Every year, the VIMFF and Arc’teryx have partnered to present a filmmaker development grant to support Canadian adventure filmmaking. This $10,000 contribution to a mountain film production is meant to bolster emerging talent and kick start new film careers by offsetting production costs and screening the film on the VIMFF main stage. This is how we came to know Trixie Pacis and her upcoming documentary project Ahon.
Named for the Filipino word for rise, emerge, or break through a surface, Ahon is a short documentary following the K8 Mountaineering Club, a non-profit organization offering education, equipment, and community for Filipino-Canadians. As K8 approached its 10th anniversary, the film documents the group and key members as they navigate terrain vastly different from home, breaking barriers for their fellow Filipinos, or “kababayans”, all while celebrating Filipino culture and building community.
The group bonded at this summer’s General Assembly in Revelstoke, where families of the entire organization camped and shared traditional Filipino cuisine, children’s games, and backcountry karaoke. Trixie and crew captured footage of the group’s accomplishments from hiking to via ferrata, and even technical mountain objectives on Howse Peak. Cut together with interviews and cultural celebration, the film will introduce you to the unique Filipino-Canadian mountain culture, while inspiring greater connection in the Filipino-Canadian mountain community.
This elevation of culture and community is foundational to Ahon. The film boasts an entirely Filipino crew, including editors Carlo Alcos and Jomarie Anza. While for Trixie, working with K8 and reconnecting to her roots has transformed the original motivation behind the project from a love for the outdoors to a deeper sense of purpose and belonging:
“I was drawn to this project by a shared passion for the mountains but when I look back on a summer of filming with K8, what resonates most is the experience of sharing Filipino culture, language, and food in the mountains. These are the first opportunities I’ve had to do so and I think it will really impact the flavour and tone of the film… We’re all excited to see how this footage comes together to tell the story of K8.”
