Thrilling shows at the New Zealand Mountain Film Festival

Film buffs, adventure enthusiasts, and armchair action followers flocked to the Lake Wanaka Centre for the sixth annual New Zealand Mountain Film Festival to enjoy five days of entertaining and inspiring films, workshops, exhibitions and ice sculpting works.

Film enthusiasts who missed the festival in Wanaka will for the first time have the chance to see a ‘Best of Wanaka’ selection shown in regions across the country, hosted by the New Zealand Alpine Club.

“We’ve been screening captivating and inspiring films for the last five days and nights and it’s been amazing, we would love to offer the festival to a wider audience,” said Mark Sedon, festival director.

“Hosted by the New Zealand Alpine Club the touring film festival will be screened to audiences across New Zealand, with dates and locations to be announced soon.”

The five day film extravaganza finished last night with the screening of the best film on Adventurous Sports & Lifestyles By Own Strength a 439 day circumnavigation of the continental United States by kayak and Bike, and also a presentation from Lydia Bradey who was the first women in the world to climb Everest without supplementary Oxygen.

New to the programme for 2008 the inaugural ice art championships attracted contestants from across the country. The winning team Marguerite and Sam Eustace from Wanaka and Magdalene Walker of Dunedin created an ice mountain feature, Inspiration to Challenge. The sculpture endeavors to convey the beauty and strength of the mountains and how they give each one of us an opportunity to challenge ourselves.

The book auction to raise funds for The Mingma Norbu Sherpa Memorial Fund on Friday evening raised almost $4000.00. These funds help provide post graduate scholarships for Nepalese conservation management students and supports young conservation leaders from Nepal, especially from rural mountain areas, to attend Lincoln University in New Zealand.

Winning the People’s Choice Award, Edge of Eden: Living with Grizzlies (Canada, 2007, Directors Jeff and Sue Turner), is the story of a conservationist who becomes a surrogate mother reintroducing orphaned cubs to the wild.

For more information see www.mountainfilm.net.nz