Every year, Cape Union Mart gives aspiring filmmakers the chance to “get stoked, film it and be recognised”, with their annual Adventure Film Challenge.

With a film called Always Dream, Hayden Brown cracked the 2018 nod from three luminaries of the local outdoor photography and film scene – Survivor host Nico Panagio, renowned film critic Stephen Aspeling, and International GoPro Ambassador Chris Rogers.

Always Dream features professional downhill mountain biker, Greg Minnaar, with a visually-rich story of a KwaZulu-Natal farmer who falls asleep and dreams about riding his bike from the top of the Drakensberg escarpment down into the bushveld.

Once you watch it, you’ll quickly realise why it’s the winner. Throw a vibrant soundtrack over footage of Minnaar skillfully negotiating KZN’s natural beauty and what you get is really kiff.

But if you ain’t first, you’re… last? Not true. Runner-up, She is Something Fierce, is Rowan and Siobhan Tosselli’s emotive exploration of the physical and mental challenges that come with bouldering, along with the rewards that it offers – particularly being able to connect with nature in a hands-on way.

Cape Union Mart’s second runner-up could easily have been a winning film. Casey Crafford’s Landscape Hunter showcases the Western Cape’s insane scenery, telling the story of Thomas, a landscape photographer who has travelled the world in search of the perfect photo.

So, what’s next for the best?

The winning film will be showcased at the 2018 BANFF Film Festival in October at participating Ster-Kinekor cinemas nationwide. To gear Brown up for all of his future filmmaking, he will also be walking away with an amazing R10 000 cash prize and a R5 000 Cape Union Mart voucher.

Noice.

A few words from the PR Coordinator, Caitlin Doney:

This challenge has grown from strength to strength since its inception. Last year we received 16 entries, whereas this year they more than tripled to 53. Not only are we thrilled with the increasing quantity, but the quality of films has astounded us too. South Africans are really stepping up to the challenge.

Cool to see so many people getting involved. I knew we had plenty of film geeks here in South Africa, but I didn’t know how many of them were actually telling tales of their adventure.

Oh, and, if you’re keen to shoot your own adventure film for next year’s competition, here’s a pretty sweet deal on the GoPro Hero 6:

Let’s not forget the K-Way Men’s Squall Tech Hiking Jacket, something even Jackie Chan would be proud of:

To check out the full range of nifty outdoor gadgets, you can shop online any time on Cape Union Mart’s website, because winter is always coming.

Check out all the submission films HERE.