2008 National Paddling Film Festival
View a slideshow from the 25th Annual National Paddling Film Festival, with music by local bands The Enders and The Downtown County Band.


And the 2008 winners are...

Amateur General - Lockapalooza Rodeo
Accomplished General - The End of Time
Accomplished Documentary - Adios San Juan
Professional General - Pulse
Professional Documentary - The Green Race Movie
Best of Show - The Green Race Movie
Best Still Image - #7 "Boulder"
Paddlers' Choice - Another Year
Poster Contest - Steven Buys
Chili Cookoff - Brent Austin

Boulder
Boulder

The NPFF is here, and we've got a big one for you this year!

For 25 years, the NPFF, along with American Whitewater, has raised thousands of dollars for river conservation efforts. The NPFF is an all-volunteer organization – all money raised goes to organizations such as AW, the Green River Access Fund, West Virginia Rivers Coalition, and many more, and to continuing the Festival for the next year.

For NPFF 2008, we've moved to the Clubhouse at the historic Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, KY. With over 5,000 square feet available to us inside, and a full wraparound covered porch, there's more than ample room. There is also ample parking for Festival attendees.

We've got hours and hours of film for you to watch. This year has seen a strong showing in the Accomplished and Professional categories, and, as always, some really good Amateur films.

Last year's Guest Host John Grace from Lunch Video Magazine will be returning this year for an LVM Premier.

For our Guest Host this year, we're stoked have NPFF 2007's “Best of Festival” and “Accomplished General” winners, Todd Gillman and Bryan Smith from The Range Life, fresh off Immersion Research's “Vacation to Hell”. We expect some great stories from these guys. Be sure to check out their website in the links below to see what they've been up to.

In addition to the films, we've got some great music lined up for you. Boater and Amateur filmmaker Jason Rodgers and his bandmates Tina Perry and Anthony Manns will be doing a pre-film set on Friday, and on Saturday, we have boater Dan Atkins and the Downtown County Band doing an acoustic traditional Bluegrass set from 2 to 4 p.m., in conjunction with a Bourbon Tasting put on by Buffalo Trace. For both Friday and Saturday night, we've made arrangements with one of the local bars, the Brick Alley in downtown Frankfort (and only a mile from the event site), for NPFF attendees to get in free of cover for more live music. Friday night will be a show by Local Spirit, a great Jack Johnson style band, and Saturday night will be NPFF 2005 party band Born Crosseyed. The Brick Alley is open until 2 a.m. Friday, and 1 a.m. Saturday, so we can party hard.

The Silent Auction is back again, with items from Immersion Research, The Heliconia Press, Teva, Element Expeditions, Kokatat, Madawaska Kanu Center, Nantahala Outdoor Center, Performance Video, PS Composites, Skirtworks, Wavedog Paddles, the Kentucky Outdoor Center, and more. We've also got boats from WaveSport, Jackson Kayak, and Dagger.

American Whitewater will be there doing a membership drive. Additionally, for those of you interested in the cyber-world aspect of whitewater, American Whitewater will be hosting a conference on the future of the AW website and GPS capabilities the Saturday of the Festival from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. in the Health Science Learning Center, 5th floor, room 502A, on the University of Kentucky campus in Lexington.

As far as paddling opportunities, Kentucky Outdoor Center is organizing a Saturday paddle with Jackson Kayak on a local favorite, Elkhorn Creek, just 10 minutes from the Festival site.

We'll have food available both nights, with snacks and such available on Friday night, and a Chili Cookoff on Saturday. Beer is provided by the Bluegrass Brewing Company. Non-alcoholic beverages will be provided as well.

Here is the schedule of events:

Friday

5:00 p.m. – Doors open

6:00 p.m. – Films begin

8:30 p.m. – John Grace from LVM and Brian Smith and Todd Gillman from "The Range Life" give presentations

9:30 p.m. – Films resume

11:30 p.m. – After-party at the Brick Alley

Saturday

1:00 p.m. – Doors open

2:00 p.m. – Bourbon Tasting & Live Bluegrass Music with The Downtown County Band

5:00 p.m. – Films begin

8:00 p.m. – "The Range Life" presentation with Bryan Smith and Todd Gillman

9:00 p.m. – Films resume

11:00 p.m. – Awards ceremony

11:30 p.m. – After-party at the Brick Alley

There are many hotels available in Frankfort, including the Capital Plaza Hotel just a half-mile from the Festival site, and right across the street from the downtown Frankfort dining and shopping district. While the official date for our reserved block of rooms at the Capital Plaza hotel has passed, the special NPFF rate of $74 per night is still in effect, depending on room availability. Just ask for the National Paddling Film Festival rate.

Downtown Frankfort offers many dining and shopping experiences, including fantastic pizza, a locally-run coffee shop, deli sandwiches, a wine bar, a Mediterranean restaurant, an upscale dining establishment (upscale, but still very affordable!), and a local arts and crafts store, among others. For more information, check out the links below, or go to our website.

Tickets to NPFF 2008 are available through American Whitewater's online store at a special rate of $20 for the entire weekend. This price will be available until Thursday, February 21st; tickets will be $25 at the door, so buy your tickets online today. This promises to be a fantastic event, and we look forward to seeing you all there for the 25th Annual National Paddling Film Festival!

Links:

NPFF website

American Whitewater

The Range Life

Buffalo Trace Distillery

The Capital Plaza Hotel

Frankfort/Franklin County Tourist & Convention Committee

American Whitewater GPS Project

The Range Life crew will join us all the way from the Pacific Northwest. TRL is fresh off last year's stunning zip line footage film that took top honors and back from IR’s 'Vacation to Hell' in the Peru jungle this summer. We are excited to bring these boys to the southeast to host the NPFF.



Miss the NPFF? NO Problem, attend a roadshow.
Thanks to our sponsors:
Heliconia Press
Immersion Research
Bluegrass Brewing Company
WaveDog

Skirtworks           PS Composites
Kokatat
Boatertalk       Paddling Life
Element Expeditions     Wavesport
Dagger     Jackson Kayaks
outdoorplay Snap Dragon
WakaWai Canoe KY
Madawaska Kanu Center Performance Video
Teva     American Whitewater Association