Since I saw my first ski movie (a zillion years ago it seems), the richness of the brew that we can watch before our own little snow adventures, has grown and grown. There is hardly a hair between ski movies and the quality of the snowboarding movies these days and the quality of the technical skiing or boarding or the adventures that the snow addicts involve themselves in are equally on a par.
As the pre season festival machinery swings into gear to get the skiing and boarding public into buying and booking frame of mind, the line up at the Snow Film Fest NYC this November is typical of the big promotional events on offer this year. It’s worth taking a look under the commercial skin of the event, because it demonstrates the incredible richness and variety of the two main arms of the snowsports world.
The line up is incredible and I reproduce it here to highlights how snowsports and film making have synergised into an enormously creative force.
THE 2010 SNOW FILM FEST NYC PROGRAM:
LIKE A LION: A documentary feature film about the winningest and most controversial skier of the last decade, LIKE A LION tells a tremendous story of adversity and self-confidence, tragedy and triumph. Following the high-risk, high-adrenaline life of seven-time ESPN X-Games Gold medalist Tanner Hall, LIKE A LION is a film that goes beyond skiing, beyond action sports stardom, beyond the rock-star cliches to examine that special courage that allows the best of us to continually comeback from life’s toughest blows. Inspired Media concepts, Produced & Directed Eric Iberg Film
F*CK IT: Snowboarders across the globe know that each and every season has its fill of hardships. But, it’s how you respond that’s really going to matter. There are those who submit to Mother Nature or Murphy and his laws, but this project is dedicated to those who refuse to surrender and in the face of adversity have one solution for every problem … F’ It. Forum, Executive Producer Bryan Know, Directors Mike Bishop & Jeremy Pettit
STANCE: By combining forces with the industry’s best brands and riders, STANCE aims to both create the most innovative female snowboarding film to date, but also to start a larger initiative to push snowboarding’s creative and cinematic boundaries. JMills Entertainment’s, Director, D.P., Editor: Jeremy Miller, Producer: Stan Evans, Motion, Assistant Editor: Ian Rigby, Additional Cinematography: Justin Turkowski, Ian Rigby
AT EQUILIBRIUM: AT EQUILIBRIUM is the newest treasure of Blickinsfreie´s eastern European snowboard documentaries. After “Poland – A snowboard documentary”, “Slovaki A true movie about snowboarding” and last years highlight “From Romania with Love” this documentary deals with the passionate people developing snowboarding in Bulgaria. Each one of those movies has it’s own direction, it’s own heroes who may not necessarily be known to a larger audience but that all creates our common history. AT EQUILIBRIUM makes clear that we are all one big family with every little part worth to get to know. This years flick is featuring riders from more than 7 different countries including big names MARC SWOBODA, DAREK BERGMANN, GIGI RÜF, DANNY LARSEN or THOMAS FRANC. Merging that many different cultures, languages as well as riding levels has never been more interesting before. Western Professionalism meets eastern Passion- the perfect mixture for a unique story. Blickinsfreie Production
HELLO WORLD: From the minds behind Knockout and most recently Elektro, ALTERNA Films presents its global assault on snowboarding with its latest release titled “HELLO WORLD”. This film delivers inspired filmmaking and technical freestyle snowboarding at its highest level. Alterna Films, Produced by Carlo Wein
THE WAY I SEE IT: MSP takes you into the action with “THE WAY I SEE IT.” This work of epic proportions features top-shelf skiing and cinematography swirled around an eclectic soundtrack. In addition to fueling your fire, this film provides several unique perspectives on our sport, and in the end brings you more epic skiing than you can shake a pole at. The winner of Powder magazine’s 2009 “Movie of the Year” bring you the best athletes on the planet, doing what they do best – skiing faster, spinning while flipping and grabbing, and of course, stalking the deepest stashes of snow in the world. The MSP team scoured the globe in search of what makes this sport so special…the adventure, the passion, the camaraderie, and the fun. “THE WAY I SEE IT” showcases the greatest deep powder, steep lines and massive park features from British, Columbia, Japan, Alaska, Colorado, Switzerland, Idaho, Washington and many other locations worldwide. Matchstick Productions
MOUNT ST ELIAS: A dramatic and awe-inspiring feature documentary following three of the world’s greatest ski mountaineers to the Mount St. Elias in their attempt to realize the longest ski descent of the world. Set against the backdrop of Alaska’s dangerous beauty, Mount St. Elias is about a visionary borderline experience where unparalleled physical and mental pressure pushes them to the absolute limit. They find themselves in puristic situations, in which heroism cannot easily be distinguished from folly. Situations which can only be mastered if reason is supposedly abandoned and in which courage as well as trust in their own abilities and last but not least luck are used as guidelines. Producer/Director Gerald Salmina
LIGHT THE WICK: This winter the TGR crew of athletes and cinematographers captured the most jaw-dropping footage ever witnessed. The team traveled around the world to uncharted destinations, as well as some of their favorite stomping grounds. Follow the crew as they discover the previously unskied big mountain playground of Petersburg, AK, find the best snow Croatia has seen in fifty years, ski deep pillows in undiscovered Italy, hit full throttle riding in British Columbia, and experience epic free-riding at Ripley Creek and North Cascades Heli. Teton Gravity Research
THE STORMING: Big Names. Big Mountains. Big Riding. The latest from Standard Films spans from the Tahoe backcountry to the looking peaks of Iceland. On top of that, it is featuring the riding of some of the most progressive riders in the business. Case and point: Torstein Horgmo, Kazu Kokubo and the Helgason Brothers. Standard Films, Film By Mike Hatchett & Travis Robb
WORK IT OUT: From record-breaking 5 foot blizzards in Washington DC to 10 inches of rain in New England, Meathead Films spent the winter of 2010 scouring the East Coast on the hunt for epic days. No matter the weather, the crew was forced to roll with the punches and just work it out. Tag along as their relentless search takes them to the craggy White Mountains backcountry, back alleys of Maine, custom park jumps in New Jersey, and even to the “Far East” of Hokkaido, Japan on their first ever overseas voyage. Filmed in High Definition, 16mm and Super 8mm film, Work It Out showcases the spirit, creativity, and unwavering determination it takes to be an Eastern skier. Meathead Films, Directed- Geoff Mcdonald & Chris James
SWIFT SILENT DEEP: Relive the story that changed the face of hardcore ski culture in America and ultimately redefined a sport. From a parking lot in Sun Valley in 1948 to the first World Extreme Skiing Championships in 1991, SWIFT.SILENT.DEEP. explores the roots of North America’s most infamous secret ski fraternity, the Jackson Hole Air Force, and the evolution of extreme skiing. Put yourself in the boots of these pioneers as they push the boundaries of what was possible on skis. Produced by Jon Klaczkiewicz & Troy Beauchamp
POWDER AND RAILS: Shawn Farmer is a big mountain snowboarding pioneer. VBS.TV’s “Powder & Rails” takes you to the Legends of Tahoe event at Donner Ski Ranch, then we visit Shawn’s home to check out a few of his inventions and chat him up for a few classic snowboarding stories. From his first video scenes to his preference for gigantic boards, no stone is left unturned. He wraps the show up by shot gunning a beer, as pictured above. Sorry we couldn’t use “Farmer’s Way” rap from Critical Condition. The Farmer episode features some beer, an aborted rap career, gigantic boards, and a ton of personality. VBS.TV
EYE TRIP: Skiing’s counterculture continues to buck the trends of what’s come before them- this is a worldwide documentation of ski action as you’ve never seen it presented before. Follow the Level 1 crew as they experiment with one of the largest gap jumps ever built in Sun Valley, Idaho, hit a record snowfall in Helsinki, Finland, and harvest the vast resources of Alaska… or perhaps it’s all just a lucid dream? Level 1, Directed & Produced by Josh Berman
TRANSITIONS: Transitions” follows the meteoric rise of the sport of Freeskiing through the eyes of Simon Dumont, one of action sports most dynamic and relevant personalities. Shot over the course of the last two years, “Transitions” reflects the paradigm shift taking place in sports and youth culture today. Featuring interviews from Simon and some of the world’s best skiers, fans will witness what the journey has been like to go from participating in an “extreme sport” to gaining mainstream athletic acceptance, from the unique perspective of those at the forefront of the Freeskiing Movement. For the first time ever, viewers will get a no-holds-barred look into the life of Simon Dumont. From his early years skiing at hometown resort, Sunday River, where he followed the progression of a new generation of ski greats like Tanner Hall and Jon Olsson, to competing in contests against his ski idols, to winning X Games Gold Medals, setting a World Record and becoming Freeskiing’s overall World Champion, “Transitions” is the true story of one of action sports most influential athletes. Film By Riley Poor
NOWHERE: Movement can give the illusion of progress. And they say that all the world is illusion. So what is the difference between exploring and being lost? In a winter that brought an exceptional amount of challenges to riders all over the world. Absinthe’s newest snowboard film reminds us how much our reality is affected by what we make of it. Whether you are lost….or exactly where you want to be…all depends on how you look at it. NOWHERE. Absinthe Films, Directed/Produced- Justin Hostynek & Patrick Armbruster
TODCAST THE MOVIE: Quiksilver teams up with VBS.tv to bring you Todcast the Movie, a movie about Todcast the Movie. Follow Todd Richards and his crew on their misadventures through New Zealand, Alaska, and beyond as they look for snow, waves, skateparks, massage parlors, and mischief. Also featuring Travis Rice, Sage Kotsenburg, Brian Fox, and some Canadians. Quiksilver & VBS. TV
REVOLVER: Revolver, the 2010 film from Poor Boyz Productions, presented by Salomon focuses on the progression and the factors that have coincided with many great advancements of the sport of skiing. (Over the last decade skiing has exploded into what we know it is today. But skiing has had many trying moments long before the end of the 20th century.) This season Poor Boyz Productions plans to showcase today’s raw talents of skiing in a high action, retrospective, yet progressive look at what things are pushing the sport today. Poor Boyz Productions
IN COLOR: TransWorld Snowboarding’s new feature film documents an action-packed winter with a diverse crew of snowboarding’s most talented riders. From the Canadian backcountry to the streets of the east coast to Scandinavian park sessions, the riding is heavy. Legends like Devun Walsh and Jusse Oksanen back up young chargers like Keegan Valaika and Mikkel Band. Jake Olson-Elm and Phil Jacques eat up the streets; and the list goes on. Film in Alaska, Norway, Whistler, Minnesota, California, Quebec, Calgary and beyond In Color paints a vivid picture of the current state of snowboarding. Transworld Snowboarding
WITNESS THE SICKNESS: This video is built from a year of snowboarding that was truly SICK. The team hit snow just right in Japan for waist deep conditions, witnessed Scotty Lagos’ Olympic adventures, found some of the best rail spots throughout Minnesota, while hitting up parks across the country, making this years video a truly well rounded and complete snowboard experience. Flow Snowboards
HOOKED: HOOKED is Pirate Productions newest treasure featuring all aspects of snowboarding. Expect mad rail slaughtering, natural backcountry snowboarding and fine cinematography! The movie represents the potential of European Snowboarding at it’s best, and even comes out in a 100 page art book again. This analog bonus material covers other talents of involved pirates and friends. Locations: Stockholm/Sweden; Oslo/Norway, Helsinki/Finland; Arlberg/Austria; Avoriaz/France; Madonna/Italy; Jackson Hole, Tahoe, Montana/USA; Akureyri/Iceland; and many many more Pirate Productions
SAY MY NAME: Say My Name follows female professional skier Grete Eliassen as she travels the globe with the goal to inspire and evolve women’s skiing. Stacked with a handful of skiing’s elite female lineup, this high definition film features Lynsey Dyer, Sarah Burke, Keri Herman, Ana Segal, Kaya Turski and Suz Graham. See the world this international ski superstar roams, from a world record hip jump in 2010 to her exploration of the rugged backcountry. Stan Evans Photography, Directed by Stan Evans & Jeremy Miller
RIGHT BRAIN LEFT BRAIN: This season Think Thank heads back in to the human mind with “Right Brain Left Brain (a Think Thank “Double Feature”). Bringing together snowboarding’s most powerful and talented creative juggernauts “Right Brain Left Brain” is recreating what it means to be a freestyle snowboarder and how a snowboarder uses there brain to open new amazing possibilities. Some riders are right brain driven; hectic unorganized messes not bothering with details. Other are left brain riders; meticulous methodical, taking sure steps towards creative progressions with linear thought. Watch as these two groups use their differing techniques to achieve astounding feats of freestyle progressions. Filmed wherever the brain could take us, from Wasilla to Westfield, the whole world a cavalcade of data left open to interpretation. Left or right Think Thank’s brains were wor king over time leaving no cone unturned and only one question unanswered, “what side of the brain are you?” Think Thank
THE SATURDAY NIGHT RIDE: When an ex pro snowboarder is released from prison for a crime he didn’t commit, the snowboarding world he thought he could return to has become something far beyond his wildest dreams. Pro wrestling and snowboarding have become fused into an all-new sport. Every Saturday night championship bouts are broadcast live on prime time TV. The riders have all become obsessed with battling each other in the ring and on the jump, in a quest to gain the world championship belt. Big back country booters, huge cliffs, lines, and technical rails are the training grounds as the riders take each other out, and a man seeks his former glory as well as his revenge for his unjust time behind bars. Wild Card Movies
And A Throwback Classic…
BLIZZARD OF AHHHHS: THE BLIZZARD OF AAHHH’S is a rockumentary style look at the known and unknown heroes of the ski world. Featuring cliff-jumper Scot Schmidt, extreme skier – bad boy Glen Plake and precision skier Mike Hattrup, this movie contains some of the best ski action ever filmed from the premier extreme/steep skiing destinations in the World; from France’s Chamonix Valley to the awe-inspiring Squaw Valley in California. Directed by Greg Stump
Tickets for the 2010 Snow Film Fest NYC will go on sale Nov 1, 2010.
If you get the chance, living on the East coast of the USA, this is a must see event – and I DONT get a commission for saying so!
