2013 World Tour FilmsAWARD WINNING FILMS
White Water Safety - BEST INSTRUCTIONAL PADDLING FILM White Water Safety is a concise instructional guide on safety and rescue methods suitable for whitewater kayakers and canoeists. Filmed in the Spanish Pyrenees on multiple HD cameras by award winning cameraman Paul Diffley. Written, produced and presented by Bruce Jolliffe and Dougie Shannon, two active White Water Safety and Rescue trainers from Scotland. Director: Paul Diffley Producer: Bruce Jolliffe / Dougie Shannon
That First Glide – BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM This film shares standup paddling’s deep roots in early Polynesian and Hawaiian history. Learn about the first standup paddle enthusiasts who were playing around in Waikiki as early as 1939. Later, in the ‘60s and ‘70s, follow guys like John Ah Choy and John Zapotocki who paddled boards well into the ‘90s. Director and Producer: Mike Waltze
New Zealand Kayak Fishing with Rob Fort – BEST KAYAK FISHING FILM Discover some of the finest ocean adventure fishing playgrounds New Zealand has to offer. Coromandel has become a hot spot for enthusiasts and local kayak angler, guide, writer and artist Rob Fort captures the essence of the sport with this production, placing viewers right in the seat of the kayak. Director and Producer: Rob Fort
Rock the Boat - Saving America's Wildest River - BEST ENVIRONMENTAL FILM In the artificial landscape that is Los Angeles, where even palm trees are imported, nothing epitomizes man’s shortsighted efforts to reshape the face of the earth more then the L.A. River. But when an unassuming boater insists on seeing it as a river again, a local controversy takes on national proportions. Director and Producer: Thea Mercouffer
Tierra del Fuego – BEST SEA KAYAKING FILM A British couple tries to become the first to sea kayak 1,000 miles around the remote and windswept island of Tierra del Fuego. Shipping delays, a stolen kayak, endless red tape, incessant winds and tendonitis threaten their safety and success. Share the highs and lows of this challenging world-first adventure while meeting some of the interesting people who survive in this harsh environment. Director and Producer: Justine Curgenven
Go Ganges! - BEST ADVENTURE TRAVEL FILM Two friends on a quest to travel the ultimate river by any means possible. In a fish out of water tale, Emmy-nominated and awardwinning filmmakers Josh Thomas and J.J. Kelley take their survival skills to a natural wonder, which hosts a population of 400-million. Enduring the impossible, they attempt to travel the length of the planet’s most populated, holy and polluted river. Director: Josh Thomas Producer: J.J. Kelley
Driftwood - BEST STANDUP PADDLING FILM With standup paddleboards in tow, the crew has access to stunning locations inaccessible to the common surf traveler. Traveling way off the beaten path, the group becomes immersed in diverse cultures, beautiful landscapes, exotic wildlife, politically sensitive environments and remarkable surf. Director: Peter Trow and Jim Brewer Producer: Jim Brewer
One Man, One Canoe, Two Countries – BEST AMATEUR PADDLING FILM One Man, One Canoe, Two Countries takes you on a journey through classic northern canoe country. This film is part how-to, part discovery, part adventure and part entertainment. It documents the birth of a home-built Kevlar canoe in Wisconsin, planning and preparing for a wilderness adventure and then solo paddling from the Boundary Waters Canoeing Area, Minnesota, to Quetico, Ontario. Director and Producer: David R. Doering www.sunridgemovingpictures.com
Blind Bird Singing Rain – BEST CANOEING FILM Robert Perkins paddles from his house in southern Utah down the lower Colorado to discover why the water is disappearing. With insight and humor, he paddles 500 miles to Mexico. He finds the river no longer reaches the sea, but he discovers an unexpected miracle. Blind Bird Singing Rain is a poetic personal narrative about the river’s plight. Director and Producer: Robert Perkins
Huck – BEST WHITEWATER PADDLING FILM Waterfall kayaking has emerged as a dominant subset of whitewater paddling, thrilling audiences and pushing athletes to constantly attempt higher falls. It is consistently glorified and frequently misunderstood by all but the small group of kayakers who make waterfalls their lives. Evan Garcia explores what it means to kayak off of big waterfalls, considering both the risks and rewards of a life driven by freefall. Director: Andy Maser
SHORTLISTED FILM on TOUR
A Hand to Stand Seven students in the heart of the Great Bear Rainforest build their own wooden standup paddleboards, using traditional knowledge in a modern world. In a nation where the odds are stacked against Aboriginals, finishing school and breaking out of the poverty trap, these kids learn persistence and perseverance. Director: Lindsay Marie Stewart and Matt Miles Producer: Lindsay Marie Stewart
Balance shares the stories of three individuals who live their lives in very different ways. The characters are not professional athletes but rather working-class heroes—people who work to make time for the things they love. In this edition, follow Blair Trotman as he finds his path as a kayaking instructor after ending up in the military. Director and Producer: Kelsey Thompson
In this high action segment of ExOfficio’s Kayak Fishing: Game On 5, Jim Sammons takes us offshore to fish around the oil rigs of Louisiana, not long after the oil spill and hurricanes devastated the area. In this installment of the award-winning kayak fishing series that started it all, Jim discovers that sometimes, the fish are only part of the story and adventure is only a paddle away. Director: Will Richardson Producer: Ken Whiting
Facing Waves host, Ken Whiting, visits Mer et Monde Ecotours in Les Bergeronnes, Quebec, to experience some of the world’s best whale watching by sea kayak. Director and Producer: Ken Whiting
A journey through the Grand Canyon is a once in a lifetime trip for many. However, the Colorado River as we know it may not exist if it wasn’t for conservation initiatives undertaken over the years. Take a journey through the Grand Canyon with those who have fought to preserve this national wonder. Director and Producer: Mike McKay
Join father and son adventurers, Wayne and Brad Jennings, as they pack up the canoe and
head south during a cold northern winter.
Their destination is the Florida Everglades,
where they enjoy six days paddling the
sheltered inland waters and open ocean in this
unique wilderness setting.
Director and Producer: Wayne and Brad Jennings
Three city-based photographers, Graham Uden, Keith Nash and Aani Andriani, enlist the help of legendary wilderness guide and canoeist Hap Wilson and follow in the footsteps of Grey Owl to locate and photograph the rare and esoteric Indian Pipe. Director: Graham Uden Producer: Hap Wilson and Keith Nash
This documentary takes you through 35 years of the progression of rafting in the Pacific Northwest. Shane Turnbull, John Hall, Doc Loonis, Val Shaul and Jeff Bennett share tales of the evolution from early commercial boating to the private boating scene and into the modern day rush of rafters venturing beyond the guidebooks, exploring territory uncharted for rafts. Director: Ryan Scott Producer: Red Shack Productions, Ryan and Hans Homans Of Souls + Water From Forge Motion Pictures comes the groundbreaking web series Of Souls + Water. Filmed in exquisite high definition, five episodes tell the real stories of five character archetypes, all bound together by the common theme of water. Combining artistry, adventure and ethos, Of Souls + Water redefines the genre of outdoor film. Director: Skip Armstrong Producer: Anson Fogel/Forge Motion Pictures
With the debris from the 2011 Japanese tsunami starting to come ashore on the west coast, a small group of skilled sea kayakers set out to document the flotsam along Washington’s remote coast. Ikkatsu translates as “united as one,” a concept that the tsunami debris illustrates in a powerful way. No matter how distant something may seem, we are all sharing the same planet. Director: Steve Weileman Producer: Ken Campbell
Where the Yellowstone Goes follows a 30-day drift boat journey down the longest undammed river in the contiguous United States. Intimate
portraits of locals in both booming cities and dusty, dwindling towns along the Yellowstone River illustrate the history and controversies surrounding this enigmatic watershed, leading to questions about its future.
Director: Hunter Weeks
Producer: Sarah E. Hall
Quebec Connection showcases some of the best destinations for class V paddlers in eastern Canada. These paddlers put a lot of time and energy into promoting whitewater kayaking and share their love for the sport, giving a taste of what can be done in kayaks around Quebec. Director and Producer: Emrick Blanchette
Those who survive cancer often find themselves dealing with a profound loss of physical strength, community, identity and confidence, with few resources to turn to. Out Living It tells the story of young adults on a quest to redefine themselves and defy their diagnosis, taking on the challenge of rock climbing and whitewater kayaking during a weeklong outdoor adventure camp in the mountains of Colorado. Director: Michael Brown Producer: Kim McKee
The Impossible River Journey Adventurer Helge Hjelland decides to cross South Africa by canoe. Along the way he picks up Joseph, an illegal refugee from South Sudan without any identity papers. Joseph becomes Hjelland’s partner in a journey through a South Africa still struggling to get out of the shadow of apartheid. Director and Producer: Arild Mehn-Andersen
Remains of a River This film follows a 1,700-mile, 113-day source-to sea journey down the Colorado and Green Rivers. From the snow-covered Wind River Mountains to the dry Mexican Delta, two paddlers witness the river’s birth and demise. Director and Producer: Will Stauffer-Norris
2012 RPFF Winners
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