Weekly Watchlist - Week 5 - ShAFF

Locked In

Jaw dropping first descent of the Beriman Gorge

An incredible cartoon film with diculous obstacles to make it to the sea.

Ed Birch Director of Salt-Street productions

Quite terrifying at moments.

Claire Carter Writer, Film Officer for Kendal Mountain Festival, 'Creative Consultant'.

Located just a few degrees off the equator, the island of New Britain, Papua New Guinea is a tapestry of virgin rainforest, unique culture and expansive coastline. Pouring out of the Nakani Mountains on the east side of the island is the Beriman River. Stretching over 40 kilometers from source to sea, the Beriman drops over 2000 meters to the Solomon Sea. It’s a deep, dark crack in the Earth that has remained a mystery until now. Ben Stookesberry, Chris Korbulic, Ben Marr and Pedro Oliva attempt the first descent of the Beriman River, pushing their skills and patience to the edge in a 13-day expedition from source to sea. 12 distinct gorges chalked full of class 5 rapids, un-escapable vertical walls, rising water levels and dense, virgin jungle all stand in the way of them being able to achieve a first descent. Battling moral, foot root and physical exhaustion, one thing keeps pulling them deeper. The only way out is down. This is as remote as river expeditions come and one of the most significant undertakings that has ever been accomplished in kayaks.

Mirror Wall

This big wall adventure film challenges the tallest known face on the east coast of Greenland, while providing moments for reflection 1200m off the ground.

The need for adventure and a changing horizon is a natural instinct for many people. In the case of renowned adventurer Leo Houlding, this has manifested itself in the form of completing world class expeditions with tight-knit teams to unclimbed peaks around the world.

Following the death of his long term climbing partner Sean ‘Stanley’ Leary and birth of his daughter Freya - ‘Mirror Wall’ finds Leo approaching his latest expedition with a reconsidered mentality and a completely new team.

With the responsibility of achieving his own goals, mentoring his talented but inexperienced companions and coming home safely to his family, this big wall adventure film challenges the tallest known face on the east coast of Greenland, while providing moments for reflection 1200m off the ground.

Beulah

A bikepacking journey to discover the wild very north-west tip of Scotland. Expect loaded bikes, empty roads & wilderness, campfires, bothies, tents and a steady flow of single malt.

Beulah follows a Pannier cycle tour to explore the Cape Wrath track; a journey inspired by a 1970s OS Map Sheet of the most north-westerly part of Scotland found in a Hay-on-Wye bookshop. Stefan, Will, Jordan and Luke set off from London on the sleeper train one evening to ride a three day circular route at the golden touring pace of 10mph; turns out they probably dropped to an even lower average.

More than discuss the details of this trip in particular, Pannier and Brother Cycles wanted to celebrate the general idea of heading off on bike adventures. The eight-minute short was filmed totally unsupported (Luke, the filmmaker, carried all the kit on his bike) and they wanted to make it this way for two reasons: to provide an authentic account of what it was like to be on a Pannier adventure cycling trip, and to test it out and see if it was possible...

For a Journal report on the trip, including route map, all the photography and additional information see: goo.gl/QLFTFo

The Trail to Kazbegi

What happens when four like-minded adventurers head into one of the world’s wildest mountain ranges with nothing but their mountain bikes and enough food to survive for 10 days?

What happens when four like-minded adventurers head into one of the world’s wildest mountain ranges with nothing but their mountain bikes and enough food to survive for 10 days? The answer? What doesn’t happen? Terrifying lightning storms. Raging-river crossings. Snow-covered glacial pass traverses. Mind-melting descents. Constant fights with vicious dogs. Tense encounters with over-zealous border-patrol guards. All of the above were just another day following “The Trail to Kazbegi,” a self-supported mountain-bike mission through the highest reaches of the Caucasus Mountains in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia. Our four-man team—adventure filmmaker Joey Schusler, Bike magazine editor Brice Minnigh, photographer Ross Measures and mountain man Sam Seward—spent half of June 2015 exploring the crown jewels of the Georgian High Caucasus on a feature assignment for Bike. Along the way our crew overcame countless obstacles and experienced some of the most spectacular scenery and trails they had ever encountered. They also were treated to the unparalleled hospitality of the Georgian people and the benign indifference of the elements on their quest to reach the magnificent Mount Kazbek. In the process, they cemented lasting friendships and proved, yet again, that life is simply better in the mountains.

Last Call For Mr Paul

Ever been late for a flight? Jason Paul uses his jaw-dropping freerunning skills to get through security at the Munich airport to catch his flight in record time.

What a film, so bad ass. Best parkour film I've ever seen.

Ed Birch Director of Salt-Street productions

Smash the tricks, catch the plane.

Claire Carter Writer, Film Officer for Kendal Mountain Festival, 'Creative Consultant'.

Somersaults off trollies, flips over escalators and daring jumps from the gangway – to catch a flight that had already been deemed missed, Jason Paul tries everything in his power. “As soon as I hear ‘Last Call for Mr Paul’ I imagine being stuck in a video game,” says Jason. “It’s my personal version of Mission Impossible.” In doing so and inspired by Jackie Chan the German freerunning ace almost always seems to reach the next level – almost always…