Film Premiere for More Than a Mountain at Kendal Mountain Film Festival
Last week felt like the culmination of a year-long journey. On Thursday night, our film More Than a Mountain had its world premiere at the Kendal Mountain Film Festival - and what an unforgettable evening it was.
Kendal is always buzzing, but this event felt especially electric. We were there to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Junko Tabei’s historic Everest ascent, and to share the next chapter of our #JunkoJourney with a sell-out crowd. Standing on stage with Jo Bradshaw and Jenny Hall to deliver the Opening Night was an absolute privilege, and a real full-circle moment after so many months of planning, filming, writing, and refining.
One of my highlights of the evening was hearing Joanna Croston talk about her new book, Mountaineering Women, which beautifully profiles so many trailblazing climbers - including Junko. Listening to her alongside the incredible climber Lynn Hill and Nandine Purandare, editor of the Himalayan Journal, felt like being immersed in a celebration of women’s mountain history, legacy, and future all at once.
The World Premiere
Our film team took to the stage to share the creative journey behind More Than a Mountain. For those who don’t know, I had the joy of being one of the Assistant Producers - and it’s been such an honour to help bring Junko’s story to new audiences.
Here’s the full production team who brought the film to life:
Director: Loz Henshaw
Executive Producer: Jo Bradshaw
Producers: Sam Beaumont & York St John University
Assistant Producers: Tori James, Rosemary Brown & Susan Blunt
Hearing Loz and Sam from Wild Valley Media and Susan Blunt from Adventurous Ewe share their insights and creative journey with our sell out audience made me incredibly proud of what we’ve created together. Mel Fielding also captured the night beautifully in this reel - thank you Mel!
Sharing Junko’s Message
To boost our mission to share Junko’s story more widely, special postcards were handed out to everyone in the audience. Each card invited people to send a message to someone in their lives who may not know about Junko Tabei, helping to spread her story, her spirit, and her belief that mountains - literal and metaphorical - are worth climbing. I’d love to know where they are now. Get in touch if you were a recipient.
It was also wonderful to have (almost) our full Yala Peak expedition team in the room. Being reunited with this bunch at Kendal made the whole festival feel even more special, I genuinely didn’t stop talking all weekend!
What’s Next for More Than a Mountain
If you couldn’t join us at Kendal, there are more opportunities to see the film:
🎥 Live Screenings
Thursday 11th December - The Parade Cinema, Marlborough
Special Youth Adventure Trust fundraiser, screening and Q&A. Tickets available here.
And of course, More Than a Mountain is now available on the Kendal Mountain Player for those with subscriptions.
Follow @morethanamountain for updates on future screenings.
Premiering this film at Kendal was more than just showing a story on screen, it was a celebration of Junko, of women who climb, of collaboration, adventure, courage, and community. Thank you to everyone who joined us, supported us, or sent messages from afar. This journey continues, and I can’t wait to share what comes next.