4th Annual
Eastern Sierra Mountain Film Festival
Oct 4-7, 2023
2023 Winners
Jury Award Best Documentary Feature - BAD PRESS
Audience Award Best Documentary Feature - NO LEGS. ALL HEART.
Jury Award Best Documentary Short - RAYU
Opening Night
Oct 4 Wed. @ 7pm
BAD PRESS
Dir. Rebecca Landsberry-Baker (Muscogee Creek) and Joe Peeler
Run Time 98 Mins
When the Muscogee Nation government abruptly repeals its landmark Free Press Act to muzzle the tribe’s hard-hitting news outlet, defiant and foul-mouthed journalist Angel Ellis charges headfirst into a historic (and surprisingly funny) battle to restore her tribe’s press freedoms. An enthralling, edge-of-your-seat nail biter that unfurls with the energy and suspense of a political thriller, Bad Press is a timely and unprecedented documentary about a lone journalist fighting a corrupt system for her fellow citizens.
Shorts Block 1 -
Oct 5 Thurs. @ 7pm
CRAGGIN SHORTS
REEL ROCK: RESISTANCE CLIMBING
Dir. Nick Rosen, Zachary Barr, Peter Mortimer
Resistance Climbing - In the strife-torn hills of Palestine, a diverse crew of Bedouins, dirtbags and urban professionals embraces climbing as a much-needed respite from the burdens of the Israeli occupation. American writer & climber Andrew Bisharat visits the West Bank to explore his own roots and the power of climbing to transform lives.
Run Time 37 mins.
A LITTLE LIFE
Dir. Eric Bissell
Professional climber Keenan Takahashi reflects on a life of passion while attempting to climb a terrifying and difficult new route in the legendary Buttermilk Boulders of Bishop California.
Run Time 23 mins.
REEL ROCK: RAYU
Dir. Nick Rosen, Erik Osterholm
Elite sport climbers Sasha DiGiulian and Matilda Söderlund team up with trad specialist Brette Harrington to attempt a free ascent of the 2,000-foot alpine rock route, Rayu – a 5.14 in Spain's Picos de Europa. Unrepeated since its first ascent by the Basque Pou brothers and Kiko Cerdá in 2020, Rayu combines heady trad climbing with a burly sport crux on a steep headwall a thousand feet off the deck. Living on the wall for days on end, the team battles stormy weather, loose rock, and the tension between personal goals and group success.
Run Time 30 mins.
Friday Night Spotlight
Oct 6 Fri. @ 7pm
COMMON GROUND
Dir. Josh Tickell, Rebecca Tickell
Run Time 105 Mins
COMMON GROUND is the highly anticipated sequel to the juggernaut success documentary, Kiss the Ground which touched over 1 billion people globally and inspired the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to put $20 billion toward soil health. By fusing journalistic expose’ with deeply personal stories from those in the front lines of the sustainable food movement, COMMON GROUND unveils a dark web of money, power, and politics behind our broken food system. The film reveals how racist practices forged our current farm system in which farmers of all colors are literally dying to feed us. The film profiles a hopeful and uplifting movement of white, black, and indigenous farmers who are using alternative “regenerative” models of agriculture that could balance the climate, save our health, and stabilize America’s economy - before it’s too late.
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Shorts Block 2-
Oct 7 Sat. @ 4pm
ENVIRONMENTAL & MOUNTAIN CULTURE SHORTS - A mixture of shorts from around the world that are Environmental and Mountain Culture themed. Some of the best shorts on the film festival circuit!
PADDLE TRIBAL WATERS
Dir. Paul Robert Wolf Wilson, Rush Sturges
Run Time 9 Mins
When the largest dam removal project in history begins, a group of indigenous youth learn to whitewater kayak in hopes of becoming the first people to paddle the restored river from source to sea.
CALL IN THE CRÈCHE
Dir. Tim Guthrie
Run Time 9 Mins
A mini-doc about a crèche in Paparoa, New Zealand, focused on saving an iconic species of kiwi, and how that relates to protecting the entire ecosystem.
SHIRAMPARI: LEGACIES OF THE RIVER
Dir. Lucía Flórez
Run Time 16 Mins
In one of the most remote places in the Peruvian Amazon, an Ashéninka boy must overcome his fears and catch a giant catfish using only a hook to start his journey as an adult. CLICK HERE FOR TRAILER
PYTHON HUNTRESS
Dir. Nicholas Orris, Matt Deblinger
Run Time 19 Mins
A glimpse into the life of Donna Kalil, an environmentalist who spends her nights patrolling the Florida Everglades in search of the Burmese Python–an invasive apex predator that has devastated local wildlife. Learn about the problem with pythons and why for Donna, fulfilling her job responsibilities does not always come easy.
TRANSCENDENCE
Dir. Michelle Smith
Run Time 30 Mins
After suffered a devastating accident in the mountains that began his journey as an adaptive athlete. This film follows his path from recovery to the cutting edge of adaptive climbing, working his way up to an epic first ascent in Washington’s North Cascades with legendary mountain guide Mark Allen.
Closing Film
Oct 7 Sat. @ 7pm
NO LEGS. ALL HEART.
Dir. Pablo Durana
Run Time 89 Mins
After years of addiction and a life changing accident, André Kajlich fights to be the first double amputee to complete the Race Across America, a bone-crushing 3,082 mile bike race, revealing a true test of spirit and the pain we endure to carve our own path in life.
FOLLOWED BY A COMPLIMENTARY RECEPTION WITH AWARDS AND AN OPEN BEER AND WINE BAR.