Lake Wānaka, New Zealand (20 January
2025) – Adventure filmmakers and writers are once
again invited to take part in the annual NZ Mountain Film
& Book Festival. The 23rd edition of this popular
seven-day event will be held in Wānaka from 20 to 24 June
and in Queenstown on 26 and 27 June this year. The Online
Film Festival will then be broadcast to New Zealand and
Australian audiences throughout July.
Festival
Director Whitney Oliver says she is delighted to get the
ball rolling for the 2025 festival with entries now open for
the Mountain Film and Book competitions. $9000 of prize
money will be awarded across a range of categories with the
grand-prize-winning film and the Best NZ-made film each
eligible for $2500 and the Mountain Book of the Year $2000.
The festival programme – to be released in May – will be
made up of competition winners and
finalists.
The festival theme is
adventurous sports and lifestyle but competition entrants
are invited to add their own creative spin, so long as there
is a link with adventurous sports or people, the world’s
mountains, lakes, rivers, oceans or skies provide the stage,
or there is a cultural or environmental
theme.
A member of the International
Alliance for Mountain Film, over the past two decades, the
Mountain Film Festival has gained a reputation for
attracting world-class films as well as providing a stepping
stone for up-and-coming creatives. Supporting homegrown
talent is integral to the work of The NZ Mountain Film
Festival Charitable Trust which runs the festival. The Trust
is committed to promoting NZ arts, film, culture,
environment and outdoor lifestyles and alongside the film
competition, subsidises a film school during the
festival.
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The biannual advanced Adventure Film School
provides an opportunity for emerging filmmakers to advance
their skills under the instruction and guidance of
industry-leading professionals. Participants learn how to
produce, direct and edit adventure films, and learn about
storytelling, interview technique, audio and camera work and
special effects. The goal is that students will come away
with the skills and inspiration to produce a film to submit
to future film competitions and have it screened at the
festival. Since its beginnings in 2011, the Adventure Film
School has produced several award-winning filmmakers
including 2023 Best NZ-Made Film award winner Maddie
Whittaker and 2024 Best Documentary award winner Ben
Wallbank.
Oliver, who has been involved with the NZ
Mountain Film & Book Festival for several years and
filled a variety of roles including volunteer,
projectionist, filmmaker, trustee and programme coordinator,
has taken over from Mark Sedon as Festival Director this
year. Sedon, who co-founded the festival with his wife Jo in
2002, remains on the festival team as Executive Director and
Head Judge.
“I am stoked to see Whitney step into
the Festival Director role and her amazing filmmaker talents
and organisational skills will see the festival continue to
be truly epic and enjoyable for artists and patrons,” says
Sedon. “But I’m not going far! After 23 years I’m
still excited to put on a fantastic event and to be working
alongside Whitney.”
“Mark and Jo have grown the
festival into a top tier event, and it’s a privilege to be
involved,” says Oliver. “The calibre of films and books
has consistently impressed, and the energy of the crowds is
infectious. We’re always brainstorming new ways to serve our
filmmakers, audiences, and community, and I’m excited about
what’s to come.”
Entries for the NZ Mountain Book
competition close on 30 March while the deadline for the
Film competition is 20 April. Bookings for the Adventure
Film School will open on 1 April. For more information about
the competitions, the Adventure Film School, and the history
of the NZ Mountain Film & Book Festival head to mountainfilm.nz
This post was originally published on here
