Director + Producer: Bronwyn Hodgins

Director of Photography + Co-Director: Julia Cassou

Writer: Jen Randall

Editors: Jen Randall + Kaylan Worsnop

Cast: Bronwyn Hodgins, Andrea Cartas + Emile Pellerin

FEMALE DIRECTOR + PRODUCER

FEM-WOW AWARD, 2026

ASHEVILLE PREMIERE

In this all-female production, 32-year-old Canadian climber Bronwyn Hodgins faces burnout from Big Wall expeditions and decides to shift her focus to sport climbing. Little does she know that this new curiosity for training and performance will plunge her into the most intense mental undertaking of her life… as she pours herself into La Rubia, a 5.14c (8c+).

Director: Daniel Stark

Producers: Jason Hamborg + 6ix Sigma Productions

Director of Photography: Christos Sagiorgis

Editors: Daniel Stark + Glenn King

Key Cast: Chantelle + Warren Grafton

ASHEVILLE PREMIERE

After a mountain bike crash resulted in a life-altering injury, Chantelle Grafton and her husband Warren have gone to great lengths to get Chantelle back out on the trails. “Still Rider” explores this journey, highlighting the unanticipated complexities that come with a major spinal cord injury and, more importantly, the benefits of prioritizing adaptive design for those with and without accessibility issues.

Directors + Producers: Shara Zaia + Max Haimowitz

Writer: Shara Zaia 

Key Cast: Shara Zaia, Nina Williams, Darious Phillips, Christy Nguyen

Editors: Brian Boyd + Orion Owens

Assistant Editor: Haley Carchio

Cinematographers: Max Haimowitz, Nate Dodge, Nate Stephens + Zaya Odisho

Director of Photography: Max Haimowitz

FEMALE DIRECTOR + PRODUCER

DENVER + ASHEVILLE PREMIERE

Shara Zaia, a writer and climber, navigates the sharp edges of identity, belonging, and mental health within the Assyrian diaspora - one of the world’s oldest, yet most endangered cultures.

Directors + Producers: Jr Rodriguez + Vanessa Chavarriaga

Writer: Vanessa Chavarriaga

Key Cast: Jr Rodriguez + Vanessa Chavarriaga

FEMALE DIRECTOR + PRODUCER

PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD, 2026

ASHEVILLE PREMIERE

Jr and Vanessa are professional athletes on a mission to bring to light the intersectional relationships between their outdoor pursuits, climate change, and who belongs in these spaces. As children of immigrants, they know what it feels like to be the bridge between different worlds. They recognize that shining a light on disappearing glaciers far away starts at home in Jackson Hole.

Director: Anna Hazlett

Drone Operator + Photographer: William Hamilton

Music: Mark Hendry

Key Cast: Anna Hazlett, Matilda Söderlund

FEMALE DIRECTOR + PRODUCER

WORLD PREMIERE

In a sliding doors moment, Anna Hazlett and Matilda Söderlund, climbers from different worlds, randomly meet in a taco shop in Vegas. They become fast friends, quickly planning a big wall expedition to Madagascar to climb the unrepeated route Air Madagascar. Together, they dig deep, encourage each other to be brave, and get exactly what they came to Madagascar for: an adventure.

Directors: Jessica Kunzer-Pearson + Blake Hendrix

Producers: Jessica Kunzer-Pearson + Tim Kemple

Key Cast: Tara Warren + Scott Hickenlooper

FEMALE DIRECTOR + PRODUCER

MOST INSPIRING AWARD, 2026

ASHEVILLE PREMIERE

Tara follows an ultrarunner’s relentless pursuit of four 100-mile mountain races in a single summer—each step a tribute to her mother, lost to ALS. Set against soaring peaks and crushing lows, the film is a cinematic meditation on endurance, grief, and the will to keep moving when hope feels out of reach.

Director + Producer: Mario Stanley

Executive Producer: Karly Rager

Editor + Co-Producer: Robert Liberatore

Director of Photography: Travis Perkins

Film Composer: Tom Marsh

Cast: Karly Rager + Mariana Ordoñez Prieto (Mango)

FEMALE PRODUCER

WORLD PREMIERE

Description: “Dias de La Gloria” takes you into the inner world of Karly and Mango’s lives, businesses, and perspectives as they go for the first free ascent of Guerreras (13-pitch, 12c, Grade IV/V) in the alpine desert of Mexico. They explore the unknown together and see how much power true partnership holds.

Directors + Producers: Sara Beam Robbins + Grant Robbins

Photographer: Chloe Jimenez

Key Cast: Sierra Schlag + Waverly Chin

FEMALE DIRECTOR + PRODUCER

ASHEVILLE PREMIERE

Professional backcountry skier Sierra Schlag has built a career around focus, grit, and always chasing the next big line. She takes her job — and her skiing — seriously. But behind every dialed athlete is that one friend who keeps it light. For Schlag, that’s Waverly Chin — aka Waves — her funky, free-spirited best friend who shows up with snacks, silliness, and a reminder not to take life (or skiing) too seriously. While Schlag charges couloirs and checks off objectives, Waves is there to remind her that skiing is supposed to be fun. “That One Friend” is a fun and lighthearted look at friendship, balance, and the beauty of not taking ourselves so seriously, because sometimes, we all need that one friend.