EVENT CINEMA: Kendal Mountain Tour 2026

Kendal Mountain Events returns for another season of adventure and human connection. 

Experience the best of the world’s stunning landscapes through a curated selection of Kendal Mountain festival award-winning short adventure films. But it's not just about exploration, storytelling is at the heart of this event. 

Alongside these powerful films, adventure speakers and local community groups will take the stage to share their own personal stories, offering a deeper connection to the people behind the adventures. Whether you’re an avid explorer or simply someone who cherishes
the power of storytelling and the beauty of nature, the Kendal Mountain Tour 2026 promises to leave you inspired and moved by the shared human spirit of adventure. 

Filmmaker and adventurer Jude Kriwald, who cycled solo across Gola, will join us on stage for a live Q&A following a screening of his film, Alone Across Gola.

Speaker: Jude Kriwald is an explorer, filmmaker, and recipient of the British Exploring Society’s Leader of the Year Award. His debut film, Alone Across Gola, invites the audience into the depths of the Liberian rainforest as he attempts to cycle a lost track never previously undertaken. Jude is also the founder of AdventureMentor.org, which provides free adventure mentoring to individuals who are typically underrepresented in the world of adventure.

Films:
Swim Sistas | Cat White  | 11 mins
Swim Sistas is a poetic, visually stunning love letter to water, sisterhood, and the enduring strength of Black women across generations.
Featuring the voice of Academy Award nominee Naomie Harris (Moonlight) as Mami Wata, part deity and part ancestral memory, the film flows across generations: from a young girl diving into joy, to Great Britain’s first and only Black female Olympic swimmer breaking historic barriers, to a woman learning to swim at 54, defying a legacy of inherited fear. It is a celebration of connection, resilience and hope, told through the lens of the rising tide of Black women reclaiming their place in the water, and in history.

Skate Like a Lass | Juliet Klottrup | 3 mins
Female established inclusive grassroots Skateboarding communities based in the North, UK. From mountains in Lake District to Blackpool promenade. These skate collectives were created to provide a safe space & welcoming environment for female & LGBT+ skaters in the
area.

Breaking Trails | 12mins
Breaking Trails is a standout series that sees GORE-TEX partner with pioneers from around the world who are breaking barriers and pushing for a more inclusive and respectful future in the outdoors. We bring together two people who have overcome adversity or changed the field of play by forging their own paths in life and the outdoors. Through the lens of GORE-TEX they come together on a physical trail - be that mountain, forest or city - to show ‘Going Further, Together’ in action. 

This episode of our Breaking Trails film series is a story about understanding our relationship to risk and reward. Why are people driven to exploring the extreme — places that challenge human life itself?
Tom and Maud share a deep love of mountaineering, the outdoors fundamental to their identities.
Maud is a social scientist whose paper in accidentology investigates our relationship with risk, exploring why we do it, and whether we can mitigate accidents? As a mountaineer with harrowing climbs from Patagonia to Nepal, the question is can she be objective about her own motivations?
Tom’s family name is legendary in Chamonix, his father’s exploits both an inspiration and a weight. As a young athlete he is now making his own name with two 8k attempts and dozens of breath-taking first lines as an extreme mountain skier. But a recent near-death accident has Tom questioning his motivations. Why does he seek out the extreme and how does he stay safe?
Tom and Maud respect each other and as mountain guides, sharing an expert understanding of the mountains few people have — and both have experienced loss out here. Together they go on an adventure - to share, to be curious, and to explore the human condition itself.

Alone Across Gola | Jude Kriwald | 20 mins
"What am I doing"? It had been two whole days since Jude had seen another person, and 24 hours since his armed guide ran off with his bike and money bag. He was deep inside Liberia's Gola rainforest, the track in front of him was vanishing before his eyes, and he had just two days until he ran out of food.
Alone Across Gola is an award-winning adventure documentary by debut filmmaker Jude Kriwald. This gripping short film follows Jude’s extraordinary solo journey through Liberia's dense Gola rainforest - a landscape uncharted by roads or paths, where every step meant battling through thick undergrowth with nothing more than a bicycle and a tent. His clothes drenched with sweat, Jude carried his 53kg bike over fallen trees, navigated ravines with collapsed bridges, and faced life-threatening moments. It’s an adventure that
pushes the limits of endurance, self-reliance and the human spirit, and often has Jude asking “is this route even possible”, all whilst filming the endeavour totally unsupported. The film goes beyond clichés of gnarly adventure to offer a reflection on the struggles of pursuing childhood dreams that often get sidelined by the pressures of modern life. Through moments of profound introspection, Jude’s journey asks: What happens when we step off the beaten track of our careers and everyday routines to follow the dreams we thought we’d left behind?

Trango | Leo Hoorn | 45 mins
After a two-year attempt, ski mountaineers Christina ‘Lusti’ Lustenberger and Jim Morrison, joined by Nick McNutt and Chantel Astorga, ski the first descent of the Great Trango Glacier. They navigate risk, grapple with grief, and face physical danger as they push the limits of human experience. At 6,000 meters, constant exposure tests their resolve, but it’s the unspoken trust and support within their expedition team that allows them to face the unimaginable together.

Doors & bar open 7.00pm
Our fully licensed bar accepts only cards & contactless payments

Ages 12+