{"id":2442801,"date":"2019-04-10T14:24:03","date_gmt":"2019-04-10T20:24:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/?p=303942"},"modified":"2019-04-10T14:24:03","modified_gmt":"2019-04-10T20:24:03","slug":"films-that-shine-a-light-on-the-human-spirit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/films-that-shine-a-light-on-the-human-spirit\/","title":{"rendered":"Films that shine a light on the human spirit"},"content":{"rendered":"

This Sponsored content is brought to you by 5Point Adventure Film Festival.<\/em><\/p>\n

Blind adventurer Erik Weihenmayer takes on the Grand Canyon in a kayak in \u201cThe Weight of Water.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the 5Point film \u201cThe Weight of Water,\u201d blind adventurer Erik Weihenmayer takes on the Grand Canyon in a kayak, but this impressive physical and mental achievement is really just the backdrop for a much more remarkable human story.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe film transcends the outdoor genre with strong characters and a very compelling story about life that includes all of us, not just Erik,\u201d said filmmaker Michael Brown. \u201cKayaking and the Grand Canyon, while beautiful, are merely a backdrop for a deeply human drama mixed with a wonderful story of friendship.\u201d<\/p>\n

Transcending the outdoor genre is exactly what makes 5Point films \u2014 all of which capture and display the 5 points of purpose, respect, commitment, humility and balance \u2014 unique in the outdoor adventure film world. Other festivals may tug at viewers\u2019 adrenaline strings, but 5Point wants its films to do that and more.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re looking for the stories behind these adventures,\u201d said Regna Jones, 5Point\u2019s Executive Director. \u201cWe want to go deep into the human story to find out what drives and motivates people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Evolving from the adrenaline-pumping vibe of the festival\u2019s early days, today\u2019s festival connects with its audiences by showing moving stories about the human spirit and how adventure is for everyone \u2014 with a bit of action-adventure mixed in.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether someone is showing true grit, pure joy or overcoming an obstacle in life, it\u2019s the people \u2014 the human story \u2014 that drives a 5Point film,\u201d Meredith McKee, 5Point\u2019s Program Director.<\/p>\n

Adventure belongs to all<\/strong><\/p>\n

Weihenmayer, who has been blind since the age of 14 due to a genetic condition, trained for six or seven years to kayak the Grand Canyon. He also was the subject of a film, \u201cFarther Than the Eye Can See,\u201d about his 2001 journey climbing Mt. Everest.<\/p>\n

\n
Mike Chambers and Jason Antin in \u201cIn Due Time.\u201d In the film, these two men openly explore their thoughts on fatherhood, family and adventure \u2014 and how the proper balance between these three is necessary for their happiness.<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cSome people are on the fast track in life and they want to conquer a mountain really fast. I\u2019m not really into that \u2014 I like to build up and see if you can flourish in an environment rather than just survive it,\u201d Weihenmayer said.<\/p>\n

When asked what drives him to accomplish these harrowing feats, Weihenmayer doesn\u2019t have a clear answer.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can tell you why I don\u2019t do things \u2014 I don\u2019t do things to prove blind people can do things. That\u2019s sort of shallow and unsustainable. The world says I can\u2019t do something so I\u2019m going to go do it \u2014 I don\u2019t think that\u2019s enough,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Weihenmayer said it\u2019s Brown\u2019s work as the filmmaker that impressively captures the real story behind the journey. He said filmmakers often don\u2019t get enough attention for these storytelling achievements.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I left the Grand Canyon, you have this story but it hasn\u2019t really emerged yet,\u201d Weihenmayer said. \u201cFilmmakers try to figure out what\u2019s the story and where\u2019s the truth in this experience. I think Michael really tried to tap into some universal things a lot of people experience in life and the outdoors. People can connect themselves \u2014 their own fears, limitations and dreams \u2014 to the characters in the film. Michael nailed it. He did such a masterful job connecting it with people.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the root of a 5Point film, Jones said \u2014 knowing that it\u2019s going to be full of heart. From 5Point\u2019s perspective, \u201cadventure\u201d is a very broad term.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt does not matter if you are a kayaker or not, or if you have been to the Grand Canyon or not. If you have lived life and suffered from setbacks, you will appreciate the very human and very universal aspects of this story,\u201d Brown said. \u201cWhat especially resonates is that in life, our choices define us and our perception of success and failure.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Carbondale experience<\/strong><\/p>\n

Brown sees Carbondale as the heart of a true mountain community that encompasses the entirety of the Roaring Fork Valley.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a lot of authenticity in the audience at 5Point,\u201d he said. \u201cThey will see through anything contrived.\u201d<\/p>\n

The platform of the festival challenges its filmmakers and audiences to take on a new view of life, and to be more open to new ideas, cultures and current events, according to Rob Prechti, the subject of the film \u201c(People) Of Water.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy favorite part of this festival is interacting with the community, sharing ideas and thoughts with the directors, creatives and influencers, the hosts and general audience,\u201d he said. \u201cEveryone has a story to tell no matter how mundane or exciting, and it is that connection that really brings the community together.\u201d  <\/p>\n

\n
(People) of Water is the story of Rob Prechtl, a member of the U.S. Men\u2019s Raft team, on a journey to learn the craft of outrigger paddling.<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

There will be more than 100 special guests coming to town for this year\u2019s festival. And in the spirit of this special mountain community, there will also be many surprises.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter many films, we will bring up the filmmakers and athletes in the films on stage to share their behind-the-scenes stories with the audience. We also look forward to moments of music played out in our films and love to surprise the audience with a live-score or song after a few films every year. <\/p>\n

\u201d McKee said. \u201cIt really surprises the audiences \u2014 and very much amplifies the message of the film and leaves the audience feeling inspired and changed.\u201d<\/p>\n

5Point has worked hard to build this reputation authentically. Jones said the nature of the festival and the ethos it represents has the capacity to make the world a better place.\u201cCaring about the planet, being healthy, active, having the 5 points to focus on \u2014 it\u2019s a spiritual invitation to be a good human and take care of our environment and earth, and learn about each other and connect and walk with a bit more grace and humility,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s what excites me about this organization.\u201d<\/p>\n

via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This Sponsored content is brought to you by 5Point Adventure Film Festival. Blind adventurer Erik Weihenmayer takes on the Grand Canyon in a kayak in \u201cThe Weight of Water.\u201d In the 5Point film \u201cThe Weight of Water,\u201d blind adventurer Erik Weihenmayer takes on the Grand Canyon in a kayak, but this impressive physical and mental […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-2442801","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-16 12:42:05","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley's Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2442801","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2442801"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2442801\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2442801"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2442801"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2442801"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}