August 27, 2004

Creative projects share $23,000 in Banff Centre Mountain Grants

Filmmakers, photographers, artists, and writers from around the world will share a total of $23,000 (CDN) in funding from The Banff Centre’s 2004 Banff Mountain Grants program. The grants support work that brings stories of mountain ecology, adventure, inspiration and culture to a broad public audience.

This year an additional $8,000 (CND) was awarded in special Mountains as Water Towers grants to projects depicting the unique relationship between mountain areas and the world’s water supply.

“Mountain environments and mountain watersheds are so important to all of us,” says Leslie Taylor, associate director, Mountain Culture at The Banff Centre. “We're happy to be able to support these diverse projects that work to highlight that importance.” The 2004 selection committee reviewed 57 grant applications for projects in 15 countries.

2004 Grant Recipients

• Kelly Duane, Loteria Films, San Francisco, California, for "Monumental: David Brower’s Fight for Wild America", a film about David Brower, founder of Friends of the Earth and one of the greatest environmentalists of the 20th century — $5000
   

• Joe Josephson, Bozeman, Montana, for "A Historical Guide to Canada’s Highest Peak", a guidebook for Mount Logan and its primary satellite peaks, King and McArthur — $3000
   

• Florian Schulz, Wilhelmsdorf, Germany for "North America’s Wild Heart: From Yellowstone to Yukon", a photographic book to support and inspire advocacy on the importance of the Yellowstone to Yukon corridor — $3000
   

• Stephen Alvarez, Monteagle, Tennessee, for "Inside Mountains: Photographing Deep Vertical Pits", a photographic book about deep vertical caves in the United States and Mexico — $2000
   

• Nils Larsen, Curlew, Washington, for "Rooted in the Altai", a film about the traditional use of skis in the Altai Mountains of China — $1000
   

• Carlos Alberto Pinelli, Rome, Italy for OXUS – Mountains for Peace – a Mission in Afghanistan 2003, the follow-up to a climbing mission on the highest peak of the Afghan Hindu Kush, including a film and educational outreach to promote safe adventure tourism in Afghanistan — $1000
   

• Sanjay Barnela and Mark Baker, New Delhi, India for "Rhythms of the Kuhls", a film about a community using a unique sustainable water management system in Himachal Pradesh, India — $4000, Mountains as Water Towers grant
   

• Juri Peepre, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada for "The Three Rivers: Wild Water, Sacred Places", an internationally touring art exhibition featuring the work of eight artists inspired by a journey in the Yukon — $3000, Mountains as Water Towers grant
   

• Diana Matwichuk, Calgary, Alberta, Canada for "It’s Our Water Too!", an illustrated storybook for children about the current water crisis, encouraging awareness and conservation — $1000, Mountains as Water Towers grant
  
  Mountain Culture grants are awarded annually to projects that creatively communicate the environment, human heritage, inspiration and adventure of the world’s mountain places. Rules and application forms for 2005 grants will be available at the end of January on our website at www.banffcentre.ca/mountainculture

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