Backcountry Film Festival

About the Event

Spend An Evening At The Nature Center (Or Big Grove Brewery’s Iowa City Taproom) As We Host The Winter Wildland Alliance Backcountry Film Festival, A Compilation Of Films That Celebrate The Human-Powered Experience Through Winter Adventures.

Doors Open At 6 Pm, Program Starts At 7 Pm

2025 Film Lineup

Reel One

Surviving Our Story (24:33 Mins)

Filmmakers: Connor Ryan And Isaiah Branch Boyle

Description: One Of Two Winners Of The 2024 Winter Wildlands Alliance Human-Powered Film Grant:

For Two Skiers Caught In Back-To-Back Colorado Avalanches, Surviving The Accident Is Only The Beginning Of The Journey To Reclaim Their Lives And Find Their Way Back To The Snow.

Reel Two

A Line In The Snowa Line In The Snow (14:02 Mins)

Filmmaker: Ryan Rumpca, Manifested Moose Media

Description: Professional Arctic Explorer Annie Aggens, Her Daughters And Their Four-Legged Friends Go Winter Camping In The Wilds Of Minnesota’s Boundary Waters.

The Power Of Four (7:33 Mins)

Filmmaker: Forest Barton

Description: Spandex, Skinny Skis, Struggle And Redemption In The Headwaters Of The Roaring Fork.Novelty Lines

Drawn In (7:33 Mins)

Filmmaker: Jessa Gilbert And Justin Taylor Smith

Description: Artist Jessa Gilbert Finds Inspiration, Lines In The Snow, And A Beginning At The Bottom Of The World.

A Rose For All (6:00 Mins)

Filmmaker: Chris Kitchen, Kgb Productions

Description: Half An Hour From Downtown Reno, Nevada, Lies A Public Gateway To Wild Snow. But Can We Make Room For Everybody?

Novelty Lines (4:42 Mins)

Filmmaker: Anthony Cupaiuolo, First Tracks Productions

Description: Splitboarder Claire Hewitt-Demeyer Pushes The Limits Of Human-Powered Type 2 Fun For A Surprising First Descent.

Sven – A Life In Front Of The Lens (16:05 Mins)

Filmmaker: Gabe Rovick, F4d Studio

Description: Veteran Cover Boy Sven Brunso May Just Be The Most Photographed Man In Backcountry Skiing. Will He Ever Give Up?

On Thin Snow (9:22 Mins)

Filmmakers: Jonah Rafael And Kalef Steinberg

Description: Avalanche Scientist Brian Lazar Digs Into The Increasingly Variable Snowpack In Colorado To See What Climate Change Means For Backcountry Skiing.

Nisei (7:36 Mins)

Filmmakers: Iz La Motte, Sierra Schlag

Description: In The Tension Between Her Japanese And American Heritage, Pro-Skier Sierra Schlag Finds Graceful Lines Through Deep Powder.

The Glide (3:00 Mins)

Filmmaker: Luc Mehl

Description: The Winner Of This Year’s Backcountry Film Festival Jury Award: After Several Close Calls In Avalanches, Winter Wildlands Alliance’s Alaska-Based Ambassador Luc Mehl Wanted To Explore Some Different Terrain. Here’s What He Found.

Song Of Ice (2:26 Mins)

Filmmaker: Arthus Kauffeisen

Description: Last But Definitely Not Least, To Send You Merrily On Your Way, A Final Lyrical Dance Through Frozen Mountain Landscapes With Very Earnest Voiceover.

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