Last nights showing was fun as expected. I saw Warren there and we had a nice chat about the films on the way home. We more or less agreed that the best was
Asiemut, which was about a bike journey 2 young Canadians took from Mongolia to India. There was a lot of content and depth to it. Second was
Fatima’s Hand, a story of group who like to parachute jump off of things and the experience they had in a poor African area when the two women jumpers climbed a pinnacle in a dessert area and did their thing. Both stories showed insight into poor communities where the action took place. The other films were perhaps a bit shallow, but still I do enjoy skiers going down what look like 90 degree mountain faces.
Tonight I expect to see a fair number of VFTTers, and
remember to meet outside afterwards and we'll go up together to the Dive Bar (Amsterdam, between 95th and 96th).
For those still wavering, here's tonight's bill of fare:
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
First Ascent: Thailand
USA, 2006, 8 minutes
Directed by Peter Mortimer
Produced by Peter Mortimer, Timmy O’Neill, Nick Rosen, Pascal Bronnimann
Focus: Climbing
photo credit: Rob Frost
Steep towers of untouched rock jutting out of the ocean. And the best part is that with only the sea below you, there's no rope. Thailand is a dream come true for David Lama, perhaps the best on-sight climber in the world, and purportedly the future of the sport. Amidst the exotic beauty of the Andaman Coast, Lama and friends take 60-footers into the drink, and bring deep-water soloing to a new level.
Patagonia — A Travel to the End of the World
Norway, 2006, 40 minutes
Directed and produced by Vebjørn Hagen / TV 2 AS
Focus: Adventure/Kayaking
Rating: General — No Advisory
photo credit: Borge Ousiand
Attempting the first unsupported traverse of the Southern Patagonia Icecap, Børge Ousland (appearing in person) and Thomas Ulrich start from the small village of Tortel in August 2003. After three days of paddling into the Patagonian fjords with two kayaks each, they reach the bottom of the Jorge Montt Glacier; from here they carry their equipment up and start skiing across the ice cap. This film is most of all about the spirit of adventure. Few expeditions have had to master so many different skills to reach their goal.
Unchained: New World Disorder VI [short]
Canada, 2005, 7 minutes
Directed by Derek Westerlund
Produced by Derek Westerlund, Carey Bokser
Focus: Mountain Biking
Rating: General — No Advisory
This short excerpt from New World Disorder VI: Unchained showcases a group of young, daring riders who push the limits of freeride mountain biking beyond imagination.
Ride of the Mergansers
USA, 2004, 11 minutes
Directed and produced by Steve Furman / Furman Technologies
Focus: Environment
Rating: General — No Advisory
photo credit: Steve Furman
The hooded merganser is a rare and reclusive duck found only in North America. Every spring, in the Great Lakes region, the wary hen lays and incubates her eggs in a nest high in the trees. Just 24 hours after hatching, the tiny ducklings must make the perilous leap to the ground below in order to begin life in the wild. Ride of the Mergansers brings this hidden drama to the screen.
The Thrill Seekers (Extreme Film School)
UK, 2005, 3 minutes
Directed by Roland Arnison, George Arnison
Focus: “Exteme Sport” / Humour
Rating: General — Nudity
One of the 12 productions from the Kendal Mountain Film Festival Extreme Film School “48-hour Film Marathon.” Two brothers try their hand at mountain biking, climbing and another extreme sport on a camping weekend with hilarious results.
Conflict Tiger
Grand Prize
From the film Conflict Tiger Conflict Tiger Unit ©Yuri Trush 2004 Courtesy of the Banff Center
UK/Sweden, 2005, 62 minutes
Directed and produced by Sasha Snow
Focus: Environment
Rating: Parental Guidance — No Advisory, not suitable for small children
In the forests of the Russian Far East, an inexperienced and foolhardy poacher triggers an infamous series of tiger attacks on people. The authorities call upon the services of Yuri Trush, a specialist in tracking and eliminating tigers that have lost their fear of man. Conflict Tiger takes Yuri’s most notorious pursuit of a “man-eating” tiger as the basis for a documentary thriller. In the aftermath of this epic confrontation, the film emerges as a parable that challenges the cozy illusions of traditional “big cat” natural history by setting the animal’s precarious situation against the pressing needs of human survival.
) after the 2nd night's showing and walk the block over to Amsterdam Ave and quaff a few colds ones at the "Dive Bar". (Now where else but NYC would a bar have a name like that? 
