Presented by Tim Hortons Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival & Ottawa Wa'a
The Paddling Film Festival is an international adventure film tour presenting the world’s best paddling films of the year–whitewater, sea kayaking, canoeing, SUP, action and lifestyle–in more than 120 cities and towns across Canada,United States and around the world. Audiences will see hairy whitewater action, sea kayakers exploring remote coastlines, northern river canoe expeditions, international river travel films, motivating environmental documentaries and grueling kayak fishing battles. Attracting paddlers and outdoor enthusiasts, audiences can expect a fun, social and entertaining event.
The Films:
Jotunn - Iceland is the land of fire and ice, and also one of the places with the highest concentration of waterfalls. This makes it one of the most popular places for extreme kayaking. Even so, given the inaccessibility of its rivers and the harsh climate, there is still a lot of territory left to explore. Three friends enter new valleys to explore rivers and waterfalls never descended before. Director: Mikel Sarasola
Aniakchak - Newlyweds Graham Zimmerman and Shannon McDowell are professional athletes in different sports and find joy and common ground in a new, fledgling activity: packrafting. This shared pursuit takes them on a harrowing adventure to Alaska’s Aniakchak National Monument, the most remote and least visited part of America’s national park system. Directors: Forest Woodward, Graham Zimmerman
Last Known Co-ordinates - After legendary South African surfer Chris Bertish won the world’s most prestigious big wave surfing title at Mavericks, his friends and family hoped he was ready to settle down. However, their hope turned to concern when Bertish announced his attempt to become the first person to standup paddleboard across the Atlantic Ocean, from Africa to North America, completely solo and unsupported. Directors: Joe Piscatella, Chris Mason, Luke Mason, Chris Bertish
A Quality of Imagination - In a culture seemingly full of adrenaline junkies and going bigger, Benny Marr contemplates the ultimate form of self-expression, and the subtle moments defining one’s style. Director: Caleb Roberts
Following Lines - Seeking a deeper encounter with the territory of the Inuit, six paddlers plan to make the first recorded descent of a little-known river in northern Quebec. Tradition survives in the life and language of the Inuit. Their knowledge of the physical world and the seasons guides the team in its journey. Set against an imposing background of snow, tundra and whitewater rapids, this documentary is a call to go beyond: out onto the land, and inward into ourselves. Director & Producer: Francois Leger-Savard
Kwanza: The Drowning Diamond of Angola - Rumors emerged from Angola about a river the size of the Zambezi laden with rapids, but hidden behind an iron layer of bureaucracy and the aftermath of a 27-year civil war that raged across wild savannahs. Those rumors lured three expedition kayakers on the adventure of a lifetime. Kwanza is the story of Mike Dawson, Dewet Michau and Jake Holland, who embrace the challenge of the wild Kwanza River and race against time to kayak its mighty rapids before dams drown them. Director: Mike Dawson