The Patagonia Film Festival was a space of appreciation for both the arts and the outdoors, with themes of adventure, leaving behind a better world, and the beauty of nature. On November 7th, the Patagonia store on Exchequer Street was turned into a cinema and felt alive with a community of creatives who genuinely care about the earth. All twelve films shown displayed gorgeous natural landscapes with some taking a more abstract perspective on the themes and others, a narrative-driven approach, and even more displaying collages of moments spent outdoors. Despite the short films’ artistic differences, they all shared one thing: a deep love of adventure and the natural world.
The festival began with Solas by Maia Kelly Murphy, Tara Leahy, and Luca Bradshaw, and runner-up in the “sea” category. This film took on the challenge of an abstract approach to adventure, with most of its run time featuring shots punctuated by colorful and flashing lights, and dancing on a beach. Match cuts, non-naturalistic lights and gradually intensifying music worked in tandem to create the sensation of adrenaline produced from adventuring on your own.
Aurelio’s Butterfly (Alex Andrés) showed stunning shots of the ocean, boats, breaching whales, and the titular butterflies. The film was a perfect winner of the “sea” category as its camera followed surfers, continuously breaking the surface of the water, only to submerge again. The original score added to its ethereal nature, recreating the feeling of riding a wave, only to fail over and over until you finally get it right.
A Lifetime of Adventures began with a series of videos from filmmaker Robin Andrés’ childhood, with the narration asking “When do you feel most like yourself?”. As I watched a series of adventures, some captured with stunningly clear drone shots, I found the answer to that question for myself. For Andrés, the answer lay in new experiences, which made him experience childlike wonder. Runner up in the “land” category, this film featured videos and images from a multitude of gorgeous locations, from mountains to forests to beaches.
Winner in the “land” category was Passengers by Eva Lamb, an upbeat compilation of shots taken out of the window of a train set to the rhythm of Iggy Pop’s The Passenger. The film featured verdant landscapes and mountains that seemed to stretch for miles, as well as the joys of going on an adventure with friends. As the song picked up, images were superimposed over each other creating a collage of moments from a trip that will be remembered forever by all travellers.
Punctuated with quotes and phrases describing why it is important to travel and wander, was Wanderlust (Lucie von Metzradt), which encompassed not only shots of nature’s bounty, but also of the distinct cultures and people who call it home. It included many long takes of walking and driving, winning it the runner-up in the “cinematography” category. The title, which means a strong urge to travel, was truly done justice to as the film even made the audience hungry for adventure.
Road to Garretstown (Jack Joseph, Will, Rand, Matthew) encapsulated the charm of smaller adventures, as the people in it travelled to Garretstown, less than an hour from Dublin by train. Winner of the “cinematography” category, the warm color grading and shots following the cyclists through tunnels created a dreamy atmosphere, and accentuated the magnificence of Ireland. The film demonstrated how you don’t need to go far to see something new. The cyclists experienced many roadblocks along the way, with tires needing to be replaced and pumped up, but the journey was all worth it.
It was inspiring to see so many incredible places, and the adventures that people shared. All the filmmakers discussing their journeys and the places they had been with each other made it clear that there are always more places to see and explore. The differences in landscapes between all the films, from Ireland to the US to Vietnam, showed that no adventure is ever the same. Here’s hoping the Patagonia Film Festival will return as an annual event!
