Awareness Into Action

Stash Wislocki, the producer of Mountainfilm in Telluride, is in Kenya right now with FilmAid. This is his second installment from his experience. (Read his first report from Kakuma Refugee Camp.)

We left Kakuma Refugee Camp this morning after an intense two weeks of helping the FilmAid students and staff produce the 2012 FilmAid Kakuma Film Festival. By all accounts, it was a success.

At night, we moved about, screening films in the different camps. The students worked hard, and it paid off with fantastic shows and great attendance. Everyone loved the student films. These screenings left me impressed by the powerful impact of FilmAid's work.

Stash Wislocki, the producer of Mountainfilm in Telluride, is in Kenya right now working at the Kakuma Refugee Camp with FilmAid. He emailed recently to share his experience:

The Awareness into Action series of blog posts originated in 2011 as a way to document ordinary folks attempting to get out there and do good. We began by following a pair of Mountainfilm in Telluride staffers through the setbacks and triumphs of their endeavor to take the inspiration of Mountainfilm and turn it into something tangible in Ghana. Now the series continues as we follow another former Mountainfilm staffer, Lexi Tuddenham, in Nepal.

Before I get going on the next post, a few quick Mountainfilm in Telluride shoutouts:

The Awareness into Action series of blog posts originated in 2011 as a way to document ordinary folks attempting to get out there and do good. We began by following a pair of Mountainfilm in Telluride staffers through the setbacks and triumphs of their endeavor to take the inspiration of Mountainfilm and turn it into something tangible in Ghana. Now the series continues as we follow another former Mountainfilm staffer, Lexi Tuddenham, in Kathmandu, Nepal.

The Awareness into Action series of blog posts originated in 2011 as a way to document ordinary folks attempting to get out there and do good. We began by following a pair of MF staffers through the setbacks and triumphs of their endeavor to take the inspiration of Mountainfilm and turn it into something tangible in Ghana. Now the series continues as we follow a former MF staffer, in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Curt Ellis spoke at the 2011 Awareness Into Action Symposium about his new organization, FoodCorps. Now, his exciting work is featured in the NY Times. If you want to join up, let us know and we will connect you to Curt.

FoodCorps, which started last week, is symbolic of just what we need: a national service program that aims to improve nutrition education for children, develop school gardening projects and change what’s being served on school lunch trays.

This year's festival theme was Awareness Into Action, and throughout the festival we got attendees to tell us just how Mountainfilm inspired them.

But it doesn't stop there.

Things are off to a good start here in Telluride. With our Awareness Into Action symposium on Friday we heard from many inspirational guests. Here are some of our favorite quotes from the day:

"Without vision people perish." -James Balog

"Joy-based philanthrophy: looking at happiness as a human need." -Dan Austin of 88Bikes

"Each of us here has not just the capacity, but the responsibility [to take action]." -Shannon Galpin of Mountain2Mountain

"When I think about how to inspire others to take action, I think about what inspired me: humility, compassion." -Hilton Kelley

Trying to plan out your Saturday? There are a bunch of great events on tap, here are a couple of our favorites:

Mountainfilm Inspired Me To

Swing by our photo booth at the Ice Cream Social and tell us how Mountainfilm has inspired you to take action!

Main Street, 2-3:30 p.m.

Prudence Mabhena

When Prudence Mabhena took the stage after a screening of Music by Prudence, the short documentary about her life, it was one of the most electrifying moments of Mountainfilm 2010. This incredibly talented young lady was born with a debilitating condition called arthogryposis that left her severely handicapped.

Palm Theatre, 6 p.m.

Shakespeare High Screening + Performance

It's finally festival time!

We've got a full weekend ahead of us, and after connecting with many of our guests and filmmakers throughout the day yesterday, we couldn't be more excited.

We'll get things started with our Awareness Into Action symposium today, where we're focusing on a simple idea: if you know something, do something. Then it's on to the Gallery Walk followed by the evening's film screenings and presentations.

Throughout the weekend we'll be checking in with special guests, filmmakers and festival attendees to hear why they're here at Mountainfilm and why they're inspired. Even if you can't attend the festival, follow along to see what's getting people thinking.

We'll also be keeping you updated throughout the weekend via Facebook and Twitter. Follow along for live updates, including TBAs and special screenings!