The slogan “Make your own legends” united local and national outdoor and environment aficionados at the 10th anniversary of the Adventure Film Festival in Boulder this weekend.
Among the 26 films presented — which ranged from feature-length documentaries to short, three-minute playful illustrations — were tales of heroism, environmental stewardship and raw and unbroken passion for the outdoors.
But the festival, the brainchild of the late local climber Johnny Cobb, went beyond a collection of cinematic adventures. Filmmakers shared stories about their lives and work, workshops helped transform today’s hobby photographers into tomorrow’s directors and an adventure street fair outside the Boulder Theater was a hodgepodge of festival-goers checking out art, music, food and raffles.
Despite the four-day long ballyhoo surrounding the festival, the 26 vastly different odes to Mother Nature claimed center stage. For those of you who couldn’t make it to the festival, CUIndependent.com has picked the five festival highlights that should be on your must-watch list this fall.
But be aware that neither of the featured artists wants you to spend all your days living vicariously through someone else’s adventures. Their message was, and is: Go out and make your own legends.
“Sufferfest 2”
Last year, climbing greats Alex Honnold and Cedar Wright set out on a gigantic bike tour through California, climbing all the state’s 14ers along the way. The result was the hilarious, painful-to-watch “Sufferfest.” Well, the two have since jumped back on their bikes, this time steering toward desert towers to climb through the American Southwest.
Here’s a trailer for the first “Sufferfest.”
“Project Wild Thing”
Why are kids across the country not playing outside anymore? (You can take Boulder out of the equation.) The British film Project Wild Thing is a marketing campaign selling a truly unique product: Mother Nature. The hour-long documentary is “a gripping story of the desperate struggle to lead our computer-crazed children back to nature”.
“Mending the Line”
Frank Moore remembers that day 69 years ago as if it was yesterday. He had just landed on the beaches of Normandy as part of the allied D-Day invasion. Young Frank, a passionate fly-fisher, was traveling over a bridge in a remote French village when he saw a freshly-caught salmon hanging outside a house the grimes of war had not yet claimed. The picture stuck with Frank. When he made his first return to Normandy, a place that is still haunting his memories, to fish that river he had been waiting to wade into for nearly seven decades, director Steve Engman’s film crew didn’t leave Frank’s side.
“When Dogs Fly”
There is really no rational explanation as to why anyone would want to put on a wingsuit and jump off the most daunting cliffs on the face of the planet. And there is really no explanation as to why you would want to strap your dog to your back when you do it. Local climbing legend Dean Potter shot a film granting viewers unrestricted access to the workings of his soul and his motivation to take his four-legged friend, Whisper, to a date with fate that could end tragically at any moment.
“Huayhuash”
You are probably still trying to figure out how to pronounce that title. Rest assured, you are not alone. Huayhash is a majestic mountain formation in the Peruvian Andes. Three mountain bikers took on this alpine playground, featuring towering 6,000-meter giants. It not only makes for grand cinematography, but sets the stage for a true do-it-yourself adventure.
Contact CU Independent Managing Editor Lars Gesing at lars.gesing@colorado.edu.
