2018 • USA • 3 min • Alex Johnson

Family Friendly, Filmmaker in Attendance

From the Okee Dokee Brothers 2018 album, Winterland. A voyage from autumn to spring, Winterland presents secular winter music the entire family can enjoy while cozying up around the fire.

2019 • USA • 8 min • Heart of the Lakes

Filmmaker in Attendance

Michigan has a wealth of tourism each year that utilizes our lakes and rivers – leveraging the outdoor recreation businesses that facilitate us with the gear to enjoy a day on the lake has the undeniable potential to increase Michigan’s economic impact. However, with an increase of footprints in the sand, means coastal conservation is essential in keeping our water clean and accessible. Many of Michigan’s outdoor lifestyle brands and businesses have already made this connection and advocate for coastal conservation.

2018 • USA • 3 min • Christopher Bramley

Has Subtitles

When I Look Back follows four women mountain bikers ripping around Moab, Utah. But this is not your typical adrenaline-fueled adventure film. Both lighthearted and contemplative, it’s a glimpse into a tight-knit group of friends doing what they love and picking each other up when they fall down. Looking back on their lives, this is what they will remember.

2018 • USA • 6 min • Morgan Maassen

Family Friendly

A gorgeous ode to the serenity and movement, the power and moods of the sea. Let it (wink) wash over you.

2017 • USA • 3 min • Sara Litzenberger

Family Friendly

Sometimes going unseen is a choice–and sometimes, it’s a matter of saving face.

2018 • USA • 7 min • John Rodosky

Surf photographer Ben Thouard spends his days underwater, floating on blue-green Tahitian waves. In a quest to find an original angle for ocean photography, he waits on a weather window for perfect conditions that happen just a few times a year. Sometimes it’s a lot of preparation for nothing. But occasionally, a rare compression of waves on the reef offer a fleeting window to a new and crystal-clear perspective of the place where sea becomes surface.

2018 • USA • 16 min • David Freid

A visitor’s guide to America’s great big border wall. Originally proposed as an international peace park with Mexico, Big Bend, Texas has a unique relationship with its southern neighbor. For the past 40 years, Mike Davidson has been ferrying tourists across the Rio Grande for a little taste of Mexican life — but now a great big border wall might divide the park.

2019 • USA • 13 min • Kate Arpke Houle

Filmmaker in Attendance

A look at the competitive sport of lumberjacking, its history, its people, its growing diversity, and how logging has uniquely defined the Midwest for over the past century.

2019 • USA • 9 min • Frederick Dakota

Filmmaker in Attendance

Three individuals reflect on the negative impacts The Dawes Act had, and continues to have, on the lives and communities of Native Americans.

2019 • USA • 8 min • Bradley Tangonan

While GM plants in Flint closed in the 80s, unemployment, crimes & drugs skyrocketed. Then after years of government missteps there was the water crisis. But Flint entrepreneurs aren’t hopeless. Although not an easy route, they continue to make their own small businesses successful for their families & their town.

2018 • USA • 15 min • Aly Nicklas

Family Friendly

Wild Inheritance, the second episode of Born Wild, follows a recently widowed grandma leading three generations of family into Wyoming’s Wind River Mountain backcountry. The Vermilye-Phillips clan has been coming here for nearly half a century to fly fish, backcountry ski, rock climb, remember old stories, and create new ones. This trip, equal parts reunion and memorial for the family patriarch that first brought them to these mountains, carries the added weight of ashes. Through the imperceptible tutelage of time and wilderness, with his grandfather as invisible guide, our 12-year old narrator, Walid, discovers the true reason his family will always return to this granite temple.

2018 • USA • 6 min • Jason Whalen & Chris Zuker

Family Friendly, Filmmaker in Attendance

In October 2018, a once in a lifetime project was completed in the McCormick Wilderness Area, deep within the Michigamme Highlands in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The Nature Conservancy and the US Forest Service teamed up to tackle a trail rehab project in an inaccessible part of the wilderness. A team of Forest Service employees and their string of pack mules came to the rescue to make this project possible.

2019 • USA • 8 min • Finn Ryan

Filmmaker in Attendance

In 1989, a small group of athletes set out on a Healing and Solidarity run to bring peace and healing to the communities impacted by conflicts over recently affirmed Ojibwe treaty rights to spear fish in the ceded territories around the central Great Lakes. The run began as a reaction to a specific issue, but evolved to address challenges faced by communities along its route.

2019 • USA • 7 min • Finn Ryan

Filmmaker in Attendance

In 1971, A.B. LeBlanc set a gill net in Pendills Bay on Lake Superior. The Michigan DNR arrested LeBlanc and he was later convicted of fishing commercially without a license and for fishing with an illegal device. This story highlights the treaty challenge and struggle for the Bay Mills Ojibwe community to maintain their identity through treaty reserved rights asserted in the signing of the 1836 treaty with the United States.

2019 • USA • 8 min • Patrick Noyes

Filmmaker in Attendance

A postmodern love song to Lake Michigan, and a call to make the best with what you got, this film was made by a human with some assistance from machines.

2018 • USA & China • 8 min • Andrew Chesworth & Bobby Pontillas

Family Friendly

An ambitious young girl aspires to become an astronaut with the support of her humble father.

2019 • USA • 7 min • Fitz Cahall

Family Friendly

Born with half his brain, 7-year-old Finn Sheets lives with cerebral palsy. He’ll never walk or talk without assistance, and, his dad Ethan explains, has every reason to hate the body he’s been given. Instead, he’s a joyous child who comes alive when he’s outside. “I don’t know what it is, but there’s something about it that awakens his soul,” Ethan says. So dad does whatever it takes to get him outside. Finn, in return, teaches the entire family incredible lessons about the true definition of happiness.

2018 • USA • 5 min • Taylor Rees

It may be tempting to think of the world of ski mountaineering as one dominated by brawn. With, admittedly, some brain requirements to help mitigate serious risk factors. But, beauty? Is there room in this burly, testosterone-fueled world for the feminine? And not just for the token female, but for many of the fairer sex? As a pioneer in this often rough-and-tough milieu, Telluride’s own Hilaree Nelson has an unequivocal answer and shows us, by her personal example, how women can do anything men can do (…and better).

2019 • Denmark • 9 min • Frederik Wolff

Family Friendly

‘The Race’ is a portrait of 13 year-old Nick, who’s stepping into the sport of dog sledding for the very first time. His story is joined by 72 year-old race legend Ville Siegstad, whose life has inspired many young sled dog mushers.

2018 • USA • 4 min • George Knowles

Family Friendly

Melon Kuma is probably the most unique yet simple mascot in Japan. It’s a bear with a half melon half bear for a head, that comes from Yubari (the melon rich town on the island of Hokkaido) and a bear that was frequently found on Hokkaido.

2018 • USA • 7 min • William DeSena

This is a film about Gevin Fax, the oldest member of the women motorcycle collective, The Litas. Growing up in Los Angeles as an African American lesbian in the 1960s, Gevin found that the world wasn’t always forgiving. She started riding dirt bikes at the age of twelve which distanced her even further from the other kids. Though it was because of her love for riding that gifted her peace of mind; it was her meditation, her medicine, her way to escape all of the other noise. Now, because of The Litas, she shares her love for the road with thousands of women all over the world.

2019 • USA • 12 min • Ben Knight & Travis Rummel

It wasn’t long ago that the small Colorado town of Fruita was solely a hub of agriculture and oil and gas development. But singletrack shredders and pizza chefs Jen Zeuner and her partner Anne Keller have helped to transform the high-desert town into a mountain biking hotspot with their Hot Tomato Café. It wasn’t always easy — some residents of conservative Fruita weren’t quite ready for their “lifestyle” at first. But the women’s delicious East Coast-style pizza — and the love they put into making it — have made them indispensable members of the community and turned the Hot Tomato into the living room of the Grand Valley’s outdoor recreation industry.

2018 • France • 4 min • Maxime Moulin & Antoine Frioux

Has Subtitles

Richard Permin is skiing on the roofs of buildings, in France! He defies the definition of skiing and turns heads as he shreds through the powder on slanted roofs. Every morning he is motivated to do something he loves, now that is cool!

2019 • USA • 29 min • Darren Durlach & David Larson

“I like the tuba because it reminds me of my life, it’s the underdog.” That’s Richard Antoine White, whose biography reads like a manual in how to overcome odds. White grew up intermittently homeless on the streets of Baltimore, and went on to become a world-class symphony musician, professor and the first African American in the world to receive a Doctorate in Music for Tuba Performance. He’s got music in him, yes. But he’s also got a drive rarely seen, even in the most competitive artistic circles. As he puts it, “the only thing that will stop me from being successful is death.”

2018 • Czech Republic • 2 min • Marek Partys

Has Subtitles, Family Friendly

In the high steppe of Little Tibet, a young boy develops an unlikely obsession: ice hockey. He fashions pucks out of stones, trains on homemade skates and worships Czech hockey icon Jaromír Jágr. And he has his heart set on an outsized dream.2

2018 • USA • 26 min • Tucker Gragg & Austin Gardner

Anyone who has kayaked whitewater knows that it can be scary. The idea of kayaking serious rapids without being able to see? Terrifying. And the notion of kayaking the entire length of the Grand Canyon, blind? Almost unthinkable. And yet, people do it. The first of them was Lonnie Bedwell. Bedwell lost his vision in a hunting accident and emerged from an ensuing period of intense self-examination determined to take back his independence and his identity. That he has accomplished. In spades. Just to add some glory to the guts, Lonnie now dedicates himself to helping wounded vets learn how to kayak and, in the process, to regain some freedom. And some fun.

2018 • USA • 4 min • DJ O'Neil & Oliver Hamilton

Artists find a unique way to raise awareness about plastic waste.

2018 • USA • 3 min • Anna Callaghan

At age 9, Dawa Yangzum Sherpa told her teacher she wanted to climb Mount Everest. It may have seemed improbable then, but she’s long smashed notions of what’s probable. The first woman from Nepal’s Rolwaling Valley, – a valley where dozens of men work on Nepal’s highest peaks – certified by the International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations, Dawa is one of only about 100 women among IFMGA’s nearly 7,000 guides. “Who I am now is just because I climb,” Dawa says modestly, as images of peaks she has summited flash on screen — K2, Yala Peak, Lobuche, Chekigo, Kanchenjunga, Cho-Oyu, Ama Dablam — and, of course, Everest.

2017 • USA • 3 min • Mariano Carranza

The cholita climbers of Bolivia have been subverting the culture of machismo since 2015 by climbing mountains. Not content to stay in their traditional roles as high-mountain cooks, these 11 escaladoras wanted to see for themselves what it felt like to go to the top. Pairing the traditional cholita garb of colorful skirts, shawls, bowler hats and brooches with ice axes and crampons, these women climb for the same reason many others do: that feeling of freedom that comes with standing on the summit.

2018 • USA • 10 min • Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee & Adam Loften

Has Subtitles

Zuni farmer and museum director Jim Enote is rethinking map-making. After all, who’s to say that north has to be at the top, geographic features must be to scale or roads have to appear at all? Through his Zuni Map Art Project, he works with Zuni artists to create maps that convey stories of place, heritage and history — helping them reclaim the stories of their lands. The results are both beautiful and profound. “We limit ourselves if we think of maps as only two-dimensional,” he says. “There are maps in songs, and in prayers, there are maps that are etched into stone, woven into textiles and painted on ceramics.”

2019 • USA • 55 min • Andrew Morgan & Nick Nummerdor

Filmmaker in Attendance, Adult Content

The year was 1977 and the custom van craze was at full-tilt-boogie. At the center of everything was a van club called Midwest Vans Ltd. Armed with scrap wood, nails, and hammers they set about building a ramshackle resort town around a small pond they christened “Sleeze Lake”. They expected a decent crowd and a good time, but when over 6000 vans and upwards of 20,000 people showed up, that’s when the shi*t hit the fan. Sleeze Lake is the story of the greatest party you’ve never heard of!

2017 • USA • 11 min • Andrew Morgan & Nick Nummerdor

Adult Content

Hill Climb offers a candid look into the nearly 100 year tradition of the Mt. Garfield All Pro Motorcycle Hillclimb. The film is a snapshot of the riders, their bikes, and the enthusiasts that camp out on the shores of Lake Michigan for this exciting historic event.

2019 • USA • 5 min • Grant Piering

Filmmaker in Attendance

A simple and savory reminder of our wild places, why they deserve more of our attention, protection and love, and what’s at risk if we lose them.

2019 • USA • 17 min • Andy Maser

In Due Time showcases the physical and emotional journey of two professional endurance athletes as they set a world record trekking 105 miles across Greenland’s Arctic Circle Trail. Best Friends, Jason Antin and Mike Chambers explore thoughts of fatherhood, family, and adventure while they set a world record across the Arctic Circle in less than four days.

2019 • USA • 16 min • Torrin Grange

Filmmaker in Attendance

Lake Superior acts as an inland ocean harboring steelhead and salmon, springtime brings a short window in which they occupy pursuable areas for anglers. Record snow in the Upper Peninsula provides a prolonged run and high water as the Peninsula Pursuit team spends every minute possible chasing these illusive creatures. Superior Steel 1 was the beginning of what will be a lifetime pursuit of chasing steelhead on “Gitchi Gumi” (Lake Superior).

2019 • USA • 19 min • Max Lowe

Adult Content

Bare Existence gives a behind the scenes look into the plight of the polar bear and the biologists on the front lines of protecting these species as they battle against the effects of climate change threatening their existence. This film presents a drastic cry for immediate attention and instills our viewer with hope, illuminating present-day efforts for a brighter future.

2018 • USA • 6 min • Jess Colquhoun

Akuna tells the story of Will Robinson, an Iraqi war veteran who after being discharged from service with severe injuries and PTSD, took up hiking on the Pacific Coast Trail in 2016. Once he started walking, Robinson didn’t want to stop, conquering the 2,200 mile Appalachian Trail and setting his sights on the Continental Divide trail which spans 3,100 miles between Mexico and Canada. This film aims to give audiences an insight into Will’s healing process by providing glimpses into his PTSD, the traumatic memories associated war, and the steps he’s taking to heal.

2018 • USA • 4 min • Pablo Durana

Family Friendly

Ricky Jones converted his van into his home, spends his nights in nature, and during the day makes a living making a difference — collecting data from the backcountry to help scientists, and helping others to do so as well. “Why wouldn’t you want to do your part to give back to the community?” he asks. “And that community being the entire world.”

2019 • USA • 5 min • Liam Kaiser

Filmmaker in Attendance

Fishtown is the story is about commercial fishing on the Great Lakes and a small family that’s operated a business for five generations.

2019 • France • 8 min • Hugo Clouzeau

Six kayakers. 400 kilometers. A 17-day self-supported trip down the Apurimac River. In 1975, Calvin Giddings led a group of paddlers down the first descent of Peru’s Abismo de Apurimac. Thanks to their commitment to complete the first descent of the Apurimac’s main whitewater section, the We Are Hungry (WAH) crew can confidently enter this box canyon. Always on the hunt for stout whitewater in remote reaches of the world, this group of French kayakers is known for asking Why. Why are we out here? What are we doing here?

2019 • USA • 3 min • Joe Reynolds

Family Friendly

This short documentary functions as a video portrait of the Prahl family and their management of the Burger Bus. The community engagement that the business has with Marquette exhibits the deep relationship they have with their customers.

2018 • USA • 14 min • Laurie Little & Justin Jones

Filmmaker in Attendance

Photographer Richard Bellia travels from France to the U.S. to photograph the 2017 eclipse from the Illinois countryside. This short film reflects on the creation of images and the passion that drives their making.

2019 • USA • 34 min • Allison Otto & Maria Clinton

Family Friendly

Over the course of 60 years, Lois and Charlie O’Brien traveled to more than 67 countries and quietly amassed the world’s largest private collection of insects — their trove counts more than one million specimens. And now, after decades of teaching, writing, research and the development of an almost-parental bond with their collection, these two soulmates have decided to give all their insects away. This humorous and poignant documentary explores the nature of love and the love of nature, and what it means to devote oneself completely to both.

2019 • USA • 26 min • Colin Arisman & Connor Gallagher

“Rock-Paper-Fish” takes audiences deep into the rainforest of Southeast Alaska where life is inseparable from the age-old rhythms of the Chilkat River. Every year, all five species of salmon return to the Chilkat, drawing the world’s largest gathering of bald eagles, insatiable grizzly bears, and fascinated tourists. The salmon also define life for two communities: The ancient Tlingit village of Klukwan, and a scrappy commercial fishing town, Haines.

2019 • USA • 10 min • Adam Rifenburgh & Ethan Sperber

A short film highlighting the 906 Adventure Team, its mission, and why it’s so important.

2019 • USA • 5 min • Frederick Dakota, Assistant Director: Mark Holmgren

Filmmaker in Attendance

A documentary capturing the unique coffee culture and roasting practices that have grown in Marquette, Michigan.

2019 • USA • 12 min • Jonathan Chapman

Family Friendly

“Lure of the North” highlights the passion and intrigue surrounding the winter sport of dog sledding. Our team profiled a family of mushers from Finland, MN that live off-grid in the snowiest region of Minnesota and care for 60+ pure-bread Siberian Huskies. They have a long history of working with the breed and have competed in many long distance races such as Iditarod, Yukon Quest, and John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon.

2018 • USA • 4 min • Ali Rogers

With over 75,000 feet of elevation change, unpredictable weather, and endless wilderness, Minnesota’s North Shore is a treasured terrain for ultra runners of all kinds, but especially those who seek to reunite with the wild. This film reminds us what we’re made of and what we’re made for. We’re wired for the wilderness and we’re wired to overcome challenge; to continually come home to the powerful nature within.