From the Smallest Streams

by Nathan Plamondon

2024 / Canada / Documentary / 29 min. / English

From the Smallest Streams is a short film exploring the deep connection between water, land, and the passion for fishing. Set in the stunning Muskwa-Kechika Management Area of northern British Columbia, the film highlights the profound respect for nature intrinsic to fly fishing in this pristine environment.

Through beautiful cinematography and intimate storytelling, it showcases the dedication of anglers and conservationists working to preserve this wild landscape for future generations. Viewers are invited to witness the magic of this rugged, biodiverse territory and understand the importance of protecting it for tomorrow's outdoor enthusiasts.

Columbia River Canoe Project 

by Robert Lester, Neil Larson

2024 / USA / Documentary / 62 min. / English

The Columbia River Canoe Project follows cousins Robert Lester and Braxton Mitchell as they attempt a 1,300-mile canoe expedition from the Continental Divide near Butte, Montana, all the way to the Pacific Ocean. Braxton, only 18, has never been in a canoe before volunteering for this adventure of a lifetime. Though just a few years older, Robert leads the expedition, trying to overcome the unforeseen challenges of such an ambitious journey. As the pair navigate the river, enduring the hardships of battling dams, rapids, and wind, Braxton grows up, learning about life and discovering his true capabilities.

While following their downstream journey, the film highlights the ecological issues facing the Columbia River Watershed and promotes the importance of environmental stewardship. The Columbia River Canoe Project takes viewers on an adventure filled with breathtaking landscapes, unpredictable challenges, and a wealth of inspiration.

Ice Waterfalls

by David Arnaud

2024 / Spain / Documentary / 47 min. / English, Spanish

For years, professional kayaker Aniol Serrasolses has dreamed of running the rivers and waterfalls formed by melting ice caps and gigantic glaciers. Accompanied by a team of expert kayakers and Arctic guides, he ventures into one of the most remote and rugged regions of the planet: Svalbard. Amidst the Arctic's otherworldly landscapes, reality is about to surpass his wildest dreams.

Polar Route 

by Beto Pandiani, Sylvio Rocha

2024 / Brazil / Documentary / 90 min. / English, Portuguese, Spanish

The legendary Northwest Passage, which connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans through the Arctic, is not usually crossed by many ships and boats, let alone sailboats. On a catamaran, without a cabin and a motor it can be easily count on the fingers of one hand. And this is precisely the challenge faced by Brazilian sailor Beto Pandiani and French navigator Igor Bely. They left Seattle, in Washington State towing their sailboat, drove almost 2.000 miles all the way to the Artic Ocean where they waited for the ice to open in an Inuit village. Once the expedition started, they sailed for nearly 1,500 nautical miles exposed to the elements, facing extreme cold, heat and even large swats of mosquitoes in an epic adventure, while investigating the climate changes that are radically altering the landscape, the fauna, the life of the native peoples and of all other inhabitants of the region.

Meta, female pioneers in mountaineering

by Annette Wahl

2023 / Germany / Documentary / 19 min. / English

On June 28, 1870, Meta Brevoort embarked on a daring quest to become the first to summit La Meije in the Dauphiné Alps. Opting for the prominent peak Doigt de Dieu, her party realised too late that the true summit, Grand Pic de la Meije, stood just a few meters higher. An impassable knife-edged ridge thwarted their final ascent. Despite this, reaching Doigt de Dieu was a remarkable achievement, one many deemed impossible. Meta Brevoort emerged as a trailblazing pioneer in alpinism, conquering numerous peaks and shattering societal and gender norms.

In a thrilling homage to Brevoort, modern-day climber Maria Granberg retraces her steps, scaling La Meije and delving into the rich legacy of a woman unjustly overlooked in mountaineering history. This film captures the spirit of adventure, the challenge of the climb, and the relentless pursuit of dreams against all odds. Join Maria as she explores the life and legacy of one of alpinism’s greatest pioneers.

Almost Over the Hill 

by Julia Creet

2024 / Canada / Documentary, Short / 6 min. / English

You are never too old to climb a hill. Three older women cyclists and their coach talk hill-climbing strategies while happily riding up.

Le Monde Est À Elles /
The World Is Ours

by Nadia Louis-Desmarchais

2023 / Canada / Documentary, Short / 21 min. / English, French

À l’heure actuelle où un jeune sur deux présente des symptômes d’anxiété et de dépression, Le monde est à elles est un film qui donne l’opportunité à six jeunes adolescentes montréalaises de sortir de leur milieu urbain pour une première fois, afin de participer à une expédition de canot-camping en nature. En présentant leurs difficultés et leurs petites victoires, le film embrasse leur vulnérabilité de façon poétique et lumineuse en soulignant à grand trait la puissance d’une sororité féminine et de l’intervention thérapeutique par la nature.

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Currently, post pandemic, one in two young people show symptoms of anxiety and depression. The World is Ours is a film that gives the opportunity to six Montreal teenage girls to leave their urban environment for the first time to take part in a nature canoe-camping expedition. By presenting their struggles and small victories, the film poetically and luminously embraces their vulnerability, emphasizing in broad strokes the power of female sisterhood and therapeutic intervention by nature.

In an intervention cinema approach and seeking to democratize access to the outdoors for marginalized communities, the production of the film took on the responsibility of defraying the costs of the expedition for these six young women.

Wildflowers 

by Trixie Pacis

2024 / Canada / Documentary / 37 min. / English

Mary Schäffer Warren (1861-1939) was 43 years old and recently widowed when she bucked Victorian-era conventions and reinvented herself as a mountain explorer, writer, and photographer. Over a century later, Meghan J. Ward — an outdoor writer, historian and Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society (RCGS) — encounters Mary’s remarkable story. Captivated by the mystery of this woman she can’t meet in person, Meghan embarks on a journey of archival research and backcountry adventures to better understand Mary’s legacy and motivations. She invites photographer/RCGS Fellow Natalie Gillis and travel writer Jane Marshall on a six-day hiking and paddling expedition to retrace the final leg of Mary’s famous 1908 expedition to Maligne Lake in Jasper National Park, Alberta. Delving into a landscape that connects adventurers across time, the modern-day team compares past to present, reflects on Mary’s legacy, and discovers that sometimes we must look back to blaze a better trail forward.