EMFF SET TO WOO AUDIENCES WITH NEW VALENTINE’S WEEKEND EVENT
Edinburgh Mountain Film Festival fans fall for the man known as ‘The Swiss Machine’
The Edinburgh Mountain Film Festival is back – but with a difference. The 11th EMFF has moved away from its old October slot and is set to woo audiences from Friday 14 – Sunday 16 February 2014. The line up is, as usual, irresistible, leaving its many love-struck fans swooning with excitement!
The three-day festival is being staged, as always, at George Square Lecture Theatre in Edinburgh. Tickets for the popular festival (from £7) are on sale now here with the organisers reporting the best advance ticket sales in its 11-year history.
Festival Director, Stevie Christie, recommends: “If you’re thinking of inviting someone along, pop the question early and buy your tickets today!”
The 2014 festival programme is a weekend packed full of inspiration and entertainment, with an impressive diversity of speakers and films delivering lots of high drama, extreme action and painful wipeouts! Over the years The EMFF has built a strong reputation as a fun, lively, enlightening and inspiring event, suitable for all of the family, and now in its 11th year in its new February slot, it continues to build on that trend.
Of course, you would expect adventurers, climbers and mountaineers at a mountain film festival and the 11thEMFF does not disappoint! Headlining the festival is an appearance by extreme alpinist, Ueli Steck. Known as ‘The Swiss Machine’, Ueli is best known for his incredible solo speed ascents of the world’s great mountains, including the North Face of the Eiger in under 3 hours and, more recently, the South Face of Annapurna in less than 28 hours. Steck was also involved in the notorious altercation with Sherpas at Everest Base Camp in 2013, an event that became an international incident.
Other speakers include the lively Alastair Humphreys, who was named National Geographic’s Adventurer of the Year in 2012; climber Nick Bullock who quit his job in a prison to become a full-time climber and has lived out of the back of his van ever since; and Edinburgh ultra-runner and adventurer, Dr Andrew Murray.
As well as the speakers, there are many remarkable films being screened. Ueli Steck fans will flock to see ‘High Tension’, a film which tells the story of the Everest incident and which captured the assault on camera. ‘Five Months’ is a story of last year’s Scottish ski season, as told by extreme skier Peter MacKenzie and his friends as they throw themselves down sheer faces far away from the ski centres. But amidst all of the action and excitement, there are some more mellow gems. Don’t miss ‘Britain’s Last Wilderness – A Week Without Food’ which sees some friends attempt to live off the land while exploring Knoydart; and ‘Keeper of the Mountains’, about Elizabeth Hawley, a 90 year old American resident of Nepal who has never climbed a mountain in her life. It’s one of the finalists in the ‘Best Film Award’ – see it and you’ll understand why.
Stevie Christie, Festival Director, said: “I’m excited to be staging the EMFF in February for the first time. Our fans are clearly excited about the line up as tickets are selling faster than red roses on Valentine’s Day!”
“Whether you are a committed outdoor enthusiast or more of an armchair fan, or if you simply enjoy hearing enthralling stories set against incredibly beautiful scenery, there is something for you at the EMFF. And if you’re looking for an original Valentine Day date night, what could be better than the EMFF? It’s like a cinema night – but so much better!”
The festival, staged in association with Tiso, Mountain Equipment, Gore and Wilderness Scotland, expects big numbers from the climbing, snowsports, kayaking, adventure sports, outdoor photography and filmmaking communities; as well as those who love the outdoors, travel and mountain adventure, from all over the UK to attend the event. From its humble beginnings in 2003, it’s grown to be one of the most popular and dynamic events in Scotland’s outdoor adventure calendar, attracting in excess of 3,000 outdoor enthusiasts annually.
For full details of the festival programme and how to buy tickets go to: www.emff.co.uk
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
