Robin's Bouldering Page: Adventure Film Festival 2011

Wow, where did this week go? Funny to think that a week ago I was out in Boulder, visiting with family and friends, and catching a ton of great films at the 2011 Adventure Film Festival.

Photo: Andrew Wyatt

Founded by the great adventurer Jonny Copp, the festival features short films celebrating outdoor recreation and exploration, while also tying in humanitarian and artistic themes. The result is a diverse group of filmmakers and viewers united by a common goal, a goal best summed up by the festival's tagline: Make Your Own Legends.

Photo: Andrew Wyatt

I first experienced Adventure Film in 2008, shivering my way down Spruce Street to the doors of the Boulder Theater, where Jonny and my sister Sara awaited me with crushing hugs. It was a weekend full of amazing films, delicious food, and hours of dancing, wrapped up with a wonderfully warm afternoon of bouldering at Flagstaff.

Photo: Sara Close

The 2009 Adventure Film had a much different feel, the community still reeling from the loss of Jonny on an expedition in China along with his friends Micah and Wade. Premiering at the festival was First Ascent: Point of No Return, which documented their final journey from their own recovered footage. Still, Adventure Film was going strong, and the crowd found many moments of joy to offset the sadness.

Photo: Andrew Wyatt

Fast forward to 2011, with Jonny's sister Aimee directing the festival and my sister Sara producing. Forty-two awesome films showing to a crowded Boulder Theater, and energy running higher than ever. The festival kicked off with a Thursday night gathering at Patagonia Boulder, which I unfortunately arrived into town too late to attend. Heard it was a great party though!

Photo: Andrew Wyatt

Friday morning, beautifully rested thanks to the hospitality of my friend James Dziezynski, I stopped at the theater to help set up the screen before heading to REI to catch the Keith Ladzinski photography workshop. Then with the trail running model for the hands-on portion of the workshop unable to make it, I went up to Chautaqua and spent a while running up and down a muddy trail for the cameras, the Flatirons looming out of the snow behind me. And I thought I wouldn't get any exercise! From there, back downtown for the VIP party at George's, followed by the final seven films of the evening.

Photo: Andrew Wyatt

Saturday started as a family day, with my brother and his family driving up from Colorado Springs to visit, but we did catch several of the afternoon and evening shows. Then after the festival's conclusion with the live multimedia performance of The Wolf and the Medallion, The Goonies took the stage and we rocked out to 80's music well into the night.

Photo: Andrew Wyatt

Although I saw many great films, a few of them clearly stood out as favorites...

Among the climbing films, Renan Ozturk's Towers of Ennedi was probably my pick for best scenery, showcasing the beautiful desert towers of northeastern Chad. Right there with it was the Zanskar Odyssey, an amazing high-altitude Himalayan bouldering expedition that I had already seen a few weeks previously when Jason Kehl presented it at Earth Treks. Definitely didn't mind seeing it again! And for sheer comedy, I absolutely recommend seeing Down and Out, and Under, Rob Frost's hilarious documentary of a group of American climbers on a trip to Australia. Hands down the funniest climbing film I've ever seen.

Another fantastic climbing film, though very different than anything I'd ever experienced, was TreeVerse. Set in a gorgeous Oregon oak forest, the film follows two tree climbers as they spend five days traversing through a full kilometer of canopy.

In the environmental category, my favorite was easily Seth Warren's Playgrounds Re-imagined, a journey across the United States in search of outdoor athletes taking an active role in protecting and conserving their play areas. Sure I might have also been a little biased due to my sister being featured as the climber in the film, but brotherly pride aside it was still incredibly fun to watch, and inspiring to see how many people out there are working hard to make a difference. And not just the adults... the film's narrator, 9 year-old Dylan Brophy, became the youngest person ever recognized by the Adventure Film Festival when he was presented with the prestigious "Most Likely to Save the World" award.

Photo: Andrew Wyatt

And for pure smile factor, it was hard to beat Mr. Happy Man, the story of 85 year old Johnny Barnes of Bermuda. Standing on the same corner every day to blow kisses and shout "I love you" at passing cars, Johnny has become so famous that a statue of him now stands at his intersection. It reminded me of our own beloved Columbia Bike Guy, and made me happy to think that people like them might not be as uncommon as I had thought.

Finally, the festival's conclusion with The Wolf and the Medallion was simply amazing. A multimedia presentation created and performed by Jeremy Collins, it tells the story of an expedition to unclimbed peaks in China as related in a letter that Jeremy wrote home to his young son. In the interest of not ruining anything, all I'll say about it is watch the trailer, and don't pass up an opportunity to see this performance if it ever comes around!

And of course there were plenty more that I didn't even have time to see. For me though, the Adventure Film Festival is more than a chance to go watch exciting films. It's more like a big family reunion, a chance to catch up with friends and family between trips, to welcome them back from their travels and wish them luck on journeys to come. A chance for the community to collectively celebrate our successes, and remember those who have left it too early. And for some of us, a chance to reenergize as we answer that call, each in our own smallest of ways, to make our own legends.