2012 Kendal Film Festival Winners
The Kendal Mountain Festival is a staple event in the calendar each year, it's the main social event in the UK for outdoor lovers and markets itself as the biggest in the world.
The core of the festival's programme is the mountain film competition. From over 200 entries, 50 films are screened, some premieres, all competing for 10 awards. Additionally the winning films go on tour around the UK in the Craghoppers Best of Kendal Film Tour. Alas we weren't able to attend the Mountain Festival but have enjoyed scouring the web to find out more about several of the films and watch their trailers.
Find below a full list of the winners of the 2012 Kendal Mountain Film Festival. There were a couple we couldn't find so if you have any information please leave a comment.
Grand Prize — Justin Jones, Crossing the Ice
Cas and Jonesy are two Aussie mates who describe themselves as making an adventure out of life. This includes kayaking a few oceans, climbing mountains and hitting dirt tracks all round the world. In Crossing the Ice, the film which won the Grand Prize in the 2012 Kendal Mountain Festival, Cas and Jonesy attempt the first ever unsupported trek from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole and back. Starting with very limited experience they spent months researching, consulting with experts from all round the globe, training in the Arctic and NZ, rehearsing the skills they would need to survive in the highest, driest, windiest and coldest place on Earth.
Climbing & People's Choice — Wide Boyz
Wide Boyz premiered at the 2012 Kendal Mountain Festival. Wide Boyz follows two climbers, Peter Whittaker and Thomas Randall from Sheffield, England, who take on the hardest offwidth wide cracks in the world.
Mountaineering — The Old Breed
The Old Breed is a documentary short film about the first ascent of Saser Kangri II, located in the Eastern Karakoram. At 7,518 metres high, SKII was the second-highest unclimbed mountain in the world. It was climbed on 24 August 2011 by the American team of Mark Richey, Steve Swenson and Freddie Wilkinson. Besides being one of the highest first peak ascents ever accomplished in alpine-style, the climb is notable for the fact that Richey and Swenson were fifty-three and fifty-seven years old, respectively, at the time of the ascent.
Mountain Adventure — Autana
Adventure climber Leo Houlding and film maker Alastair Lee join climbers Sean Leary (USA) and Jason Pickles (Salford) to head deep into the Amazon in an attempt to make the first ascent of the east face of the remote tepui, Cerro Autana. Follow the team of redoubtable characters as they find their way up the jungle-infested rock face, amazed not only by the climbing but by a luxury wall camp in the incredible Autana Cave system just below the summit of the tepui (the highest elevated cave system in the world).
Culture — Capetown
Capetown is a short film telling the story of pup, Capetown, in her first season racing in the ancient Cumbrian sport of hound trailing. Shot over 9 months, it gives an insight into the passion and dedication of a special group of mountain people and their four-legged friends.
Adrenaline — Where the Trail Ends
Where the Trail Ends is a film following the world's top freeride mountain bikers as they search for un-ridden terrain around the globe, ultimately shaping the future of big mountain freeriding. This unparalleled story documents man's challenge of mother nature and himself, showcased through a cast of colourful characters. This is the most progressive and ambitious mountain biking ever attempted, resulting in an entertaining adventure unlike anything experienced before.
Short — The Warrior
The Warrior is part of the "Of Souls + Water" series, episode 4. Growing up on the North Shore of Oahu, surfing was Christopher Peterson's life. He fought for his place in the sport, for family and for friends. When his grandmother called and asked for help, he left the islands — only to find tragedy. He had not surfed in the ocean for over 6 years. Now he discovers solace and release surfing the rivers of the American West.
Judge's Special Prize — Verticalmente Demode
No further details were available for this winning entry.
Adventure Film Academy — The Extra Mile
No information was available for this category winner.