The Film Programme

At the heart of our Festival is an incredible film programme, which we curate from entries into our international film competition screening everything from film premieres featuring the world’s greatest athletes to new voices entering the outdoor sphere.

The Film Programme at the Festival honours excellence in adventure storytelling and filmmaking by presenting a diverse array of entries that showcase a rich tapestry of stories highlighting the beauty, challenges, and triumphs of the human spirit in the great outdoors.

Jacqui Scott, CEO, Kendal Mountain Festival, shared:"With an incredible array of film submissions each year, it’s genuinely heartwarming to know that we’re helping lift up this vibrant community of filmmakers, each driven by the shared mission to bring powerful outdoor stories to life."

Explore the 2025 films and more

2026 INTERNATIONAL Film Competition

Each year we hold a world-renowned film competition with hundreds of submissions from across the globe.

Our team carefully watch every entry and whittle these down to a varied programme of approximately 150 films, which we screen in insightfully curated collections alongside stand alone features in the Festival cinemas each November. Some of these films are chosen to be part of our UK Tour and many go on to be screened year round on the Kendal Mountain Player.The films are viewed by our panel of judges who select the award winners which are presented at our prestigious ‘Kendal’ awards at a lively ceremony on Saturday night. Our Festival audience are also invited to nominate their favourite film to win the ‘People’s Choice Award’.

We are always keen to support and welcome submissions of short, uplifting adventure films to balance the hard-hitting but incredibly important films that focus on climate, and economic and humanitarian issues.

Submissions for the 2026 Festival are open! Entries are via the platform Film Freeway - visit our Film Freeway page for full rules and other information.

The 2026 FILM JURY

Jonathan Hourigan

Chair of Jury

Jonathan has been on the KMF jury since 2020 and has been chair since 2023. Born in London but resident in Kendal, he is a graduate of the National Film and Television School and a screenwriter and educator. Recent credits include the award-winning 'At the door of the house who will come knocking' (Maja Novakovic, 2024) and 'Bring them down' (Chris Andrews, 2024), the former a ‘child of KMF,’ Jonathan having met Maja when presenting her an award for an earlier film in 2020. He is Programme Director for MA Screenwriting at University of Manchester.

Catherine Joy White

Filmmaker, Author, and Actor

Catherine Joy White is an award-winning filmmaker, author and actor whose work explores joy, resilience and belonging. A Forbes 30 Under 30 honouree and founder of Kusini Productions, she is known for her award-winning short Fifty-Four Days, her acclaimed debut book This Thread of Gold, and acting work in fan-favourite shows including Bridgerton. Her latest film Swim Sistas, a love-letter to water and sisterhood, premiered at DOC NYC before winning Best Short Film at its European premiere at Kendal Mountain Festival.

Niall McCann

National Geographical Explorer, Adventurer, and Mountain Rescuer

Dr Niall McCann is a National Geographic Explorer, adventurer and Mountain Rescuer, who has been leading multi-disciplinary expeditions to the far-flung parts of the planet for over 25 years. Niall is also an award-winning broadcaster and a global authority on conservation, whose anti-poaching work has been credited with saving two populations of endangered species from extinction. In 2016 Niall broke his back in a speed flying accident, leaving him with a permanent spinal cord injury that affects every aspect of his life. In the years since his injury Niall has found ways to overcome his disability and has returned to a life of adventure and exploration.

Aisha Weinhold

Executive Director

Aisha Weinhold is the Executive Director of 5Point Film Festival, an outdoor adventure film non-profit organisation based in Carbondale, Colorado, and the founder of No Man’s Land Film Festival, the first all-women’s adventure film festival. Sea-born and mountain-bred, she is captivated by every realm of the natural world and eager to explore every inch she can. Aisha is also a competitive skimo (ski mountaineering) racer and ultra-runner, and is passionate about driving impactful business strategies that align with enhancing gender equality.

Hamish Frost

Photographer, Filmmaker, and Climber

Hamish Frost is a photographer, filmmaker, and climber based in Scotland. His work has a strong focus on authentic storytelling, and he has worked with leading outdoor brands across a broad spectrum of mountain sports. He is best known for documenting the craft and commitment of Scottish winter climbing, and is experienced in operating in the severe conditions often encountered in the Highlands. His portfolio includes numerous hard first ascents in Scotland and exploratory climbing expeditions to remote mountain environments around the world. Working across both stills and moving images, he brings an understanding of mountain storytelling in all its forms.

Awards

Successful filmmakers will be invited to join us over the Festival weekend. We provide two nights of accommodation for up to two people, opportunities to present your film to our audience, filmmaker passes to events, industry workshops and talks, and the chance to network with over 150 filmmakers as well as industry professionals and outdoor brand partners from around the world.

Films are judged against twelve competitive categories including prizes for genre and creative excellence, by a panel of film and outdoor experts, and in the case of the People's Choice, the audience itself. A trophy sculpted by Andy Parkin will be awarded to the best films in the categories on Saturday night of the Festival.

Feature Films and Premieres

Each year we gain exclusive access to the world's greatest outdoor feature films. We have become renowned as a launchpad and international showcase for mountain and outdoor film, premiering or screening such classics as The Bat and the Wicked, Five Days One Summer, Hard Grit, Touching The Void, Free Solo and 14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible.

2025 features

Film Collections

Each film collection features a carefully curated selection of short outdoor films that will take your breath away and boost your sense of adventure! 

Take a look

Film Awards

Our International Film Competition is a prestigious and globally recognised set of awards that celebrates the finest in adventure storytelling and filmmaking. Through this competition, we champion the art of filmmaking and inspire audiences.

Prize categories include Best Short, Best Creative, Best Adventure & Exploration, Best Sport, Change Maker Award, Best Environment, Community & Culture, Best Climbing, Best Mountain, Judges Special Prize, People’s Choice Award and The Grand Prize.

2025 Film Award Winners

Accessibility - Shifting the Culture in Sports and Adventure Filmmaking

Sports and adventure filmmaking is a thriving and creative culture with many film festivals and a large online audience; however, this vibrant culture is rarely accessible for disabledaudiences. This open-source document created by Danielle Sellwood (Find It Film) and Coldhouse Collective aims to provide all the tools you need to start making your films and content accessible. This is an ever-changing area, and this document will be updated as required. This project has been kindly supported by Berghaus.

This year, we are proud to share that our programme includes:

  • The award-winning feature film, Champions of the Golden Valley, with audio description and closed captions
  • A 90 minute film collection with audio description and closed captions
  • An accessibility-focused workshop for filmmakers, fostering discussion and learning around inclusive filmmaking practices. 
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