After 3 full days of screening 26 films, 2 panel discussions, 2 parties, and an award show, it's a wrap, the 11th annual X Dance came to a close in Park City on Tuesday Night.

After careful consideration by a panel of expert judges the hardware was handed out last night in front of a packed house. There was some pleasant surprises, some disappointments, and some super stoked filmmakers. The level of filmmaking in Action Sports is at an all time high, and last night we had the chance to celebrate the people behind the films.

Here's the breakdown of the Winner's from last night.

Editing

Windsurfing Movie II
Chalk up another award winning film from the guys at Poor Boyz Productions. Windsurfing II gives us a glimpse into the future of windsurfing through the eyes of Red Bull athlete Levi Siver. This was the first sign that it was going to be a good year for Adventure Sports like Windsurfing, Kayaking, and mountain biking.




Original Score- Check out the crew accept the award

Dream Result
A Kayak film about a group of friends who undertake a journey to explore the limits of possibility including the world record waterfall descent of 186 ft Palouse Falls. The world record drop was impressive to watch on screen, but watching 3 white boys on stage perform their title track from the film was epic. That alone deserved the award for best original score.




Best Soundtrack

Look on the Bright Side
A blend of classic melodies, jazz, and new age music combined with some ridiculous snowboard, ski, and skateboarding footage made this film a sure thing for Best Soundtrack




Best Short

Solo

Steven Mueller stars in this beautifully shot environmental high speed BMX short film about a man that seeks and finds immense satisfaction in solitude. One of the best stories at this years X Dance is filmmaker Jason Ryan who took his $500 budget and shot this well done BMX Short which is sure to help him get work in the future. After two unsuccessful attempts to get a short into the X Dance, his 3rd time was a charm.


Cinematography

Life Cycles

This was the first of three awards of the night for easily the best shot film of the year. After receiving a standing ovation after the screening of Life Cycles in Salt Lake City, it did not disappoint in the way of hardware at the award show. 



Core

Look on the Bright Side
Somehow they managed to successfully feature snowboarding, skiing, and skateboarding in a single film.



Best Adventure Film 

Halo Effect- Steve Fisher

The paddling, direction and photography are as amazing as the water the paddlers challenge. On the way over to the award show Fisher claimed he was not in the least bit expecting to win an award. To his surprise Halo Effect was nominated 6 times, including the win for Best Adventure film. With a category stacked with stiff competition, this one meant a lot to Fisher who was so excited to phone his brother in South Africa giving him the good news.



Best Story- Watch his acceptance speech

Stoked and Broke
Cyrus Sutton was not able to attend the show, but don't worry Stoked and Broke's cinematographer stepped in and shared the stoke with the whole room. In the most spirited and insightful acceptance speech of the night, the audience understood the essence of the film. 

 


Best Documentary
First Love-
The Chick flick documentary film, written, shot and produced by women, follows teenagers Jess Laing, 18, Nikki Van-Dijk, 15, and India Payne, 16, as they discover what it takes to be a professional surfer. In the only all women film of the festival, this was the first of two awards of the night for the ladies.


Best Biography

Like a Lion

Eric Iberg's epic film about the winningest and most controversial skier of the last decade Tanner Hall. 
 


Emerging Filmmaker

Claire Gorman with First Love
An amazing honor for Claire Gorman who beat out the likes of Jeremy Jones for Deeper and Steve Fisher for Halo Effect.


Best Director- Watch Ryan accept his award

Ryan Gibb and Derek Frankowski with Life Cycles

The end of the show belonged to Ryan Gibb and his family. Ryan struggled his way through making Life Cycles the past several years. With his Mom, Dad, and wife in attendance Ryan had the chance to share his special night with the people who stuck by his side. Ryan told me after the show how important it was for his family to be there to see his hard work pay off. "It's nice for them to see that their son is actually talented and can make money someday."

Best Film 

Life Cycles-
If you haven't seen this story about a bikes creation to it's eventual demise do yourself a favor and download it from ITunes. The film is a celebration of the bicycle. Ryan Gibb and his crew take the visuals to a new level, what they were able to pull off is at times breath taking. In a year with so many quality and deserving films, Life Cycles stood above the rest. This capped off a festival in which we saw adventure films take center stage.

Good luck to all you filmmakers for next year, we're excited to see the next level in Action Sports Films.