The programme has just been released for the first ever Peebles Outdoor Film Festival at the Eastgate Theatre from Friday 13 to Sunday 15 February.
Danny MacAskill from The Ridge
The film line up takes in the Best of Kendal World Film Tour 2014/15, a variety of often quirky shorts and the feature Wadjda about an 11 year old Saudi girt who dreams of racing her friend Abdullah.
The festival opens on Friday at 6pm with short films including a bird’s eye view of the Tweed Valley and an introduction to ski mountaineering.
At 7.30pm downhill mountain bike racer and stunt rider Rob Jarman will talk about his near fatal accident and introduce an excerpt from the gripping and emotional film “All My Own Stunts”. Rob says “Mountain biking is my identity and racing is in my blood…there’s no euphoria like getting down in one piece with a good time. I’m always on the hunt for this feeling, I have tried many different sports. Getting hit by a car, or blown up on a film set is close enough, for now anyway”.
On Saturday at 2pm Borders Doctor Andrew Murray drops in having just run 50 kilometres a day for ten days across the Namib Desert. Andrew says “regular physical activity is one of the best things you can do for your health. Every step is a step to health and happiness.” At 3.30pm Tweed Valley Mountain Rescue will tell you how to get the best out of the Borders hills, safely.
Saturday evening is all about bikes. The feature film Wadjda, at 4pm, tells of a young Saudi girl’s dream to race her own bike. At 6pm there are three extraordinary films including The Ridge starring Danny MacAskill and, at 7.30pm, cyclist and award-winning writer Richard Moore will introduce Slaying the Badger, his story of the chaotic 1986 running of the Tour de France. Richard says “I do what I do trying to find out what really went on, what it was like to be Greg LeMond at the 1986 Tour de France, for example, then telling the story from that – hopefully inside – perspective.”
Sunday begins at 2.30pm when global adventurer Alastair Humphreys introduces his ideas for microadventures that you can have on your doorstep. As Alastair says “adventure is only a state of mind”.
Only weeks after professional climbers Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson made their extraordinary 19-day ascent of El Capitan’s Dawn Wall in Yosemite, the film Valley Uprising (at 4pm) captures the history of climbers’ struggle against the laws of gravity, and the laws of the land. Short films at 6pm tell personal stories by very particular adventurers.
The festival culminates in a Celebration of Wild Women, at 7.30pm, when film-maker and adventure photographer Lukasz Warzecha introduces a selection of films capturing some of the world’s most daring and committed female athletes. Lukasz says “I love sharing stories and images… and although my style of photography sometimes can be seen as far from journalistic/reportage as possible, I’ve always tried to give my work a cause/purpose. In the Wild Women series we wanted to create genuine films to inspire others, not only female athletes, but also showcase the personalities and abilities of our characters.”
Booking details and prices can be found at the Eastgate website.