The Ledlenser Trails In Motion Film Festival (TIMFF) has announced an official 11-stop tour of Australia. The full tour roster has been released along with news that the TIMFF has partnered with Ultra Trail Australia event organisers, AROC Sport.
As such the TIMFF will premiere at Ultra-Trail Australia in Katoomba New South Wales on the 18th of May, before hitting the road from the 27th of June through to the 17th of August – screening at a mix of independent cinemas and plush venues in major cities and smaller towns.
Included amongst the larger cities of Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and Perth. The tour will also head to smaller communities like Darwin, Avoca Beach and Newcastle.
“We’ve worked hard over the past three years to grow the Ledlenser Trails In Motion Film Festival into a truly global film showcase,” says Festival Director James Hallett, “so this partnership with AROC Sport will not only allow the tour to develop in Australia, but also hopefully encourage more aspiring Australasian filmmakers to produce films about the sport.”
With Australia’s vibrant outdoor and adventure sport community continuing to grow with trail running one of the boom sport leaders, AROC Sport Director Alina McMaster believe Australia is ready for a full scale tour of the festival.
“We’re excited to bring this amazing series of inspirational and enlightening films to Australia. The passion for trail running is continually growing here and we look forward to being a part of that with the annual hosting of the world tour.”
Perseverance, individual quirkiness, Fastest Know Times (FKT’s) and trail camaraderie are central to the theme of the 2017 Ledlenser Trails In Motion Film Festival line up, the fifth year the festival has showcased. Each film – from numerous shorts to selected feature length productions – offers an inspirational view into the world of trail and ultra running, featuring some of the planet’s most breathtaking trail running destinations in the process.
One of Trail Run Mag’s favourite picks would be The Hard Way, an inspirational story of Bob Hayes, an 89-year-old who runs 30 races each year, cuts his firewood by hand and does things the hard way to remain active and alive. The film follows Bob as he trains for the Bighorn 50k ultra marathon in the United States. As Bob pushes 90, the longer 30k and 50k races take a larger toll. How will Bob’s cadence of hard work and intention help him navigate the challenges of aging?
Another 8-minute film set in Utah’s rugged Uinta mountains, the Wild Way, captures images of something no one thought possible in the area: a wolverine. This elusive creature hadn’t been spotted for nearly 40 years. That one photograph set in motion a massive undertaking to find if these badasses of the animal kingdom were setting up shop here for good. Under the guidance of Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation, ultrarunners take to the mountains setting up and checking camera traps around the ecosystem in search of more photographic evidence. The result? A comprehensive survey of wildlife in the range and a model for citizen science projects everywhere.
Thirty Hours is another inspirational ‘senior moment’ of the trail. Running 100 miles is tough, running 100 miles when you’re 72 years old is unimaginable. Unless you’re Wally Hesseltine. Thirty Hours follows Wally as he pushes his aging body to the absolute limit in his quest to become the oldest ever finisher of the world’s most prestigious ultramarathon – the Western States 100. 100 miles. 30 hours. One unforgettable finish.
For more previews of films screening, check: www.trailsinmotion.com.au. and stay tuned via www.facebook.com/trailsinmotionaustralia/