VIMFF 2020 Films | Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival

3 Wheels Under The Sun

WORLD PREMIERE
In the summer of 2018, two Vancouver adventurers decided to participate as the only North Americans in the Suntrip solar bike race from France to China.

vimff a kayakers solo adventure featured

A Kayakers Solo Adventure In India

Kayaker Nouria Newman embarks on a solo multi-day descent on the raging waters of the Indus river up in the Himalayas.

Adaptive

CANADIAN PREMIERE
In 2018, Jim Ewing invited Maureen Beck to accompany him in attempting the first all-adaptive ascent of the über classic and deeply remote Lotus Flower Tower (5.10+) in Canada’s Cirque of the Unclimbables.

Allein

BEST SHORT FILM

Every year we get a little older. One day you turn 50. How you choose to celebrate is up to you. Alpinist and mountain guide Robert Jasper is heading out to Greenland for a solo expedition.

Ancient Giants

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
After an ill-fated expedition to northern Patagonia, in search of one of the oldest living trees on Earth, three explorers reflect on their discoveries and what it means for the future of rainforests.

ATTLA

Spanning his fifty-year dogsled racing career, ATTLA explores the life and persona of George Attla, from his childhood as a tuberculosis survivor in the Alaskan interior, to his rise as ten-time world champion and mythical state hero, to a village elder resolutely training his grandnephew to race his team one last time.

Banking On Bailey

Banks, Idaho is home to 17 hearty residents; including Ryan Bailey, a white-water kayaker, wildland firefighter, and the unofficial Mayor of the town.

Be A Man Of More Words

Retired firefighter and North Shore Rescue volunteer Erik Bjarnason has teamed up with global men’s health charity Movember to bring awareness to men’s mental health.

Bear-Like

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
At the far end of the Alaskan peninsula, for filmmaker Roman Droux a childhood dream comes true. He discovers, together with the bear researcher David Bittner, the universe of wild grizzlies.

Call Me Crazy

A ski-obsessed Austrian, with a vision no one else believed in, translates a lifetime of innovation into a legendary reputation as one of the most influential figures in snowsports.

Chasing A Trace

This is a love story between a badass woman scientist and one of the most elusive wild animals on earth set in the snowy high mountains of Western Canada.

vimff chasing the patagonia triple featured

Chasing The Patagonia Triple Crown

Extreme Kayak World Champion Nouria Newman joins Adventurers of the Year Ben Stookesberry and Erik Boomer on a 6-week exploration of Patagonia rivers.

Chu Bien

Set amidst the emerald waters and soaring limestone islets of coastal Vietnam, Captain “Chu” Bien spends more time in a modest boat at sea than at home.

Climb Your Dreams

The rush of life in the city inspires a dream for an escape. The nature of reality is questioned by the contrast of what we do for a living.

Climbing Blind

BEST CLIMBING FILM

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
As a life long climber, Jesse flies in the face of adversity training for world cup events and leading traditional rock climbs with his sight guide and fiancee Molly.

Crossing the Outback: Expedition Parenthood

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
Lauren and Justin defied convention, logic and societal expectations by embarking on a journey of 1800km on foot and unassisted (i.e that means just the three of them and no support crew or vehicle) through one of the worlds extreme, isolated and beautiful places on earth, Australia’s Outback, with their one year old daughter, Morgan.

Defiance

A short snowboarding documentary featuring 3 of the worlds best snowboarders riding some of the steepest terrain in Canada.

Descent Of The Refuge

In April of 2019, three friends journey into the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge on ski’s.

Eli

As a rancher growing up in the rugged northeast corner of the Navajo Nation with no electricity or running water, Eli Neztsosie learned through years of work what it meant to rely on discipline and endurance.

Elle Aime

Set in a surrealist mountain world, our main character — the snow — pays homage to one of its favourite snowboarders: Marie France Roy.

From Slide To Ride

Darrington, Washington, sits nestled in the western slopes of the Cascade Mountains. This once prosperous logging town is now struggling to find an outlet for its community members and is working to fulfill the economic void once supported by the timber industry.

Gone Tomorrow – Kentucky Ice Climbing

Ice climbing in Kentucky?! This adventure documentary takes the audience for a bourbon-fueled ride deep into the bushy hollers of Appalachia

Good Morning

Rooftop freestyle skiing in Avoriaz 1800, France.

Growing In Ladakh

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
The story of Padma, a 12 year-old girl living in a very small village at 4300 metres in the Indian Himalaya, Ladakh.

Home

BC PREMIERE
Between 2011 and 2015 UK adventurer Sarah Outen traversed the globe by bike, kayak and rowing boat, travelling over 20,000 miles by human power alone.

Hors Piste

JURY’S SPECIAL MENTION

The two best rescue workers of the region are ready for their new mission. Despite their professionalism and their determination, it will not go as planned…

Howe Sound

After being declared a dead zone from mining pollution the waters of Howe Sound are undergoing a miraculous recovery.

Hunza Ski & Culture In Pakistan

Follow Sam Favret (International renowned freeskier), Leo Slemett (freeride world champion) and Julien Herry (mountain guide) during their ski mountaineering expedition to Pakistan.

ICEolation

CANADIAN PREMIERE
Sophie and Ewan took a journey beyond wilderness, a self supported journey via sea kayak to connect with an uninhabited land of ice and penguins.

In Our Nature

It is said as humans we are a product of our environment. There are few places in the world where organisms exhibit such extraordinary measure of tenacity, creativity and strength. In British Columbia, it is vital, it is instinctive, it is IN OUR NATURE!

Into The Canyon

GRAND PRIZE WINNER

In 2016 filmmaker/photographer Pete McBride and writer Kevin Fedarko set out on a 750-mile journey on foot through the entire length of the Grand Canyon.

Ironstone

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
For six years a group of New Zealand cavers tried to find a way through the remote Ironstone cave system in the remote wilderness of New Zealand’s South Island.

Limitless

LIMITLESS chronicles the story of Jezza Williams, from life as a rogue adventurer to a life-changing accident that left him a C5 tetraplegic.

My Last Day Of Summer

It is the last day of summer and Julia is at the local bike shop hoping that her bike can be fixed. While checking out the flashy displays of new bikes and shiny components, a comic book catches her eye.

Myrtle Simpson: A Life On Ice

Myrtle Simpson – trailblazer, pioneer, adventurer, mountain climber, polar explorer, writer, and mother. In 2017, over fifty years after she became the first woman to cross the polar ice cap covering Greenland, she was awarded the Polar Medal – a gift from Queen Elizabeth II as thanks for services in the Arctic.

Narcis

In the midst of Kosovo, an area that’s been haunted by war and ethnical conflicts, Elias Elhardt discovers the small ski resort Brezovica.

Nebula

On his quest to complete his 3-part celestial ski photo series pro photographer Reuben Krabbe ventures into the backcountry of British Columbia to attempt to shoot a deep space ski photo of the Orion Nebula with a skier in the foreground.

Northern Tides

Mathea Olin and Paige Alms travel to a Haida Gwaii in search of new waves and a greater understanding of the local seafaring culture.

Out On A Limb

Empathy, efficiency, and a willingness to adapt – Kai Lin’s KLIPPA prosthetic foot is inspired by mountain goats and a desire to help people.

Out On A Limb

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
Out on a Limb follows Geoff, Dan and Isaac, three wheelchair users who embark on a mission to conquer the Swiss Alps and prove that having a disability won’t tame their sense of adventure.

Pacific Lines

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
A story of cultural identity and rock climbing exploration as we follow one of Australia’s top rock climbers – 14 year old Angie Scarth-Johnson – on an adventure to a remote and rugged island in the South Pacific.

Par For The Course

Mirna Valerio, a 250lb African American woman from Brooklyn, takes on Broken Arrow Sky Race in Squaw Valley, California.

Peace Mountain

Janina Kuzma and Evelina Nilsson embark on the most epic adventure of their lives on a ski trip that no one has ever attempted, to ski Mount Hermon, a mountain range situated on the boarder between three countries; Israel, Lebanon and Syria.

Piano To Zanskar

BEST MOUNTAIN CULTURE FILM

BC PREMIERE
Facing his future in retirement, “sitting in deck chairs and eating lemon drizzle cake”, 65 year old piano tuner, Desmond O’Keeffe, decides instead to take on the most challenging and perilous delivery of his four decade career: transporting a 100 year-old, 80 kilo, Broadwood and Sons upright piano, from bustling London to the remote heart of the Indian Himalayas.

Resilient

Jerad Fischer, Lindsey Runkel, and Dan Soller are the living proof of how you can keep shredding and attacking life with a positive and tenacious attitude after a life-changing injury.

Return To Earth

A cinematic journey that will immediately transport you into that feeling of total immersion you get on a bike ride. A short – 14 minute cut – of the feature film from Anthill Productions.

River Runner

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
For high school teacher and whitewater kayaker Crista Wiles, hucking 20-foot waterfalls isn’t a big deal. But to her, pushing her sport isn’t about getting sendy and taking on bigger risks.

Run With Ghosts Of Giants

WORLD PREMIERE
As the last remaining old growth forests of British Columbia are reduced to clear cuts and 2nd growth plantations, a group of trail runners and big tree activists come together to explore what it will take to save the endangered Eden Grove of Port Renfrew, BC.

Safe Haven

Founded on the belief that everyone is welcome, Memphis Rox opened a climbing gym to be at the center of the city’s revitalization.

Should

The Adventure Syndicate explores some of the stereo types and barriers young woman and girls face in the world of adventure sport.

Siblings

To all the Brothers and Sisters out there… this ones for you. A coming of age short film that celebrates childhood and the relationship between siblings.

Speak To Me Softly

Climbers love to talk about exposure, about vertical rock faces and sheer ridge lines and the experience of hundreds of feet of air underfoot. But what of the exposure that happens within? The inner dialogue and the battle with fear, expectations, and self?

Spirit

An intimate story of longing and belonging in India’s sacred mountains, ‘Spirit’ explores what it takes to make a home in a remote community in the thralls of change.

The Endless Chain

BEST CANADIAN FILM

BC PREMIERE
To redefine his concept of manhood, a paraglider pilot pushes his mind and body to the absolute limit during the most daring series of Rocky Mountain flights in history.

The Imaginary Line

In febuary 2019, the United States government declared a ‘national state of emergency’ on the southern border… in an act of solidarity, a team from Mexico and a team from the U.S.A assembled with the sole purpose of establishing a slackline that crossed the border between them.

The Journey

Bia and Edinho thru-hiked the Pacific Crest Trail in 2018 while doing research about the different people they met along the way.

The Legend Of Rafael

A story about the power of two wheels and a community built through bicycling. After a devastating breakup, Rafael finds solitude and restoration on the open road, pedaling his way to emotional health from Mexico City to northern Colorado.

The Long River Home

Aaron Howell and Russell Davies are combat veterans who were injured in war and now come together for another mission as they guide blind Navy veteran, Lonnie Bedwell, on his third trip through the Grand Canyon.

The Postman

Clinging to the frayed edges of the ragged shores of the Isle of Harris, a singletrack path navigates its way above cliffs, around bays. Three friends make the trip to not only ride the Postman’s Path to Rhenigidale, but find out more about its history.

The Ridge Of Dreams

Two best friends with very different views on life embark on a search for a mythical unskied mountain.

The River & The Wall

BEST ENVIRONMENTAL FILM

BC PREMIERE
This urgent and compelling doc follows five friends as they venture into the unknown wilds of the Texas borderlands and travel 1,200 miles along the Rio Grande.

The Running Pastor

BEST MOUNTAIN SPORT FILM

A story about Sverri Steinholm, a Faroese trail running pastor that explores the relationship of his spirituality both through his experiences in the outdoors and in a traditional “church” / community.

The Terminator

WORLD PREMIERE
This film tells the story of professional rock climber, Allison Vest, as she makes Canadian history.

The Trilogy

BC PREMIERE
In 2018, Professional Climber, Sasha DiGiulian, set out to become the first woman and second person in history to complete “Rocky Mountain Trilogy;” a compilation of three of the hardest 5.14 big walls in the Canadian Rockies.

The Weight Of Water

BEST ADVENTURE FILM

BC PREMIERE
The Weight of Water is the story of a blind adventurer taking on an absurdly improbable challenge, kayaking the Grand Canyon.

This Land

Runner and advocate Faith E. Briggs used to run through the streets of Brooklyn every morning. Now she’s running 150 miles through three National Monuments that lie in the thick of the controversy around United States public lands.

Trans Hong Kong Urban Adventure

WORLD PREMIERE
Hans Rey and Enduro/DH sensation Martin Maes explore Hong Kong in a 5 day traverse.

We Are Abel

When President Trump signed a shocking bill to allow oil development in Alaska’s unspoiled Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the Gwich’in Nation in Alaska and Canada mobilized.

Where Life Begins

CANADIAN PREMIERE
Along the Arctic Coast, at the northmost point on American soil, we explore the inseparable bond between mother and child, the sacred and fragile moments after birth and the importance of protecting the place “Where Life Begins”.

The Films

3 Wheels Under The Sun

A Kayakers Solo Adventure In India

Adaptive

Allein

BEST SHORT FILM

Ancient Giants

ATTLA

Banking On Bailey

Be A Man Of More Words

Bear-Like

Call Me Crazy

Chasing A Trace

Chasing The Patagonia Triple Crown

Chu Bien

Climb Your Dreams

Climbing Blind

BEST CLIMBING FILM

Crossing the Outback: Expedition Parenthood

Defiance

Descent Of The Refuge

Eli

Elle Aime

From Slide To Ride

Gone Tomorrow – Kentucky Ice Climbing

Good Morning

Growing In Ladakh

Home

Hors Piste

JURY’S SPECIAL MENTION

Howe Sound

Hunza Ski & Culture In Pakistan

ICEolation

In Our Nature

Into The Canyon

GRAND PRIZE WINNER

Ironstone

Limitless

My Last Day Of Summer

Myrtle Simpson: A Life On Ice

Narcis

Nebula

Northern Tides

Out On A Limb

Out On A Limb

Pacific Lines

Par For The Course

Peace Mountain

Piano To Zanskar

BEST MOUNTAIN CULTURE FILM

Resilient

Return To Earth

River Runner

Run With Ghosts Of Giants

Safe Haven

Should

Siblings

Speak To Me Softly

Spirit

The Endless Chain

BEST CANADIAN FILM

The Imaginary Line

The Journey

The Legend Of Rafael

The Long River Home

The Postman

The Ridge Of Dreams

The River & The Wall

BEST ENVIRONMENTAL FILM

The Running Pastor

BEST MOUNTAIN SPORT FILM

The Terminator

The Trilogy

The Weight Of Water

BEST ADVENTURE FILM

This Land

Trans Hong Kong Urban Adventure

We Are Abel

Where Life Begins