So awesome I had to share: the Film was officially released at a premiere on the 28th of September in Canada, but further screenings are still scheduled for later in October, so I'm unsure of when we can expect it to reach SA. This may be a "Ski" film (literally about Skiing), but Sherpas Cinema has proven itself in going beyond genre (and sport) and filming way more than simply extreme action sports films, as the trailer itself illustrates in a visual feast... I've never Skied in my life, but projects like this kind of get you interested, in the very least. Beyond that though, its just a kickass production that also happens to be a sports film. There is an actual storyline to this it too (in that its not just a bunch of cool segments that coincidentally have skier's doing their thing), its about rising to the ultimate challenge and risking your own mortality to achieve success. The sound editing, visual effects and score are all by Sherpa - a first for them as they sought to outdo their previous work, the award winning "All.I.Can" - you can view that trailer HERE. Enjoy! The word 'romance,' according to the dictionary, means excitement, adventure, and something extremely real. Romance should last a lifetime. Bonus video: Conrad Anker in Denali I added this for the warm feeling I got in my heart, the slight wetness on my eyes and the itch in my legs and feet - its just THAT beautiful... another reminder - hit the full screen tab! “Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.”
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Alex Honnold: Some call him brave, a genius,some call him crazy, others call him stupid... whatever your angle, there's no denying that Honnold is carving out his own legacy, even when proverbially picking up Dan Osman's baton - I can only tip my hat to you sir - the level of commitment needed, where a mistake is unthinkable - when considering his movement, technique, ability and courage... it does lean very strongly toward art! Age: 28 Country: USA Occupation: Professional rock climber Known for: Being a mind bogglingly astounding rock climber. Free solo ascents of big walls (including his recent work on half-dome El Capitan in the Yosemite National Park) Random Facts:
The next video is fairly "tame" by his standards, but the scenery and photography is just breathtaking. Reminder: click the full screen button when viewing - its a lot better that way! This one's more like it - The second half of this short clip from 'Alone on the Wall' is heart in mouth stuff! If you've got time to spare, here's the link to the piece on him by 60 Minutes. The video below by The North Face I found on "Never Stop Exploring" - you can find the link at the bottom of the post. “When all the movements just feel so crisp, and precise and perfect, you don’t feel pain in your fingers so much. You can tork on them super hard…you just feel stronger…” A Return to the Wilderness, Part 1 I write this whilst mentally planning for a hike. Hopefully this time next week I’ll be writing from the proverbial “other side” of that mountain. It doesn’t seem like much I know, like making a fuss over something hundreds, if not thousands have done before me, and more still will do after, but allow me to put things in context… For the last few years I’ve been telling people that I’ve written a book, and only one person really, beyond a shadow of a doubt can back me up on that claim, yes my family has seen snippets as well as some friends and professionals I’ve networked with, but largely, it remains a feat that for the most part people just have to take on my word. But that doesn’t say much. On this journey I’ve seemingly gone about things in my own way – backwards that is… Leon Uris wrote that to be a writer we have to acknowledge within ourselves that we’re either insane or very naïve; this I have discovered over and over again. Can I compete with the best out there? Is my work good enough (even as I work constantly to improve it)? Do people actually want to hear what I have to say? – And on that note: What exactly do I have to say that warrants such an endeavour? - These are questions every writer faces. Inevitably, I’ve also learned that we preach about what we ourselves need to learn, and that, is what I’ve been doing for the last few years (in the very least anyway), learning. Which brings me back to the mountain; I was once asked how it is that I’m such a good climber (referring in that instance to rock climbing) – truthfully I’m not that great at it, but let’s just say that I’m “contextually adept”… this was when I first started, and as a beginner my reply was: “I guess I was always a rock climber in my mind, except that physically, I just wasn’t. So then, when I eventually got the opportunity, it all sort of felt natural” – this is something I’ve been working to apply to my writing career as well, because once you actually make that huge leap, or take the first step/hold on that first climb, are you really what you claim to be, what you believe yourself to be? That is where Faith creeps into the reckoning. Needless to say we all have our personal journey and have to travel it and negotiate its challenges in our own way. The Spiritual life cannot be made suburban. It is always frontier, and we who live in it must accept and even rejoice that it remains untamed. I’ve been doing some interesting reading of late, earnestly this time (the first real reading, that wasn’t specified research of some kind, since I started writing my book), from books that have appealed to me personally (one of which I reviewed a couple of weeks back). The one I’m currently about to finish is titled ‘Wild at Heart’ about defining, seeking and understanding the true heart of a man. It’s a book every man, or anyone who calls himself one, should read. I’ll zero in on one thing though… that of the wilderness. You see, within the heart of the true man lies the desire to explore, to be the frontiersman and lay foot upon unbroken ground, to return to the wild. It’s interesting that when people do this (not just men), they inexplicably relate the experience as being something akin to spiritual, because in reality, it is our spiritual home. So if you acknowledge the spirit within a man, within yourself, then you must realize that that Spirit, is in fact wild as well. The flesh is weak and confining and finite, but the spirit is unrestricted and strong and eternal, but only if we embrace it. Take the Bible for what it is physically – a book – and in this book of stories from many writers there is a tale of when God made Adam (in the wilderness) and brought him into the Garden of Eden (where he made Eve)… the point being this: there is a reason why men often put up pictures of untamed landscapes in their house or office, and it is about way more than simply beauty. It is the CALL of the wild, beckoning him to come home, and re-energize for his daily battles. Incidentally, the Bible also states that our spirit is our direct link to God (if you take it as more than just a book of stories). (It begs the question: where does this spiritual realm come from?) Your spirit is wild, which is why so many choose to ignore it, or don’t acknowledge it at all, because it is also dangerous, but it remains the key to you coming alive. So, I’m heading up to a mountain (along with over a dozen other brave souls, male and female), into that wintery cold, clouds and snow, to in some way symbolically cap off or underscore this mini chapter in my life – which just so happens to coincide with the near completion of the third draft of my novel (which I’ve renamed Peacekeeper – about a man who discovers what it really takes to fight the battles he faces, even when he doesn’t see it coming, when he’s alone and outmatched). The true heart of man is not a mere fleshy pump in his chest, but is in, and is, his spirit and the exploration of the vast untamed mystery of this creation we like to call life. Yes, there will be splendor, but there will also be pain lurking in that dangerous unknown, this is a battle after all. I pity those who think less of it… but there is always hope. Part of it is living on the border between life and death, or living on the border between the material and immaterial, and learning how to apply that spiritual world, to the natural of everyday. Getting back to the wild then, is about getting back to the frontier for easier access into the transcendent part of ourselves which is more than elemental. For me, personally, it’s about getting closer to God. Watch This trailer in FULL Screen mode. These Guys are just as crazy - I admire them because I suck at slack-lining and I've never attempted highlining, and wish I could do those things, but I cannot, and I cannot condone this either, even though its cool! - Leave it to the Frenchies! On our journey of progression, and for many of us, discovery, we focus on David Romero, filmmaker, writer, novelist, poet... A creative at heart, David is a man on the move with great insights as well as goals and surely someone to look out for in the future. It gives me great pleasure to feature this artist, whom I hope to work with someday: Poetry: Story of remoteness, 47. By David Martinez Romero The soul of an artist Gently silence falls as white bird eating holes in the clouds, where broken glitter beams cross needles in ice flowing, slow death of magma yesterday on our hands clasped, now lost underground. Because the dust has eaten the paintings in the library: those books, on which dreaming we once promised immense love and pleasure and caresses, have been lost, such as dust, as white bird that rises. Pages and pages of gray images, fragmentary, I remember the futility of all the roses and I know that beauty dies that woman is beautiful and her beauty shines, the time ineluctable push intensifies and a wave comes and goes like foam. Slowly, from a tear magnificent the whole philosophy springs, all the knowledge of the truth, the night, the sugar, all that is worthy of being known or kissed, glazed moons with lids wide open as if an albino animal had crossed the room at the speed of a smile: perhaps an angel ... perhaps the soul of an artist. * Videos by Eldorado Entertainment "Motorway" - Anni B Sweet. Directed by David Martinez Romero Movida Corona 2010 - Executive Producer: David Martinez Romero Mini Biography: Born in Madrid in 1976. Journalist, writer, video producer and on his way to make a filmmaker out of himself. Founder of Eldorado Entertainment, production company in which he has produced and directed from TV commercials to music videos and his first short film, The Offer. As a writer, he has published one Poetry book, El mundo cuando sueña, yet he has written several collections of poems, two novels and one autobiographical essay. He publish a blog under his own name in which he shares poems and other writings every week. Right now, looking for financial support for a documentary film. Q & A:
Zahara de los Atunes (a little town in Cadiz) La Judería, Córdoba For more, contact and follow David: Juanda Cortes Photography Referenced earlier: visit Juanda Cortes photography, another contributor at Eldorado Entertainment. For this week we turn our attention to Jason Hayden, Photographer, Oceanographer, and in his spare time, rock climber... I won't get into the whole "is photography art?" debate, because quite frankly, I believe it is - and I'm not alone. Without further ado though, lets look at the evidence through the lens of our main protagonist, Mr Hayden: photos by Jason Hayden (obviously) Mini Biography I got hooked on photography back in 2002, in the birthplace of some of the most phenomenal photographers, and one of the most photogenic cities in the world, NYC. I attended the Nikon School of photography there, and began to shoot EVERYTHING. In 2003 I decided to pursue my life long dream of becoming an oceanographer. Unfortunately this put my photography on the back burner for a while. Full frame digital cameras finally began to rival the quality of film, and I got drawn back into photography. Once again, I find myself photographing one of the most photogenic cities in the world, with natural beauty that just cant be been rivaled, Cape Town. I have traveled to over 20 countries in the last two years and Cape Town is by far the most beautiful city I have ever seen. Q & A: - What model camera do you use/ What would you like to use in future? I am currently using a 5D MKiii, and in the future I would like to use a Canon 5D MKiii..They are fantastic cameras. I am also starting to include video in my repertoire, and would love to get a RED Epic camera. Check out a sample of a time lapse I did, Empty Places On My Own! from jason hayden on Vimeo. - What's your favorite time of day? I enjoy photographing bugs and around 16:30 they start slowing down just long enough for me to get a decent shot. So between 16:30 and 19:30 is my favorite time of day..When I can drag myself out of bed before sunrise it is also EPIC! - If you had to have breakfast with 3 famous people, who would they be? I would say Ansel Adams..But having breakfast with a guy who has been dead for so long might not be a good idea..I might just be put off my bacon. So I guess it would be Thomas Shahan (http://thomasshahan.com/), Brian Skerry (http://www.brianskerry.com/) and Rob Whitworth (*see below*). - A random favorite quote of yours (something you said or something someone else said) V for Vendetta (2005): Nasoj: aka JASON HAYDEN the MANboy himself - What do you love about Cape Town, aside from the views? The diversity! Cape Town has such a diversity in people, fauna, flora and marine environments. It is a place where diversity is truly a blessing.
Thank you Jason for sharing your talent with us... It occurred to me that there are no Creepy Crawly photos - perhaps we can do a follow up piece in a couple of weeks... ... And, just because I can and because its cool (and mind boggling), I've uploaded the time lapse video by Rob Whitworth, Enjoy and have an awesome week! |
[Banner illustration by Joel Kanar]
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