A Life of Intent

At 19, Shelly suffered a serious traumatic brain injury that marked the beginning of her adult life. She began documenting her journey through photos, and this habit became a passion that led her on a brave path toward acceptance and meaning-making. Set in the peaceful and beautiful landscapes of the Southwest, Shelly tells her story in her own words and shares how nature, photography and human connection helped her transcend her circumstances and live a life marked by resilience and creativity: a life of intent.

Director

Caroline Boyd

Scales of the Forest

A plant or animal species disappears every 20 minutes worldwide. That’s over 26,000 species a year. Far fewer are being discovered, and by cross-referencing information, it seems likely that some species are disappearing before they have even been recorded. The team is made up of French scientists, a logistics team and members of the Kichwa community from the village of Mandari Panga, as well as professors and students from the University of Ikiam (Ecuador), who took DNA samples. The project is the 2023 winner of the Fondation Iris and Société des Explorateurs Français awards.

Director

Manon Kole, Lucas Perrogon

Pachamama

Julian Casanova and Pierre Hourticq, both mountain guides and extreme skiers, have built their friendship on the steepest slopes of the Mont-Blanc range. The Patagonian ski stories of Julian, who was born and raised in Argentina, inspired Pierre to build a solid skier team to explore those mountains. For this adventure they are joined by their friend Camille Armand, a Freeride world tour pro-snowboarder. Join this friendly team on a 5000km authentic road-rip among a very preserved Patagonia. They will bring you to an untouched nature to ski extreme lines.

Director

Yannick Boissenot

Surviving Our Story/ The Avalanche

For two skiers caught in back to back avalanches, surviving their accident is only the beginning of the emotional journey to reclaim their lives and find their way back to the snow.

Director

Connor Ryan, Isaiah Branch Boyle

Intermission

Intermission is a compilation of renowned surfers taking a break from their day-to-day lives to catch the best waves. Featuring Crosby Colapinto, Jett Schilling, Ian Crane, Cannon Carr, Taj Lindblad, Dane Matson, and many more!

Director

Gavin Grant

Durango or Bust, The Legend of The Donkey Boys

Follow the adventure of a painter from East Rockaway, New York attempting to thru-hike the 500-mile-long Colorado trail with racing donkeys. His goals are to paint the landscapes and finish the trail at all costs. This is a story about the power of art, the magic of determination, and the freedom of adventure. A journey like this hadn’t been attempted in over 50 years.

Director

Timothy Douglas Brown

The Heroes Journey Norway

The Heroes Journey takes you along on a 5-day off-grid adventure in the wilderness of Norway. In this trip modeled after Joseph Campbells famous storytelling framework, our group of 16 left their normal lives behind in a quest to reconnect with themselves, overcome challenges, find the gold that’s hidden within them and return home a little more complete.

Director

Lars Veenstra

Soul Flyers – A wingsuit trip in Reunion Island

20 years after the creation of the first-generation Soul Flyers team by Reunion Island native Loïc Jean-Albert, new-generation team members Fred Fugen and Vincent Cotte return to the island where it all began, to keep the Soul Flyers spirit alive.

Director

Thibault Gachet

Altitudes

Altitude connects them. From the glaciers of the Andes to the peaks of the Himalayas, via the Alps and the plateaus of the High Atlas, the mountains have transformed their destinies. They are activists, shepherds, guides and scientists. They are pious, curious, passionate or solitary. They want to change their lives or the world. Or simply live by sharing their definition of happiness. All of them are ordinary people with no vocation to climb summits. They found themselves up there almost by chance. Because their convictions led them to the mountains, far removed from attempts at conquest or sporting feats.

Their true stories bear witness to singular ascents, but above all to a long journey towards their intimate quests, and ask a universal question: “What is our mountain?”

Director

Louise Thaller, Stanislas Giroux

Tuckerman’s Rock

Tuckerman’s Rock: the practice of letting go
After a tragic drowning accident, surfer and meditation teacher Damian Ewens seeks to reconnect with the ocean and his own breath by setting out to walk a rock across the bottom of Easton’s Bay. A summer spent being in and listening to the ocean guides him through grief as new possibilities emerge one breath at a time.

Director

Kelly L. Riley

Freeland ~ A White Grass Story

The latest documentary by Mountain River Media focuses on West Virginia nordic skiing at the iconic White Grass Ski Area, and the mountain’s relationship to the Blackwater River kayaking community. The Blackwater is the artery linking the two communities together, and its water is the lifeblood of both cultures. Through the words of Chip Chase, Sue Haywood, Jesse Shimrock, and Stephen Strothers, learn about the history, grassroots growth, and overall friendly vibe of this unique place and the community that developed around it. Tied into the Blackwater kayaking community, this documentary explores the ephemeral nature of the sport of nordic skiing and whitewater creek boating in West Virginia. Enjoy the ride!

*Please note that do to timing constraints, not all films may be screened on the festival date but will be available for viewing online afterwards.

Director

Justin Harris