REEL PADDLING FILM FESTIVAL COMES TO ALBUQUERQUE FOR THE FIRST TIME!

The date is June 2, 2012 at High Noon for awesome films on paddling from the most awesome made worldwide!

Festival location will be at the Guild Cinema in Albuquerque (north side of Central by Il Vicino).

Showtime is from Noon to 3:30 pm.

Tickets will be $15 in advance at REI Albuquerque and also on line (www.ticketriver.com) to purchase and pick up at the door.

All profits from the show will be distributed to three non-profits for support of NM river projects, American Rivers, Wild Earth Guardians, and New Mexico Xtreme Sports.

There will likely be swag and great prizes in a fund raising raffle as well so bring some loose cash!

Rapid Media's 7th annual Reel Paddling Film Festival showcases the world's best paddling films to audiences in Canada, United States and around the world. It presents the world’s best whitewater, sea kayaking, canoeing, SUP and kayak fishing action and lifestyle films of the year on screens in 100 cities across the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Europe. This is the first time this will be shown in Albuquerque and it promises to sell out early!

With 34 inspiring paddling films short-listed for the World Tour, including the ten 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, grueling kayak fishing battles and hilarious short films capturing the lighter side of paddling life. Film trailers found at www.reelpaddlingfilmfestival.com/

The festival hopes to inspire more people to explore especially their local rivers and lakes, push physical and emotional extremes, and allows one to embrace the lifestyle and appreciate the heritage of the wild places we paddle.

The Festival is produced by Rapid Media. Rapid Media also publishes four leading paddlesports magazines: Rapid-The Whitewater Kayaking and Canoeing Magazine, Adventure Kayak- The Sea and Touring Magazine, Canoeroots and Kayak Angler magazines.

Your ticket to a Reel Paddling Film Festival World Tour stop includes a free one-year digital edition subscription to one of the above magazines. Special offer details are available in the evening program. Hosts: Stephen and the teacup wolfhound Misha.

This event will also feature local information on getting out on these craft for the first time. You will get to meet the great people in New Mexico supporting these activities, get introductions to the paddling community in this state and learn to work to enhance the access to open waters in the Rio Grande.
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REEL PADDLING FILM FESTIVAL — WINNERS!
The 7th annual Reel Paddling Film Festival had almost 50 films entered (the most in the Festival’s seven year history) resulting in the best World Tour to date. The film festival on tour will include others selected by the host. The full list of the best of the best winners is:

• Best Sea Kayaking Film: In Rescues – Sea Kayak with Gordon Brown, you’ll see exciting and practical rescue coaching sessions from one of the world’s top coaches.
• Best Canoeing Film: Tracing the Columbia brings together two historical moments: David Thompson’s charting of the Columbia River in 1811 and the 45-day journey paddling the river to mark the 200th anniversary of Thompson’s achievement.
• Best Whitewater Film: In Wildwater, journey into the places only river runners can go. It’s a visually stunning feast for the senses, and an expedition into new ideas.
• Best Kayak Fishing Film: ExOfficio Presents Kayak Fishing: Game On 4 Jim Sammons hooks up with Paul Harwood on the Fraser River in BC with the goal of catching one of the areas enormous sturgeon.
• Best Environmental Paddling Film: The Pipedreams Project follows 3 kayakers on their epic two-month expedition to oppose a $5.5 Billion tar sands pipeline project in British Columbia
• Best Paddling Documentary: Chasing Water is the story of Pete McBride, a child of the Colorado River, as he decides to follow the water from his ranch in Western Colorado to see where it ends up.
• Best Amateur/Short Paddling Film: So Fine sees Zac Crouse develop banjo paddling with the help from a Muppet.
• Best Instructional Paddling Film: Advanced Classic Solo Canoeing with Becky Mason will leave you spellbound by the advanced strokes and manoeuvres she shows and the stunning underwater camera angles.
• Best Stand-up Paddling Film: In Standup 4 Greatbear, Norm Hann takes us on a 400km SUP expedition through the Great Bear Rainforest, and along the proposed North Coast oil tanker route.

Bugs 4 Life
Follow Matt and Dave as they pursue their Riverbugging dream all over central northeastern Ontario. A humourous look at a new form of whitewater activity….using a modified inflatable like those used in fishing….fins on the hands and feet….and wetsuits….Director and Producer: David Hartman

Chasing Water
Pete McBride grew up on a ranch in Western Colorado, a child of the Colorado River. After a life spent visiting other countries to tell stories as a National Geographic photojournalist, in 2008 Pete decided to follow the water from his family’s ranch to see where it ends up. This is the story of Pete’s journey, and a story about the lifeblood of the American West. a great look at how the Colorado River is used….literally ‘used’….and how he followed the river from its source to the sea….well nearly to the sea. Director and Producer: Pete McBride

Rescues – Sea Kayak with Gordon Brown
Exciting and practical rescue coaching sessions from one of the world’s top coaches, mixed with a spectacular journey to St. Kilda, a remote cluster of islands in the North Atlantic. Essential rescue techniques are demonstrated in calm water and rough, with on-screen graphics emphasizing key learning points. an instructional film….with a Scottish accent….a great look at various aspects of sea kayak rescues. Director and Producer: Simon Willis

So Fine
Zac Crouse develops banjo paddling with help from a Muppet. a music video….with a Muppet….and a banjo….what was it about ‘paddle faster if you hear banjo music? Director and Producer: Aram Kouyoumdjin

Standup 4 Greatbear
Norm Hann’s 400-kilometer standup paddling expedition through the Great Bear Rainforest, and along the proposed North Coast oil tanker route, visited First Nations communities and highlighted the area’s rich marine ecosystems, bringing awareness to the threat of an oil spill in this world-class natural environment. An incredible journey by SUP to demonstrate the issues behing the proposed pipeline from Alberta to BC’s coast….and the effects it could have on the coast’s communities….especially the First Nations. Director and Producer: Taylor Fox

The Barron Canyon
A stop-motion film depicting the trials and tribulations of camping during Halloween. Filmed entirely with a Nikon D60 DSLR. An amusing look at a canoe trip….using camera trickery like flying paddles or canoes that portage themselves….a great entertaining video.
Director and Producer: Malcolm Taliano

Tracing the Columbia
Tracing The Columbia brings together two historical moments: David Thompson’s charting of The Columbia River in 1811 and the 45-day journey of 200 modern voyageurs paddling the river to mark the 200th anniversary of Thompson’s achievement.
Director: Jay Macmillan
Producer: Louise Bentley

WildWater
WildWater is a journey into the places only river runners can go. It’s a visually stunning feast for the senses, and an expedition into new ideas. We wanted to communicate the essence of whitewater and put its soul on film. After thousands of hours of effort, borrowing Hollywood film tools and techniques, WildWater brings new images to kayaking and adventure cinema. a whitewater experience….and the people who kayak….or sometimes row rafts or Guide boats….beautifully filmed.
Director: Anson Fogel
Producer: Forge Motion Pictures

Kelly is a great instructor. He starts with the basics and keeps building on from there. We started in a pool of calm water on the river, as we became comfortable with that we moved closer to the moving water, then into the main current working on peel outs, ferrying and edging, then down the Rio Grande. The second day starts by talking about the first day then on to paddle placement and timing in different aspects of the river. Back on the river we fine tuned our peel outs, ferrying, edging and worked on paddle placement as we go into and through the rapids. I could not belive my improvement from day one to day two! I highly recommed this class if you want to feel comfortable with negotiating class II and III rapids. You may not end up an expert but will have the tools to become one.

Mark Nissen

My learning curve has been exponential. I never imagined I would learn this much, so fast!

Chuck Washington  -  Resident MD, UNMH

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