Enter and Attend the 20th NPFF

The Bluegrass Wildwater Association and it’s volunteers invite you to enter and attend the 2003 NPFF featuring the joy, challenge, and beauty of kayaking, and canoeing in a competition of video, film, and computer images, both still and motion. Each year the festival has grown and this year is no different as we continue to look at new ways to have fun, entertain and contribute more to river conservation. Please join with the volunteers of the National Paddling Film Festival and help contribute to water resource conservation efforts across the country. All proceeds from the NPFF go to American Whitewater, American Canoe Association, and other water conservation efforts.

It’s the 20th Anniversary of the NPFF and it’s building to be the best ever. The big show is coming together and there are some HUGE changes that should benefit all. The most significant change is in the location of the festival itself. The NPFF is moving from it’s 18 year home at the University of Kentucky to the spectacular and historic 800 seat “Kentucky Theater” in downtown Lexington, Kentucky. This beautiful and completely restored, 1920’s, art deco theater with plush seating, and marque also comes equipped with full service refreshment concessions, including beer & wine. The spacious Kentucky Theater will provide a stunning new atmosphere for the competition of paddling videos, images and presentations that have been submitted by talented amateur, accomplished and professional image artists from across the US and world. In addition, the new Kentucky Theater’s location will provide more exposure, than ever possible before, for our message of river conservation and celebration of paddlesport image art.

Entries submitted to the National Paddling Film Festival in 2002 included footage from Canada, Africa, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Europe, Asia and throughout the USA, from Florida to Alaska. In 2003 the NPFF continues to look for more entries that include exciting paddlesport action and awesome scenery combined with genius, satire, silliness, insight, instruction, humor, tragedy, drama and passion. This is a visual paddlesport feast that must not be missed! Dozens of talented paddlesport image artists enter their art in the intense NPFF film competition to help generate funds for waterway conservation, see who is the best and compete for the coveted audience voted “Paddler’s Choice Award” and other awards including “Best of Show” for Amateur, Accomplished and Professional divisions. So get out your cameras and get to work on that image, 1 minute or 20 minute video you been having in your dreams and enter.

We are also excited to announce that world famous whitewater expedition kayaker Scott Lindgren will be our special guest host. His expedition team was the first to complete the Upper Tsang Po Gorge in Tibet. Considered to be the ” Mt. Everest” of rivers and the deepest gorge on earth, the Tsang Po is five times as steep and has five times the volume of the Grand Canyon. We will be showing Scott’s exciting film “Into the Tsang Po” as a non-competitive feature at this year’s event. More than just a paddling movie. “Into the Tsang Po” appeals to paddlers, climbers, hikers and travelers alike. It has plenty of whitewater expedition drama and excitement including a truly epic portage to find the Hidden Falls and Porter Riot. (And you thought Panther Creek was bad?!), This is a must see film made even more special in being personally presented by it’s talented creator, Scott Lindgren.

The volunteers of the film fest are proud that over the years the National Paddling Film Festival has contributed over $70,000 to American Whitewater, American Canoe Association and other waterway conservation efforts including West Virginia Rivers Coalition. The NPFF is on its way to being one of the largest fundraisers for river conservation in the USA. So, please enter your stuff and then plan on attending, bringing your friends, and having some fun while supporting river conservation at the same time.