2006 WATERWALKER WINNERS

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Paddle Canada would like to congratulate the winners of the 2006 WATERWALKER Festival and thank the filmmakers who submitted films for this year. The following winners and films have been selected for the 2006 WATERWALKER National Film Tour in cities throughout Canada, the United States and Internationally.


ACTION WINNER

B.EAST
Running Time: 14 minutes 33 second
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Every spring, paddlers from around the world migrate to eastern North America in pursuit of the massive early season flows. b.EAST follows some of the most committed and accomplished on this journey, with challenging, awe inspiring whitewater. b.East takes you on a thought provoking ride that offers a window into the soul of the sport.

ACTION HONOURABLE MENTION

DYNASTY
Running Time: 18 minutes
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A generation wildly pursuing their taste for adventure as they document their global kayaking journey: from launching into the White Nile's legendary Hypoxia Rapid to experiencing first descents on the thundering rivers of Madagascar. You'll be with them every step of the way.


aDVENTURE WINNER

WET HOUSE
Running Time: 38 minutes
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Wet-House combines amazing footage from around the globe with intriguing commentary as it artistically profiles a select group of the world's best paddlers, not just as athletes, but as individuals with personality, character and opinion. Wet-House is the story of six fiercely independent boaters from the far corners of the world; united by their shared thirst for big water and high adventure.


ENVIRONMENT WINNER

River Art: the legacy of light and land
Running Time: 45 minutes
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This is the journey of four women who paddled the Dubawnt River (northern Saskatchewan, NWT and Nunavut) during a 50-day canoe expedition. The film is an exploration of the relationship between people and nature through canoe travel and relating to the land.


HERITAGE WINNER

Ray Mears' bushcraft - Birch bark canoe
Running Time: 58 minutes 56 seconds
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Ray Mears builds a traditional canoe made from birch bark, cedar and spruce roots. It's a skill requiring judgement and patience. Everything is judged by hand and eye using only traditional tools and natural materials. One of the finest crafts ever created, making one is the realization of a life long ambition. This film also includes interviews with Kirk Wipper and Becky Mason.


HERITAGE HONOURABLE MENTION

JOURNEY FOUR MOONS
Running Time: 25 minutes
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During the summer of 1905 treaty commissioners travelled the length of the Albany River. One hundred years later a small group of First Nation people paddled the same river on their way to Ottawa. The trip took three months, covered 1,600 km and visited seven First Nation communities. This is the story of the group who undertook this historic trip as they went from the rich boreal forest through to the vast James Bay lowland eventually ending up on the Ottawa River.


MUSIC WINNER

let the show begin
Running Time: 26 minutes 6 seconds
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At the end of every canoeing season Club de canot-camping Les Portageurs of Montreal present a video compilation of the season's best moments featuring dramatic and humourous scenes of whitewater paddling set to music from the movies. Let the show begin!


SHORT WINNER

leARNING TO LAUGH AT YOURSELF
Running Time: 4 minutes 12 seconds
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Singer/songwriter, David Hadfield, recounts Kevin Callan's “blooper moments” up Algoma's West Aubinadong River.


ADDITIONAL FILMS

aCROSS ASGAARD
Running Time: 45 minutes
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Frank Wolf and Todd Macfie attempt to retrace an ancient Viking trade route across Scandinavia. The remote route is steeped in history but they are challenged by grueling portages and nasty weather as they struggle to paddle their canoe 800 kilometres from the west coast of Norway all the way to Finland.


CANOE QUEST
Running Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
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Canoe Quest is a documentary film that profiles the events of the 2005 Saskatchewan Centennial Canoe Quest Race. This film captures the thrilling experience of 30 canoe teams, with paddlers from Canada, the United States and Scotland as they race their way across 1,018 kilometres of Saskatchewan's boreal north. Over flat water, rapids and portages, teams paddle 50 – 95 kilometres a day and are expected to complete the race in just 16 days.


hudson river extreme
Running Time: 21 minutes
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Hudson River Extreme documents the experiences of a group of New York City high school students as they discover the highs and lows of learning to whitewater kayak during a five-day course. Well-known kayakers, Jessie Stone and Eric Jackson lead the way.


things that move - canoe
Running Time: 23 minutes
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This film investigates the evolution, form and function of the canoe and considers the simple brilliance of a design that defined a nation. From ocean-going designs of the Pacific Haida and the Inuit to the Great Lakers of the Algonquin and the Voyageurs, the canoe can be used to cross the entire continent. Bill Mason once said, “First God created a canoe; then He created a country to go with it.”