Banff Film Festival, Cold wins best film, Freedom Climbers best book

The 36th Banff Film Festival was celebrated in the small Canadian town last week and the winners of the various categories have now been announced.

The Grand Prize for the Best Film was won by Cold, produced by filmmaker Anson Fogel which documents the first winter ascent of Gasherbrum II carried out by Simone Moro, Denis Urubko and Cory Richards.

The Grand Prize for the Best Book went to Bernadette McDonald for her Freedom Climbers, which recounts the story of a group of extraordinary Polish adventurers who emerged from under the blanket of oppression following World War II to become the world’s leading Himalayan climbers. Although they lived in a dreary, war-ravaged landscape, with seemingly no hope of creating a meaningful life, these curious, motivated and skilled mountaineers created their own free-market economy under the very noses of their Communist bosses, and climbed their way to liberation.

The Banff Mountain Photography Competition Grand Prize was awarded to Tim Remick for his images entitle After-portraits from Denali.

For more information about all the awards check out www.banffcentre.ca