NZ Mountain Film Festival to screen award-winning films in Whanganui in August

The Kiwi Made selection includes a film about a Southern Alps exploration. Photo / NZME

High-octane sports and topical environmental and mountain culture films will feature in two events in Whanganui in August.

The NZ Mountain Film Festival National Tour takes award-winning films to audiences around New Zealand and is a main fundraiser for Land Search and Rescue Whanganui (LandSAR), which has secured two evenings of inspirational short films.

"The New Zealand Mountain Film Festival is shown every year down in Wanaka and back in my Queenstown days we always made the trip over the hill every winter to soak in the incredible feats of ordinary people doing extraordinary things," LandSAR Whanganui member Louise Bird said.

"We are so lucky to have a curated selection available to showcase to a Whanganui audience. It's our third year now organising this film festival and we'd love to sell every seat."

The Kiwi Made selection screens at 7pm on Thursday, August 12. Films range from 10 to 37 minutes. They include a jaw-dropping ski traverse of the Canterbury Alps, a first-time ascent of the massive Airport Wall in Fiordland, a Southern Alps exploration by four adventurous friends, up-and-coming surfer Kehu Butler showing his favourite surfing spots around New Zealand, and a self-filmed free climb of Aoraki/Mt Cook's last unclimbed route.

The Award Winning selection screens at 7pm on Thursday, August 26, and features films (ranging from five to 66 minutes) showcasing daring feats like Wingsuit Base jumping, mountain climbing in the Bernese Alps, a ski, snowboard and monoski down a 3800m ridge in Canada, and skiing the most dangerous mountain on earth: K2.

LandSAR Whanganui works in partnership with the New Zealand Police to provide a highly trained group of personnel who are available night and day, 365 days a year, to help search for the lost, missing and injured in urban, rural and wilderness areas. Searches range from a lost or injured hunter or tramper in the wilderness, to an elderly person with dementia in an urban environment.

• The films will screen at the Davis Theatre, Whanganui Regional Museum, Watt St. Doors open at 6.30pm and the films start at 7pm. General admission tickets are $20, concession tickets (Gold Card and youth) $15 and a festival pass to both sessions is $34 or $25.50 for concession pass holders. Early online bookings at www.trybooking.com are recommended as there will be limited door sales.