Kendal Mountain Festival Review

Kendal Mountain Festival is one of Europe’s biggest adventure festivals, taking place over four days in November in Cumbria. The programme features speakers, filmmakers, and authors sharing inspiring adventures in mountains, oceans, rivers, and forests across the globe. 

It has a long history of supporting paddlesports, and in 2021, I was hugely honoured that the film of my coast-to-coast fundraising, litter-picking SUP journey, Brave Enough – A Journey Home to Joy, was screened at the festival.

This year, I was thrilled to be invited to review kayaking and canoeing films for The Paddler from the Paddle Film Collection, sponsored by Dryrobe.

Rods, Rolls & Reality on the Soča
Rok Rozman, Rozle Bregar
Five minutes

I loved this quirky film about four kayakers who swapped their craft for fishing rods as they paddled the gorgeous blue waters of the Soča River in Slovenia. The humour and beautiful photography also contained an important message about conservation – saving the native marble trout. The four recommend spending time on the water fishing for dinner to create a simple, genuine connection to nature. Made in partnership with NRS, this film is available via the Balkan River Defence.
www.balkanriverdefence.org

Ay Chihuahuai!
Benjamin Stookesberry
17 minutes

In this film, we follow two seasoned expedition kayakers embarking on the challenging waters of the mile-deep Barranca Candamena in the Chihuahua region of Mexico. Heavy rains cause flash floods in the canyon, and along with the threat of local drug gangs, this feels like a risky endeavour. As they navigate the route, the edge-of-your-seat moments make for a thrilling journey for the viewer and huge admiration for the team of Erik Boomer and Benjamin Stookesberry. There are also some touching moments as the adventurers spend time with locals along the way. With support from Whitewater, you can watch the film on YouTube.
www.gearjunkie.com

Following Footsteps
of River Runners
Deane Parker – 18 minutes

A really engaging film spanning the generations, this film takes us back to the early days of kayaking adventures in New Zealand. The film shows a team of kayakers, led by Deane Parker, following the route John Mackay and friends took in 1974 to tube raft the Karamea River in the Kahurangi National Park, which he later documented in his book Wild Rivers. Today’s river runners, of course, have a supply of state-of-the-art kit that makes it a much less precarious adventure than 50 years ago. This shows how times have changed, from woolly jumpers and plastic raincoats to thermal drysuits and a GoPro fixed to the helmet. Whilst the action shots and scenery are engaging and inspiring, what I liked about this film was the great respect Deane Parker and the team showed their forerunners. I, too, came away with tremendous admiration for the living legend that is John Mackay, his pioneering spirit, courage and gentle, dry humour.
www.deaneparker.nz

The Grand Salmon
Jess Wiegandt – 56 minutes

The final and longest film in the collection was The Grand Salmon, which was a very powerful one. Three women set out to paddle and recreate the 1000-mile journey taken each year by wild salmon from Idaho to the Pacific Ocean. As they do so, they chart the significant decline of the wild salmon populations as a result of the dams built along the Lower Snake River and its watershed. In partnership with NRS, the three women – Elizabeth Tobey, Brooke Hess and Hailey Thompson – take us on a truly remarkable journey from white water to sweltering hot, flatter days to the ocean. As they call it, ‘a 1000 mile sufferfest.’

The women also show an inspiring camaraderie and friendship as they navigate the waters and the long portages, always having each other’s back and cheering each other on. They are highly experienced water women and have the scientific expertise and passion to share the salmon’s journey. They explain that as a ‘keystone species’, the salmon are important for the survival of 140 animals that rely upon them. The women also have the support of the Nez Perce Tribe, the Nimiipuu people, who, because of the decline in the salmon population, cannot exercise their traditional fishing rights.
At the end of the film, news comes through that the Biden administration, in government at the time, was showing support for changes to the dams.

Powerful, inspiring, and uplifting, The Grand Salmon is a film I would highly recommend. It is worthy of the many festivals it has been selected for worldwide.
www.salmonsourcetosea.com

In addition to the Paddle Collection, I was fortunate enough to see two other films that readers of the Paddler would be interested in. 

The Big Sea
Lewis Arnold –  75 minutes

Whilst The Big Sea is a film about surfing and not a paddlesport, I wanted to include it here because of its subject matter, which I think will be relevant to all of us who care about the oceans and our environmental responsibility as adventurers. The Big Sea is a thoroughly researched investigative documentary exploring the link between neoprene – a key component in wetsuits, gloves and boots as well as cars, trainers, luggage and cycling gear – and the health of those living near the plants where it is manufactured in Louisiana. Known as Cancer Alley, residents face the highest cancer risk in the USA – 50 times the national average.

An independent documentary by Lewis Arnold, Chris Nelson and Demi Taylor, The Big Sea weaves beautiful stories of the sea with powerful, intimate and devastating personal testimonies of local families.

There is an alternative to neoprene in the form of natural rubber, such as Yulex, which quite literally grows on trees. The Big Sea shows us that, as individuals, we can make a difference in how we spend our money and what we ask of the brands that we use today.
Whilst I am not a surfer, as a cold-water swimmer, paddleboarder, and bodyboarder, I always have neoprene in my kit bag. I also have very close family members who have had or have cancer and who love the sea. As a result of The Big Sea, I will think more carefully about my purchases in the future when I need to replace my kit.
https://thebigsea.org

Capsized
Roxanna Barry – 17 minutes

Screened in the Explore Collection at Kendal, this is the uplifting story of Emily Kynaston-Williams’ canoe adventure across Scotland’s Isle of Lewis with her friend Lisa Handcock. However, before they can embark on the Outer Hebrides trip to explore the lochs, Emily faces challenges closer to home.  Namely, finding a kit for the adventure. As a co-founder of Every Body Outdoors, a community committed to gaining representation, kit and clothing for plus-sized bodies in the outdoors, Emily is no stranger to limited sizes and ranges for her favourite activities, including cycling, swimming and paddleboarding. 45% of women in the UK wear sizes larger than 16, yet outdoor stores rarely carry ranges that will fit them. How, then, are they to access their adventures and dreams?

Emily and Lisa’s three-day, 35-km adventure includes a lot of portaging across boggy land and some sailing in the sunshine and is a joy to watch. Perfectly balanced, it has big views of gorgeous scenery and powerful messaging about accessibility and diversity in the outdoors alongside intimate stories of friendship, laughter, and fulfilling your dreams. The cinematography and soundtrack are pitched beautifully.

I loved it.
www.roxannabarry.co.uk and www.everybodyoutdoors.co.uk