!
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