The NZ Mountain Film & Book Festival will open today (Friday June 23) with an exciting lineup of award-winning films and world-class speakers running in Wānaka through to Tuesday (June 27).

The films are also available to watch via the online festival for one month from tomorrow, but festival director Mark Sedon encourages people to come and watch the live shows if they can.

“It’s so much better on the big screen with the laughter and combined breath-holding of fellow festival fans,” Mark said.  

“We also have many of the filmmakers there in person introducing their own films which is pretty special.

“The main reason we started the festival 21 years ago, back in 2002, was to bring people together and to inspire them to undertake their own adventures and that’s still our main aim.”

Watch the NZMFF teaser video here.

Over the past two decades the NZ Mountain Film & Book Festival has built a reputation for attracting top international speakers and this year Mark is thrilled to have American climber and skier Brette Harrington - an accomplished rock climber with several notable climbs to her name - as a keynote speaker.

“She is an absolute legend in the climbing world and many people will have seen her in the blockbuster film, The Alpinist,” Mark said.

Brette will be speaking at three of the festival shows and local secondary school students will also have the opportunity to hear her and her climbing partner Christina Lustenberger speak as part of the free schools’ programme once again being held as part of the festival. 

The NZMFF Charitable Trust has supported the schools’ programme for the past eight years and this year 188 students from Mount Aspiring College have signed up to attend a session and another 118 will travel from Cromwell College and Roxburgh College.

As well as the ticketed shows, there will be free one-hour film sessions for families to attend in Wānaka and Lake Hāwea (Saturday and Sunday mornings at 10am at Edgewater Hotel and Saturday at 10am at the Hāwea Hotel).

“We love putting on this festival, and we have always enjoyed strong support from our local communities so we want to make sure we can keep hosting it for many more years to come,” Mark said. 

“Grab your mates and come along to one of the festival shows, you’ll definitely be inspired.”

Find more information about the NZ Mountain Film & Book Festival available here.

PHOTO: Supplied