Award-winning outdoor adventure films from around the world are coming to Chattanooga for the 2014 Lookout Wild Film Festival March 20-23.
The LWFF board has announced the 34 films officially selected for the festival. The LWFF team screened 125 films from 23 different countries to find the top outdoor adventure and conservation films in the world.
Films selected this year include climbers summiting a mysterious Antarctic mountain, kayakers taking on the world’s biggest rapids and a man who had a dream of teaching villagers to paraglide. Additional films feature caves in North Georgia, fly fishing in Virginia, artists in the Everglades and ice climbing in Colorado. Conservation topics among the selections include rhino poaching, the effect of dams in South America, water usage in Georgia and deforestation in the West.
Among the selections are numerous Southeastern premieres, several award winners from other festivals and a handful of world premieres.
The LWFF board has also announced the schedule for the festival and the opening of online ticket sales. The festival will include four three-hour blocks of films, all at the Chattanooga Choo Choo Centennial Theatre. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. Friday and at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday. There will also be two matinee blocks Saturday and Sunday beginning at 2 p.m. Thursday night will feature the viewing party for The Local Hero Project, an exhibition and contest of local 3-minute films. The party begins at 5:30 p.m. at Mellow Mushroom Downtown. Thursday night is free, but tickets for Friday, Saturday and Sunday will be $5 for each block or $10 for the entire weekend. Tickets are available online and at the door. For Thursday night details visit www.thelocalheroproject.com.
The Lookout Wild Film Festival seeks to showcase wild places and the people they inspire through film. The festival debuted in 2013 and is put on by the non-profit Lookout Wild Film Festival, Inc. For more information visit
www.lookoutfilmfestival.org or email info@lookoutfilmfestival.org.
Friday Night Selections (8 p.m. start)
Strong
8 mins, Washington
Southeastern Premiere
On April 6th, 2011, veteran backcountry skier Roger Strong was skinning up his
favorite backcountry run when he triggered an avalanche that swept him and two
friends hundreds of feet through steep trees. When the snow settled, he was badly
injured, but alive along with his friends. In the months that followed, Strong, confined
to a wheelchair, was left to sort through his decision-making. Had he failed as father
and a husband? What would he take away from the experience? And if his body
would allow, would he still want to ski?
The Way It Began
3 mins, Virginia
Festival Premiere
The Way It Began is one woman's story (Kami Swingle) of her passion for fly fishing
and the belief that she can have it all: outdoors and fashion, wilderness and
cosmopolitan.
The Sufferfest
18 mins, California
Southeastern Premiere
Follow Alex Honnold and Cedar Wright on an ambitious human-powered adventure
to summit all of California's 14,000 foot peaks via technical climbing routes, with no
ropes! New to the sport of biking, and having underestimated the scope of the
challenge, Alex and Cedar soon spiral down a rabbit hole of sunburn, suffering, and a
seemingly endless test of their mental and physical endurance.
Landlocked
5 mins, Tennessee
Mike Rogers, a nurse and skilled craftsman, talks about his days in Hawaii as a
surfboard maker, and how priorities can change for the better. Throughout the film
Mike creates a custom stand-up paddleboarding paddle.
We Are Rhino
21 mins, South Africa
Tennessee Premiere
3 VERY different people. 3 VERY different ideas. 1 BIG question. How can we save
the rhino?
The Boy Who Flies
45 mins, Malawi
Tennessee Premiere
Adventuring into the heart of Africa, a paraglider instigates a young man's potentially
deadly quest to release the weight of poverty, social taboos and self doubt, and take
to the skies. In doing so, the traveler is confronted with unsettling truths about his
own racial and cultural identity. In a country where no one flies, two friends can
inspire a nation by putting everything on the line.
North of the Sun
46 mins, Norway
Inge Wegge (25) and Jørn Ranum (22) spent nine months of cold, Norwegian winter
in the isolated and uninhabited bay of a remote, arctic island by the coast of
Northern-Norway, facing nothing but the vast Atlantic Ocean. There they built a cabin
out of driftwood and other cast-off materials that washed up on shore, and ate
expired food the stores would otherwise have thrown away. But the boys brought
with them two items of utmost importance: Their surfboards - perhaps their biggest
motivation for the arctic adventure. Because the remote bay holds a well kept secret;
Some of the worlds finest surfing waves.
Saturday Matinee Selections (2 p.m. start)
Ice
10 mins, Colorado
Southeastern Premiere
ICE explores why 'normal' people risk their lives to ice climb, and the reasons why
one location in Colorado is unique in the ice climbing world.
Gregg Treinish, A Move Shake Story
15 mins, Montana
The thought of making positive change in this world is often followed by a frustrating
and sometimes disheartening “How?” Gregg Treinish asked himself this same
question for many years, until one day, at lunch with his friend Deia Scholsberg, it hit
him. He had all the right tools, and was recently given a huge leg up in connections
by being named an Adventurer of the Year by National Geographic. Gregg combined
his passion for adventure, his deep interest and education in wildlife biology, and
three seconds of courage to found Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation.
Snorkeling the Smokies
6 mins, Tennessee
Southeastern Premiere
The rivers and streams of the Southern Appalachia are among the most diverse
ecosystems in North America, and host globally unique groups of fish, amphibians,
crayfish, mussels, and more… most of them virtually unseen and unknown to most
Americans.
The Light in the Everglades
12 mins, Florida
Final Cut World Premiere
Four Florida painters discuss the unique look of the Everglades, Florida's self-esteem
problem, and art's potential to aid conservation.
Love in the Tetons
10 mins, Wyoming
Southeastern Premiere
Fifteen years ago, Juan Martinez, an at-risk teenager from south-central Los Angeles,
stepped off a bus in Grand Teton National Park and saw the stars for the first time in his
life. The experience inspired him to connect more diverse and urban youth to nature,
and in the process, he met Vanessa Torres, a park ranger, and fell in love all over
again. This debut film of NPX's 10-part series reveals the compelling journey that led
Juan to the Tetons, to Vanessa, and to his renewed vision of the American Dream: one
that blooms out of love, inclusion, and our living, breathing national parks.
Birdmen: The Original Dream of Flight
43 mins, Various
Birdmen is a documentary film about the dream of human flight becoming reality. For
millennia, humans have looked to the sky and dreamed of arcing through the air, like
birds. And now, after hundreds of thousands of years, humans can fly. It is dangerous,
deadly, and requires years of training, but a select few have committed their lives to the
pursuit of the purest form of human flight: Wingsuit BASE Jumping.
Ray: A Life Underwater
15 mins, England
Like a modern-day pirate, 75-year-old Ray Ives has been scouring the seabed for
treasure his whole life. The former commercial diver has plundered the deep for over
fifty years, bringing to the surface anything that glittered -- even gold. In a shipping
container near the water, Ray tends his museum of cannon, bottles, bells, swords,
portholes and diving gear. He even still takes to the water in a 1900s diving suit.
Stand
46 mins, Canada
Stand, presented by Quiksilver Waterman, takes viewers on a journey through the
waters of British Columbia's west coast. Under threat by the proposed Enbridge
Northern Gateway pipeline and tanker route is a coastline of immense beauty, pristine
ecosystems, and a way of life rich in culture and history. Through the efforts of
expedition stand-up paddler Norm Hann, an aboriginal high school class building their
own stand-up paddleboards as a form of protest, and the powerful surfing of iconic west
coast native Raph Bruhwiler, the diversity of people, landscape and wildlife that would
be affected by an oil spill is articulated. STAND takes you to the core of the issue and
unfurls the soul of B.C.'s west coast one paddle stroke at a time.
Saturday Night (7 p.m. start)
Unicycle Caving
7 mins, England
North American Festival Premiere
Unicycle caving ... That's pretty much what it is.
35
5 mins, Utah
Every year we get a little older. How you choose to celebrate is up to you. Take the
birthday challenge. Writer Brendan Leonard delivers a dedication to the joys – both big
and small – of the climbing life. What are your 35?
bike lanes
3 mins, New York
Southeastern premiere
A little movie about a ticket the filmmaker got for riding his bike not in the bike lane.
The Joy of Air
4 mins, Washington, Southeastern premiere
Leave the ground beneath your feet, Rise up, your inner legend greet. A body in motion
– Twisting, turning, churning, yearning – Apex found, heaven bound. But remember,
what goes up must come down.
The Man Who Lived on His Bike
3 mins, Canada
A day in the life of a Montreal man lives in his bicycle.
The Mother
6 mins, Utah
Do our mothers still have dreams, hopes and journeys to make? At age 67, Melody
reflects on her life, her hopes, her failures and her dreams while exploring the
magnificent waters and canyons of the Utah desert.
Cave: The Social Underground
10 mins, Georgia
Tennessee Premiere
The lure of caving brings people together in a special camaraderie that is not found
above the ground.
Outdoor Chattanooga
25 mins, Tennessee
World Premiere
Chattanooga, once declared the dirtiest city in America, has now turned itself around as
a hub of outdoor adventure.
Down the Line
22 mins, Canada
A handful of dedicated Vancouverites are bringing a new sport to their local mountains,
a sport that has always been linked exclusively to Utah and the Alps: Canyoneering.
Against all expectations, the surroundings of Vancouver are an amazing playground for
canyoneers, and one thing sets the region apart from all others: none of these canyons
have ever been explored. Nobody even knows where they are.
Who Owns Water, Early Release
60 mins, Georgia
World Premiere
A documentary film from the front lines of the war over fresh water, in America's deep
south. Atlanta, Georgia has been one of the country's fastest growing cities in the last
three decades. Today, the city can't exist without its upstream reservoir Lake Lanier, but
the downstream users in Alabama, south Georgia and Florida need it too. The problem
is, no matter how you cut it, there simply may not be enough fresh water for everyone.
Sunday Matinee (2 p.m.)
Freestyle Kayaker
4 mins, West Virginia
Few people have pursued Whitewater Kayaking for as long with as much passion as
Bryan Kirk. Bryan discusses how he continues to experience the rivers draw while
paddling the New River Dries in Fayetteville, West Virginia
Among Giants
13 mins, California
Risking injury and incarceration, an environmental activist disrupts the clear-cutting of
an ancient redwood grove by sitting on a tiny platform a hundred feet up in the tree
canopy. Already three years into the tree-sit when filming begins, AMONG GIANTS
blends vérité cinematography with intimate personal reflection to remarkable effect.
Arkansas in a Day
4 mins, Arkansas
Southeastern Premiere
Cedar Wright showed up a day early for a conference in Arkansas. It turns out that the
climbing and scene in Arkansas is not to be missed
The Last Great Climb
60 mins, Antarctica
The 2013 film from Alastair Lee is an epic to end all mountain epics set in the stunning
mountains of Queen Maud Land, Antarctica. The feature documentary follows top
adventure climber Leo Houlding with his tried and tested team of Jason Pickles and
Sean 'Stanley' Leary as they attempt to make the first ascent of the NE ridge of 'the
master piece of the range'; the majestic Ulvetanna Peak (2931m). One of the most
technically demanding climbs in one of the world's harshest environments.
Segment of Barkley Marathon
5 mins, Tennessee
This is a segment from an upcoming documentary film about an annual nonstop 100-
mile footrace across the raw terrain of Frozen Head State Park, Tennessee. Each year
only 35 participants are accepted to compete, and they must finish five 20-mile loops in
60 hours. The course is so difficult that, in its 25-year history, only 10 runners have
finished.
The Last Sun
5 mins, The Netherlands
A Norwegian girl rides her dog sled to a vantage point from where she can observe the
last sunset of the year, before the winter darkness reigns.
Fighting for the Futaleufu
16 mins, Chile
Southeastern Premiere
Fighting For the Futaleufu is the story of what many consider 'The World's Best River'.
For years, Chileans in Patagonia viewed the rio Futaleufu with awe and apprehension.
In the 1980's as kayakers and rafters successfully navigated the river, eco-tourism
flourished bringing vibrant opportunities and jobs to the community. Fighting For the
Futaleufu explores the fierce natural beauty of the river, and follows the lives of Chilean
rafter Robert Currie, his son Robert Jr and locals as they work and protect the area.
This is a fight to preserve a river and its community--it is also the story of the struggle
for the future of Chilean Patagonia.
Congo: The Inga Project
80 mins, Congo
Congo: The Grand Inga Project chronicles the trip of legendary kayaker Steve Fisher
and his elite expedition team as they battle seemingly insurmountable obstacles in an
attempt to be the first explorers to ever survive the torrential, dirty and vicious Inga
Rapids.