The Red Helmet
2008; USA
In a dark and drab world, a fearful young child discovers a bright red helmet that transforms everything. 6 min

Samsara
2009; USA
In the heart of the lofty, knife-sharp Vindhya Mountains in India sits a 6500-foot rock route that resembles a massive shark fin and rises from the ocean of crags. This fin, which is twice as long as anything on El Capitan and just as steep, has denied many notable climbers from reaching its summit. In Samsara, all-star climbing team Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin, and Renan Ozturk set out to attempt a first ascent. Directed by Ozturk, the film is woven together with art, journal excerpts, and still photography. The sacred peak, Meru, is said in mythology to be the center of the universe, but can you climb to the center of the universe? And that’s what Samsara—which means wheel of suffering—is about. 19 min

History Making Farming Author on the Move
2009; USA
Vern Switzer is an idiosyncratic character—a black farmer in Rural Hall, North Carolina, his passion for growing watermelon found new meaning when God directed him to write children’s books. Now this “farming author on the move” brings his message of sustainable farming and character building to schools across the country. Director Matt Morris (Pickin’ and Trimmin’, Mountainfilm 2008) was inspired by this year’s food theme to create this film to premiere at Mountainfilm. 7 min

Drift: Bahamas
2008; USA
After 50 years as a guide, Bonefish Charlie Smith has become synonymous with bonefish fishing in the Bahamas. But he is much more than just a fisherman with a graceful cast and a knack for locating prize silvery bonefish: He’s a bluesman, historian, raconteur and truly a one-of-a-kind character. As the operator of the famous Bang Bang Club in the Bahamas—where the water is like glass and the sky cotton-candy pastels—this protagonist shares his stories and sharp instincts, sings constantly and finishes each day on the dock, practicing his perfect casts and watching the sun go down. 15 min

Look to the Ground
2009; Canada
Imagine riding your mountain bike at full speed down a steep serpentine trail at night when the moon is a dim sliver that slips in and out of clouds, its vague light often lost in shadow. And now imagine that you’re wearing shades. Just such a scenario describes much of Bobby McMullen’s life: He is a blind mountain biker. Look to the Ground is his story. 6 min

Carts of Darkness
2007; Canada
This film begins as a study of a group of homeless men in Vancouver, BC, who race shopping carts down enormous hills. These men find themselves on the edge of society and numb their pain with alcohol or, thrillingly, with these perilous descents in purloined shopping carts. As the story proceeds, filmmaker Murray Siple gradually shares that he once craved his own adrenaline rush. He lets these dual narratives unfold in a way that manages to be raw and thoughtful, coarse and kind. 59 min

Home
2008; UK
“Home is within,” says Joe McGarry, the former director of a homeless shelter and the narrator of this wise and wonderful short film. With a spot-on score by composer Michael Nyman, Home is a spoken-word picture poem that meditates on what it really means to be at home. 3 min