120 entries so far for mountain films

German climber Stefan Glowacz makes the first attempted ascent of a 1000m wall at the isolated...
German climber Stefan Glowacz makes the first attempted ascent of a 1000m wall at the isolated Acopan Tepui plateau in Venezuela last year. The climb features in a film submitted to the 2009 New Zealand Mountain Film Festival. Photo by NZMountain Film Festival.
Entries are flooding in for next month's New Zealand Mountain Film Festival, which is expected to draw more than 1000 people and be worth about $350,000 to the town.

Co-organiser Mark Sedon said about 120 entries had arrived by late last week so far and more were expected in the next two weeks.

Audience surveys taken at past festivals showed about 1200 people attended the event, with 50% from Wanaka, 10-11% from Queenstown, a similar percentage from Christchurch, a handful from the North Island and Australia and the rest from the lower South Island, Mr Sedon said.

Some sponsors had withdrawn from this year's event because of the tighter economic climate and some minor adjustments had been made as a result, but the festival was in good heart, he said.

A full programme of films, guest speakers and workshops would be offered, as well as an avalanche awareness course, yoga workshop, an ice-sculpting competition and art and photography exhibition.

There would also be a fundraiser for Wanaka man Quentin Smith, who was injured in a paragliding accident last year and became a paraplegic.

The festival hopes to be able to raise enough money to buy a sit-ski for Mr Smith.

This year's festival keynote speaker is Andrew Lock of Australia.

Regarded as Australia's most accomplished high-altitude climber, he is on a mission to join the small ranks of people to have climbed all 14 of the world's 8000m peaks.

He has one more mountain to go, but his attempts to complete the full set in April were put on hold after he could not get a climbing permit in time to climb Mt Shishapangma in Tibet.

Film judging is in full swing and the festival programme and category finalists would be released in about two weeks, Mr Sedon said.

The New Zealand Mountain Film Festival runs from July 3-7. Festival passes went on sale yesterday. Last year, the passes sold out in three days.

Add a Comment

 

Advertisement

OUTSTREAM