Rachel whose work includes Finding Bo, the story of how photographer Karen Miller fell in love with one mountain hare and her journeys up into the snowy Monadhliath Mountains each winter to find her,
will be joined by Trees for Life ecologist James Rainey at the show on Thursday April 3 at The Highland Cinema.
The Fort William event will also showcases a handpicked selection of Scottish-made outdoor and adventure films, celebrating the world-class talents of Scottish filmmakers and adventurers while showing audiences
the beauty of adventure and nature close to home - on a big screen.
Screenings will highlight stories of connecting with Scottish landscapes through art and photography, searching for some of Scotland’s rarest Flora and Fauna, Scottish women following in the footsteps of the first all-female mountaineering expedition to the Himalayas, journeying to a remote bothy in Scotland on adaptive hand-cycles and lots more.
As well as the 13-minute long Finding Bo, Rachel also has a second film in the line-up called Entangled. Over its four minutes, this winter climbing film explores the relationship between climbers and their connections to the landscape.
The other films are Emma Holgate’s Footprints, a film following the footsteps of the first all-female mountaineering expedition to the Himalayas in 1955. Emma’s take follows a team of Scottish women exploring what success in the mountains looks like, environmentally, morally, culturally, and personally.
The Pine Hunters is a focus on two intrepid ecologists who journey to the loneliest Scots Pine in Britain to record the last of the ancient wild Caledonian forests, directed by Ted Simpson
Three Wheeled Drive tells the inspiring story of three ordinary physically disabled cyclists: Neil, John, and Caroline who embark on an extraordinary journey to reach and stay in a remote bothy in the Highlands, overcoming hardcore challenges on the route. The film shows how, through planning and determination, they conquer their fears and anxiety, venturing into the hills to do something that is relatively ordinary for most but extraordinary for people with physical disabilities. Stefan Morrocco is director.
Window is a cinematic short about Scottish surfing directed by Seth Hughes and renowned Aberdeenshire-based landscape artist Stephen Redpath is subject of another screen offering for this year’s festival about connecting with landscapes we love.
Festival organisers say the event is much more than just a night out at the cinema, and are billing it as an interactive experience.
Scottish filmmakers Jimmy Hyland and Ryan Balharry are behind the festival which they say was in response to the lack of Scottish representation in popular outdoor film festivals.
Seeing the untold stories of Scotland’s adventurers and landscapes going unnoticed, the duo set out to provide a platform to showcase Scotland’s outdoor culture to a wider audience.
“Our goal is to celebrate Scotland’s incredible landscapes and the people pursuing their passions and
pushing boundaries within them,” said co-founder Jimmy . “We want to inspire people to explore, protect, and appreciate the wild places we call home," he added.
The festival is giving free tickets to a number of the country’s charities this year who support people facing barriers to taking part in outdoors and adventure sports.
Proceeds from raffle prizes on the night will also go towards supporting those organisations and their work in breaking down barriers to outdoor adventure.
The festival will also be screening earlier in Inverness at Eden Court this Saturday, March 29 at 6.30pm.