After making its debut in Squamish last year, the Reel Paddling Film Festival is returning to town with the aim of again capturing the imagination of the local paddling community.
The Reel Paddling Film Festival is an international film tour presenting the world's best whitewater, sea kayaking, canoeing and kayak fishing action and lifestyle films of the year on screens in 100 cities across the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Europe. It will return to Squamish on May 18 at 7 p.m. at the Eagle Eye Theatre.
"It's going to be the same sort of idea as what the Reel Rock film festival does for the climbing community in Squamish," said Squamish Paddling Club (SPC) president Dave Berrisford. "It should be a great event to get families out and excited for the new season for our club."
The festival will feature 34 paddling films, including the 10 festival category winners. Audiences can expect to see stand-up paddle surfing, hairy whitewater action, sea kayakers exploring remote coastlines, headwaters canoe expeditions, international river travel films, motivating environmental documentaries, gruelling kayak fishing battles and hilarious short films capturing the lighter side of paddling life.
Anyone who buys a ticket also has a chance to enter the Yakima Take It Easy sweepstakes for a chance to win a roof rack package. Those attending also will receive free digital subscriptions to Rapid, Adventure Kayak, Canoeroots and Kayak Angler magazines.
Audiences also have a chance to rank each film on a ballot to compete in the Yakima People's Choice Award. Fans vote on their favourites and after the tour completes its 100-city journey, results will be tabulated and a $500 prize will be awarded.
Some of the featured films for this year's festival include: Chasing Water, in which a National Geographic photojournalist follows the river from his family's ranch to see where it ends up; The Pipedreams Project, in which three kayakers embark on a two-month expedition along the 小蓝视频 coast to oppose the Enbridge pipeline project; Standup 4 Greatbear, in which Squamish resident Norm Hahn tells his story of a stand-up paddling expedition through the Great Bear Rainforest; and Tracing the Columbia, in which canoeists trace David Thompson's charting of the Columbia River in 1811.
Tickets are $12 in advance for adults and $8 in advance for those under 19 and are available at Valhalla Pure. Tickets at the door will cost $15 for adults and $10 for 19 and under. Doors open for the event at 6:30 p.m., with the films starting at 7 p.m.
For more information on the event, visit www.reelpaddlingfilmfestival.com.
