THE KAYAKKO 2012, THE RIVER CINEMATOGRAPHY OSCAR, FLIES TO GERMANY

Olaf Obsommer is the winner of the third edition of Valsesia Canoe Film Festival held on 25, 26 and 27 May 2012 in Campertogno in the province of Vercelli, organized in collaboration with the municipal administration.
Olaf Obsommer is one of the most famous and performancing canoists in the world. He made canoeing expeditions around the world and is premiered in many descents.
The film that convinced the jury of the festival is called In Search of God II. The documentary was filmed in Russia, Iceland and Mexico. In Siberia, in the mountainous region of Altai, the group of Olaf descended the river Balkhash, one of the most difficult and dangerous in the world. Breathtaking images of the descents are combined with evidence of travel approach in a stunning and hostile landscape. The team of canoeists, moved then to Iceland to descend the highest and tumultuous waterfalls in Europe, with elevations of more than 20 meters. But the pictures of the descent of the river Agua Azul deeply caught the audience: turquoise water in the middle of the rainforest of Chiapas in Mexico. Jump up one after the other on calcareous rocks with gradients of 20/25 meters.
Olaf Obsommer has excelled in the category "Kayaking Adventure" and was elected without a doubt the absolute winner of the award “Kayakko 2012”.
The category "Travel by Canoe and Kayak" was won by Lilli Di Francesco with his “Dune Acquee”, filmed in 2011 in Mongolia during the descent of 650 km of the river Orthon. A long journey in sweet and harmonious landscapes in a country that kidnaps for its extraordinary beauty. The movie documents the breadth and purity of grandiose landscapes Mongolia. Interesting are the brief glimpses on the Buddhist monastery in Karakorum, the capital of the great conqueror Genghis Khan.
The third category "Extreme Kayak" was won by Paul Cayol from France, with the film Kanè. Breathtaking descents alternate with incredible jumping from waterfalls. The movie was shot in Norway, the homeland of white water, and Ecuador.
On Saturday night, the Canoe Valsesia Film Festival has been attended by hundreds of spectators from all over Italy and abroad (France, Germany, Switzerland, Great Britain, Ireland, Netherlands and New Zealand). Canoeists and lovers of adventure films have enjoyed a unique show.

Valsesia Canoa Film Festival is the only in Italy and one of the few in the world concerning festivals dedicated exclusively to river canoeing or kayaking, a wonderful discipline, still unknown.