One of the world’s best known adventure film festivals, the Telluride Mountainfilm Festival, is on its way to Cradle Mountain this weekend. The exciting films are being hand delivered by Telluride local and Mountainfilm on Tour Manager, Cara Bunch.
Mountainfilm attracts leading documentary filmmakers, artists, photographers, conservationists, mountaineers, scientists, journalists and explorers from around the world to engage in the festival’s tag line of “celebrating indomitable spirit.”
Cradle Mountain Canyons, in partnership with the Cradle Mountain Hotel, have teamed up to bring the festival to Cradle Mountain. Anna Paice, of Cradle Mountain Canyons, volunteered at the festival in Colorado in 2003 and had always thought it would be great match with audiences in Tasmania. By happy coincidence, festival organisers were looking for Southern Hemisphere locations to screen the festival and were excited at the prospect of returning to Tasmania.
“It was fantastic timing,” Ms Paice said. “We approached Events Tasmania and RACT and together we’ve managed to get some of the world’s best adventure films screening at Cradle Mountain.”
Ms Bunch landed in Hobart on Wednesday and is keen to experience Tasmania before heading to Port Sorell Primary School for a special screening of Mountainfilm in Schools and then to Cradle Mountain to present the films this Saturday.
“We’re showing students and younger audiences films selected by kids from schools in Telluride, so they really engage students and bring out some challenging questions and comments. We’ve had a great response through taking Mountainfilm on Tour to schools and there have been amazing stories of kids taking action to make changes in their communities for the better,” said Ms Bunch.
“We’ll be showing a special family-friendly program of films on Saturday afternoon from 1-3PM at the Ranger’s Station at Cradle Mountain. Then we’ll move up to the Cradle Mountain Hotel for the One Month in Tasmania film competition screening from 4:30-6PM, followed by the main Mountainfilm on Tour event from 8-10:30PM, featuring a program of 14 films from all over the world focusing on adventure and the environment. We aim to get people thinking, to challenge their everyday lives and to make some small changes to make the world a better place,” said Ms Bunch.
Ms Bunch’s film knowledge and expertise will be put to use as one of the judges of the One Month in Tasmania Adventure Film Competition, where entrants have had one month to shoot and edit a maximum five minute film showcasing adventures in Tasmania, and including the secret prop, a map of Tasmania.
“Since arriving in Tasmania, I’ve been wishing I had more time here. We’ve been out to the Tasman Peninsula and I felt like those sea cliffs on Cape Pillar are like something from a movie – they are so dramatic. Even though I only have a short time here, I’m looking forward to seeing what entrants in the One Month in Tasmania film comp have put together in the past month, it’ll be a way for me to see parts of Tasmania I just can’t reach this time,” said Ms Bunch.
Prizes will be awarded on Saturday evening at Cradle Mountain, and films will be posted to a YouTube channel where they can be viewed and voted on for the People’s Choice award.
Tickets and detailed programs for the event are available at www.cradlemountainfilmfest.com
Mountainfilm on Tour Manager, Cara Bunch
