Without a Paddle is an adventure film that blends the history of the upper Columbia River with a 140km paddle from the foot of the Mica Dam to the top of the Revelstoke Dam.
Four intrepid snowboarders seek to retrace a portion of David Thompsons footsteps down the Columbia River, in the middle of January, during one of the coldest snaps in recorded history in Revelstoke.
Roles:
Principal Cinematograhy, Co-Editor, Colourist, Photography
Delivered:
41 Minute Film
2 Minute Trailer
Social Media Content
Film Poster
Surreal frozen landscapes, epic paddling, deep powder riding and a lot of pain, Without a Paddle is a canoe film about snowboarding.
A film by Nick Khattar, Johan Rosen, Ben Howells and Seb Grondin, featuring the snowboarding of Sebastian Grondin, Johan Rosen and Nick Khattar with cinematography by Ben Howells.
Screened at film festivals around the world, past screenings and awards include VIMFF, Whistler Film Festival, Best Short Film at Kitzbuhel Film Festival, and Best of Festival at Fernie Mountain Film Festival. It was subsequently released online February 2022 through the Shrredbots snowboarding YouTube channel and has amassed in excess of 150,000 views.
Undertaken as a passion project, the role of cinematographer was very demanding - operating cameras in temperatures as low as -35c and documenting the trip while also facing the same challenges as the rest of the crew. Camping, canoeing and snowboarding in remote locations, cut off from society and warm interiors for 10 days, and continuing on the trip to completion, still filming, after suffering from frostbite mid way through the trip.
