January 24 & 25, 2025
6:00 PM – 9:30 PM
Doors open at 6 PM, Program starts at 7 PM
January 24: Big Grove Brewery Taproom in Iowa City
January 25: Indian Creek Nature Center in Cedar Rapids
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.
Expect to be inspired to get outdoors! Win raffle prizes, grab a beer and popcorn and settle in to watch short films featuring outdoor sports in beautiful places around the world.
Tickets: $15
Raffles
Purchase raffle tickets at the event for your chance to win prizes:
Friday, January 24 at Big Grove Brewery
Coming soon …
Saturday, January 25 at Indian Creek Nature Center
Coming soon …
Thank you, sponsors!
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.
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?
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?
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.
REEL TWO
A 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 (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.
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.
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.
