NZ Mountain Film Festival on to the Next Towns

The 16th NZ Mountain Film Festival has closed in Wanaka and moves to Queenstown for three more days of film and speaker events. The six-day Wanaka event and one night in Cromwell have been hugely successful with many sell out shows and extremely positive feedback. Audiences were delighted by expedition stories from guest speakers Conrad Anker, Dulkara Martig and Mark Sedon. Each speaker not only provided slideshows and film of their adventures, each provided an insight into their lives in the outdoors and how they come to find themselves on expeditions all around the world.

A recurring and popular theme, evident in the stories told, is that the festival itself has become a place where expedition ideas, inspiration and connections germinate. Martig spoke about being so inspired by the event several years ago she went home and booked a ticket to hike for several months in Nepal. Sedon’s talk on his recent 1,700km kite skiing climbing expedition materialised as Leo Houlding was a guest speaker in the 2017 festival. For Festival Director Mark Sedon, the fact that the festival itself has become a catalyst for more adventure is satisfying and goes a long way to exceeding the objectives of the Charitable Trust which is to use the power of film, art, spoken word and literature to inspire audiences to be more active while creating a better world.

Sedon says, “What is particularly evident after 16 years, is that the festival brings together a group of like-minded people with an interest in not only living a life of adventure and fun, but who are also incredibly interested in the conservation and care of our planet. Our initiatives to reduce waste during the event are well received and supported. We also acknowledge the close-knit nature of the outdoor community, and the richness of the adventure hub in Wanaka. We now have a strong sense that our audiences’ values align with what the festival is all about: fun, adventure and a way to plan the next mission with a great group of friends.”

The festival continues on to Queenstown where Conrad Anker and Mark Sedon will speak. The festival runs in Queenstown from 5 to 7 July at Queenstown Memorial Centre, tickets can be purchased online at mountainfilm.nz.

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