A team of West Midlands-based filmmakers have been receiving significant recognition from the festival circuit for their 30-minute documentary, ‘Andy Parkin: A Life in Adaptation.’ The film has so far walked away with the Jury’s Special Prize from the UK’s international Kendal Mountain Film Festival, one of the world’s leading specialist film festivals, and has also been voted ‘Best Film’ at ShAFF 09 (Sheffield Adventure Film Festival), whose entrants include award winners from Kendal, Banff, Graz, Trento, Telluride, Edinburgh, Vancouver and Llanberis climbing and mountaineering film festivals.
The film - a collaboration between Birmingham-based Blue Hippo Media and Weekday Productions - creatively profiles the life and work of Sheffield’s Andy Parkin - regarded as one of the world’s finest alpine climbers. It gives a powerful insight to the life of a remarkable man who suffered a near fatal Alpine climbing accident in 1984, when many believed his love affair with mountains would be over.
Through adapting to the demands of his damaged body, Andy’s incredible recovery saw him awarded mountaineering’s highest possible accolade - the ‘Oscar’ of climbing - the Piolet d’Or, in 1994. However, in parallel with continued climbing feats, Andy Parkin has become known for his inspirational artwork. A recent commission saw him complete a major, 7-metre high sculpture, which has been installed on the shores of Lake Geneva.
The documentary was shot over 2-years, aiming to reflect the full spectrum of Andy’s remarkable achievements. The Director, David Fair, says: “Having worked in broadcast for many years, I wanted to create something very different to the typical formula for such films. We sought to reveal the determined character behind Andy’s rehabilitation alongside his creative triumphs.”
Birmingham-based Producer Pip Piper, of Blue Hippo Media, comments: “Our film saw special collaboration between film-makers and artist. We were able to create a beautiful result that gave deeply personal insights into Andy. In a journey of discovery for both Andy and the team, we explored how this documentary might evolve in order to create an unusual yet engaging film. “
The film has since been invited to screen in several more film festivals across the world, and will be available to buy from www.bluehippomedia.com/andyparkin in April 2009, where you can currently view a short clip of the film.