Bruce Kirkby—one of the world’s leading voices in Adventure writing and photography—partnered with award-winning filmmaker Kalum Ko to create “The Questions We Ask,” an inspiring 3‑minute short that received a lot of buzz on the outdoor film circuit and that is now available to watch online.
“The Questions We Ask” is a think-piece. Ko features footage from Kirkby’s 100-mile SUP expedition from Vancouver to Victoria, British Columbia to create a framework within which he and Kirkby explore why we pursue adventure—a question to which Kirkby, a family man living in Kimberly, British Columbia, has spent a lifetime searching for an answer. And he needs a good one.
To date, Kirkby has logged over 2,000 expedition hours in more than 80 countries. And he’s published his stories everywhere from Outside magazine and Canadian Geographic to The Clymb and The New York Times, and shared many more while working as host of CBC’s prime-time adventure series, “No Opportunity Wasted.” National Geographic once honored one of Kirkby’s photos as being among “the most compelling images of the decade.”
After spending a lifetime pursuing adventure both recreationally and professionally, Kirkby knows the nagging doubts and questions we ask ourselves all too well. And this time, his story is the answer.
If you like the film, reach out to Kirkby and Ko here. Or check it out when Banf Mountain Film Festival comes to a town near you.
Here are a few accolades the film received at festivals:
World Tour — 2013 Banff Mountain Film Festival
Winner- “Most Inspirational” — 2013 Waterwalker Film Festival
Runner Up — 2014 Fernie Mountain Film Festival
Finalist — 2013 Banff Mountain Film Festival
Finalist — 2013 Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival
Finalist — 2013 Waimea Ocean Film Festival
Finalist — 2013 Virginia Beach Surf Film Festival
Finalist — 2013 Reel Shorts Film Festival
Finalist — 2014 Salish Sea Film Festival
Finalist — 2014 Vancouver Festival of Ocean Films
Finalist — 2014 Dirtbag Film Festival
Finalist — 2014 New Zealand Mountain Film Festival
SUP/Narrator/Producer: Bruce Kirkby (brucekirkby.com @bruce_kirkby)
Support Kayak: Dave Quinn
Producer: Jeff Pew
Music: Divenire, Ludovico Einaudi