Let’s call it the Oscars of paddlesports. That’s what the Paddling Film Festival has become, with the 19th Annual Paddling Film Festival World Tour premiering 2023’s best of the best to a sold-out crowd at Toronto’s The Complete Paddler in February. With proceeds from the first screening of the award-winning films—totaling over $3,000—benefitting Project Canoe, an organization providing outdoor programming to at-risk youth through summer wilderness canoe trips, additional screenings of the festival are planned for this spring.
Meanwhile, with hats off to organizer Rapid Media, the drumroll please for our industry’s top filmmakers and their films from the past season:
2024 Paddling Film Festival Winners
Best Kayaking Film: BEYOND THE SALISH
Category sponsor: TRAK Kayaks
Two kayakers take on a once-in-a-lifetime journey along the Pacific Coast of Vancouver Island, paddling into relentless waves, unpredictable weather, and the uncharted depths of their fears. The duo finds themselves in a life-altering struggle against the elements. As their journey unfolds, a near-death experience forces them to confront the raw power of the open ocean, pushing the boundaries of their friendship, endurance and luck. Directors: Richard Chen, William Chong | Producer: Merrisa Mah
Best Adventure Travel Film: CANADA VERTICAL
Category sponsor: Kokatat
Follow along on an eight-month ski, canoe and bike expedition covering an area equivalent to 19 percent of the Earth’s circumference. The journey travels from Ellesmere Island in Nunavut to Point Pelee in Ontario, and is one of the longest wilderness expeditions in Canadian history. Challenged by polar bears, freezing temperatures, injuries, equipment failure, windstorms, food shortages, 2,000 kilometers of mostly upstream paddling, and numerous reroutings, the Canada Vertical expedition is a testament to resilience and creativity in the face of challenge. Director: Laurent Poliquin | Producer: Nicolas Roulx
Best SUP Film: DAVID HAZE
From prison to world records and environmental activism, this film tells the story of one man’s journey of self-discovery and the transformative power of the paddle. Director & Producer: Angus Peel
Best Rafting Film: DRIVING SWEEP
Category sponsor: AIRE
Few river guides ever get the chance to drive Idaho’s iconic sweep boat. Driving Sweep follows Katie Veteto as she learns how to “drive sweep” down the Middle Fork of the Salmon River. She’s learned the rapids and the river. Now, she learns how to drive a 4,000-pound sweep down steep, rocky rapids. Director & Producer: Gregory Cairns
Best Documentary Film: FRANKLIN
Category sponsor: The Canadian Canoe Museum
An eighth-generation Tasmanian and environmentalist, Oliver Cassidy embarks on a life-changing solo rafting trip down the famous Franklin River in the remote Australian rainforest. He retraces his late father’s 14-day expedition to attend the blockade that saved a World-Heritage-listed national park from being destroyed in the early 1980s. Narrated by Hugo Weaving, Franklin is an inspiring example of the power of non-violent direct action to bring about lasting change. Director: Kasimir Burgess | Producers: Chris Kamen, Oliver Cassidy
Best Instructional Film: HOW TO STERN SQUIRT YOUR KAYAK
Category sponsor: Thompson Rivers University
This film details a step-by-step progression of how to do a version of the stern squirt. This is a fun advanced kayaking maneuver that has many variations. Director: Matt Allen | Producer: Simon Coward
Best Canoeing Film: RENOVATING A CANOE WHILE RUNNING A MARATHON
Category sponsor: Rhéaume Canoes
In between all the dust and rot and problem-solving of giving a banged-up fleet canoe a new lease on life, Beau Miles runs around his paddock to complete a marathon. “I did this nonstop for 24 hours, and by golly, it was a bloody great day,” he says. Director: Beau Miles | Producers: Mitch Drummond, Beau Miles
Best Environmental Paddling Film: RIO PUSUNO: MEET THE COMMUNITY
Category sponsor: Paddle Responsibly
Ecuador is well-known amongst whitewater kayakers as a paradise. Generations of Ecuadorians like Diego Robles have found their life’s passion in paddling and guiding the rivers in their backyard. But a few months after Robles found his favorite river, he found excavators in the river building a dam and diversion that would dry up the Rio Pusuno. He had no idea how bad the situation was until he met the local community. Directors: Ben Stookesberry, Willie Henkel
Best Kayak Fishing Film: RODS, ROLLS AND REALITY ON THE SOČA
Swapping paddles for rods, this crew of kayakers attempts to learn how to put the hook in the right spot. Under the emerald waters of Slovenia’s Soča River hides an endemic trout, creating both a classroom and a playground for misadventure. Directors: Rok Rozman, Rožle Bregar | Producer: Leeway Collective
Best Whitewater Film: THERE’S GOOD IN EVERYTHING
Category sponsor: Ottawa Valley Tourist Association
Join whitewater legend Aniol Serrasolses while he kayaks the rivers of Chile. In this short whitewater film, Aniol shows us how mindset on the river sets paddlers apart and allows us to find the good in everything. Directors: Gonzalo Robert, Juan Garcia | Producer: Aniol Serrasolses
Best Short Film: WHATEVER FLOATS YOUR GOAT
Nico lives in her Sprinter van with two goats, three chickens and a dog. Spend a day with Nico goat-packing a raft up to a high mountain lake in this quirky short film. Take a dive into her lifestyle, the goats’ personalities, and Nico’s deeper mission to use her unique lifestyle for sustainability education. Director: Jack Lewis Elder
Read full story here: https://paddlingmag.com/stories/news-events/2024-paddling-film-festival-premiere/
Find more info here: Paddling Film Festival World Tour website