UPDATE MARCH 15, 2020 — UNFORTUNATELY, LIKE MOST PUBLIC EVENTS, WE HAVE TO POSTPONE THE PADDLING FILM FESTIVAL. IT WILL NOT BE HELD MARCH 20 & 21 AS ORIGINALLY PLANNED. STAY TUNED FOR A RESCHEDULED DATE.
Most of the films I watch are on a TV or computer. Maybe it’s that way for you too. But it just doesn’t compare to seeing beautifully crafted films on a big screen with an awesome sound system in the company of people who love the water.
For the second year our local paddle club, (NEWP), will host the Paddling Film Festival World Tour, this year March 20 & 21. Last year we sold every seat in the Cinema Room on the campus of Lawrence University in Appleton, WI. That’s why we’re offering the 2020 festival on two consecutive nights with different films each night — a total of 15 of the best paddling adventure films from around the world. And while the films are definitely the major draw, this event is also about paddlers getting together to have fun! I hope to see you there.
Here’s the lineup for each night. You’re seeing it announced here first. (A perk I have as an organizer.)
FRIDAY, MARCH 20, 7 PM
(People) of Water
For thousands of years, outrigger canoes have connected diverse cultures and people around the world. (People) of Water follows the story of Rob Prechtl, a member of the U.S. Men’s Whitewater Raft team, as he embarks on a journey to learn the craft of outrigger paddling.
Homecoming – A Boundary Waters Story
Homecoming is a paddling adventure raising awareness about the threat of proposed sulfide-ore copper mining near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northern Minnesota. In Homecoming, Joe Fairbanks travels through the same waters where he learned to paddle as a boy. Today, these are endangered waters. Joe reflects on the experience of being diagnosed with cancer and draws on his personal connection to the natural landscape for strength and healing to illustrate the importance of nature preservation.
Lawai’a, A Family Fishing Fable
Hawaii means many things to many people. For Nick Wakida, his homeland of Maui is tied to community and that community is part of a larger family. Nick doesn’t have the big boats and expensive gear to do the deep sea fishing the islands are known for, but his can-do attitude and a sea kayak enables him to fish the waters. Fishing for Nick is about more than reeling in a big one. It’s about tapping into the cultural and spiritual history, and sharing his bounty with family and community.
Iceolation
Two people, two weeks, two kayaks. Sophie and Ewan took a self-supported journey via sea kayak to connect with an uninhabited land of ice and penguins. ICEolation takes the audience on their journey, from the preparations of planning such an expedition, through the challenges and the highs of Antarctica.
A Kayaker’s Solo Adventure in India
Nouria Newman is one of the world’s best whitewater kayakers — male or female. The latest issue of Outside Magazine highlights her life and career. In this film she embarks on a solo, multi-day descent on the raging waters of the Indus River in the Himalayas. Feeling challenged, blessed and vulnerable at the same time, Nouria shares her feelings with captivating honesty. From brutal close calls to moments of grace, the river delivers an intense experience shared in this gripping film.
Family Routes
In Family Routes, Leanne Robinson and Dwayne Wohlgemuth embark on a summer-long canoe trip across the Northwest Territories with their two sons, four-year-old Emile and one-year-old Aleksi. Together they face the challenges of living off the land and criticism from back home.
The Long River Home
This film was directed by my friend Seth Dahl of Big Cedar Media. It features two other veterans I know — Lonnie Bedwell and Russell Davies. In 2018 I had the honor of kayaking the Grand Canyon with them and other members of Team River Runner. The Long River Home is about overcoming the residual impacts of war through kayaking. Aaron Howell and Russell Davies are combat veterans who were injured in war and came together for another mission as they guide blind Navy veteran Lonnie Bedwell on his third trip through the Grand Canyon. Together, they learn negotiating the rapids of life is as simple as forming a team, kicking out in the current, and finding a line through the chaos.
SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 7 PM
Banking on Bailey
Banks, Idaho is home to 17 hearty residents, including Ryan Bailey, a whitewater kayaker, wildland firefighter, and the unofficial mayor of the town. Situated at the confluence of the North and South Fork of the Payette River, Banks is to kayakers what the North Shore of Hawaii is to surfers, and Yosemite is to climbers. The river terrified Ryan when he was growing up, but it kept calling to him. Twenty-one years after his first competition in Banks, he continues to live his life unapologetically. He’s not concerned about what’s next, but rather what’s right now.
Road to Water
In 2015, Robert Field ditched the 9 to 5 grind to pursue his passion for kayaking, fishing and videography. Now you can find Robert where the water meets the road, producing videos for his popular YouTube show Field Trips with Robert Field and living as a fulltime RVer in a Keystone Cougar trailer. His home on wheels affords him the ability to travel to new places, meet new people and, most importantly, catch new fish.
Broken Body of Water
This motivational film showcases the human spirit in the face of adversity. With a malfunctioning body but sharp mind undiminished, Andy Sutton desires to achieve something profound before the inevitable happens. This film captures Andy’s journey as a competitive sportsman with an inoperable spinal cord tumor that is causing him to slowly lose his mobility. He defies nature’s course to achieve greatness against all the odds. And though the journey isn’t easy, there is still much life to be lived.
Vitamin Sea
One woman’s record-breaking standup paddleboarding journey, spans the entire length of the mainland U.K.—1,000 miles, from Land’s End to John O’Groats. Vitamin Sea documents positive ways to tackle plastic pollution, and how crucial our connection to nature is in driving positive environmental change.
Women of Whitewater
Meet a few kick-ass Team Dagger female paddlers and take a closer look at the unique ways in which they inspire and empower other women, on and off the water.
Svaha
Svaha tells the remarkable story of a 2,000-mile, three-month sea kayak expedition across the Caribbean Sea, from Grenada to Miami, through some of the world’s most treacherous waters. With just a single day of sea kayak experience, childhood friends, Will McCreadie and George Parry, take on the expedition to raise funds for their charity, the Get Exploring Trust. With remarkable footage of real life-and-death situations, the film is a tribute to tenacity and endurance.
Pull of the North
In May 2016, a team of four adventurers began a three-month, 2,000-mile canoe journey from the source of the Yukon River in Canada to its mouth at the Bering Sea in Alaska. The expedition was made through the lands of the Athapaskan First Nation people who, more than 10,000 years ago, crossed the Bering land bridge from Asia. The paddlers explore the strength of this culture and its landscape, animals, ancestral knowledge and spiritual beliefs. The expedition is a journey of discovery into what being human means to the “people of the river”.
Salad Days
Falling in love at a young age, Herm Hoops dedicated his life to Desolation Canyon. Retired from a professional career as a ranger, educator and interpreter in Dinosaur National Monument, Herm’s affair with the Green River is as strong as ever, even as he battles life-threatening cancer.
