By Louisa Baines

It’s a rainy Tuesday night in London; I’ve sat in 2 hours of traffic and am now slowly making my way to Leicester Square on a deserted 38 bus to visit the Ride Film Festival.

I arrived eager and ahead of time to interview Warren Smith (Founder of Ride Freesport and Warren Smith Academy) about the event and to find out more about Ride Freesport.

The night was staged at the inconspicuous Prince Charles Cinema just off of Leicester Square, and after treating me to a Smirnoff Ice (classy) and engaging in a little small talk about his Instructor Academy, Warren was very keen to share with me his views and hopes for the event and what it means to him:-

Verbier has always been renowned for its Freeride comps, however back in 1999 it was somewhat more focused on the Snowboard front. Being a ski enthusiast Warren decided to create a Freeride event aptly named the Verbier ride that was just for skiers, and to his delight it became an instant success. The comp became an annual event in the resort and in 2006 reached World Tour status by becoming acknowledged by the FIS (International Ski Federation). Warren then extended the comp to the resort of Saas Fee and then moved on to start up the London and Urban Rides.

He has developed the Ride Film festival that has been running since 1999, in much the same way. It began as a premier night for the budding filmmakers on the scene and in 2006 Warren teamed up with Melody Sky to develop the night into a mini film festival. On the night each filmmaker presents their film, based on their work over the past year and is then judged by a panel of major players in the industry. Yet another successful venture from the Warren Smith stable.

Soon enough the cinema bar was buzzing with the sound of filmmakers, athletes and critics, all waiting anxiously for the doors to open, and before I knew it I was sat with fellow Girlylegs team member Rebecca Cullum listening to Salomon’s Pat Sharples introduce the films:

Britain’s Got Skiers (Pilot Preview)

Created by Eddie ‘Slavemonkey’ Thelwell and due for an autumn release. ‘Britain’s Got Skiers’ is an innovative new movie made to showcase new skiing and editing talent. It’s a great concept and is just what the industry needs to find its new players.

The Daily Grind

Brought to us by Unity Productions, this film highlights the great potential in its editors and skiers. Set in a variety of locations across Europe the Daily Grind was a great viewing and showed that other filmmakers need to look out for this clearly talented production team.

Snow-camp Journey

This film based on a cause close to my own heart followed the charity on one of their camps for disadvantaged inner-city youngsters. It was an interesting and touching piece to watch and I felt it was a breath of fresh air for the Snowsports industry.

What’s Ya life like (Pilot Preview)

Warren Smith and Nick Southwell gave us this early preview of ‘What’s Ya Life like’. Not due to be released until next year we followed the guys on their epic trip to Japan and discovered the highs and lows of being a Snowsports professional.

A year with the Salomon UK Freeski team

Exactly what it says on the tin, this documentary follows the team throughout their season as they take us to various locations tracking their success at Freeski competitions. It’s a fantastic film that gives you a real taste of the life of these hardworking athletes.

Legs of Steel

Partly brought to us by Britain’s very own Paddy Graham, ‘Legs of Steel’ is an explosive new ski movie that is set to impress. Judging by the reaction of the crowd and the fact that it was the crowned best film of the night this movie is sure to be popular with the masses.

Overall I had an awesome night at the festival. I got to meet some fantastic people in the industry and got to watch some amazing films so this night will definitely be in my diary for next year.

For more information about the Film festival and Ride Freesport visit: http://www.ridefreesport.com/

{openx:168958}