Making life a holiday with interesting vacation and adventure ideas.

Back in 1951, a deaf factory worker who had never learnt to speak, set off on a cycling adventure from his home in Buchan, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. He took just a single blanket, a few jumpers and his diary. His remarkable adventure led him 3000 miles to the frozen plains of the Arctic Circle and now they are making a film about him, his journey and the friends he made along the way.

I believe that the working title for the film is Dummy Jim, the name by which our hero, James Duthie, was affectionately called by his friends and the film producers have launched an imaginative website in advance of making the film, providing an entertaining opportunity to explore Duthie's world.

Labels: 1951, 2008, Arctic, cycling, Dummy Jim, film, film location, James Duthie, Scotland

Harry Potter fans are being offered the chance to appear in 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince™', the next movie in the series of wizardly goings on at Hogwarts.

Marking the launch of 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix™' on DVD, MSN and Warner Home Video are running a competition that will provide one lucky, lucky fan, the once in a lifetime opportunity to be a part of motion picture history, with a walk on part.

Enter the competition here, it runs until 20 December, 2007.

Labels: 2007, competition, film, Harry Potter, Hogwarts, MSN

Over the next couple of weeks, mountain and outdoor adventure lovers are in for a treat on both sides of the Atlantic.

In Scotland, the Edinburgh Mountain Film Festival from 19 - 21 October, 2007, is an annual event, now in its fifth year, that uses films, lectures and exhibitions to inspire an enjoyment of the natural environment.

Then, in Canada, the annual Banff Mountain Festivals gets underway, from October 27 ? November 4, 2007. The Banff Mountain Festivals, which include the famous book and film festivals, are dedicated to promoting mountain culture and offer inspiring mountain stories, together with the exhilarating beauty of mountain landscapes.

Labels: 2007, adventure, Canada, festival, film, mountains, Scotland

The Shrine, Los Angeles, is part of Hollywood's Golden Era. Home of the Emmy Awards and of the Oscars for over fifty years. Now for five days the Shrine, is to become the biggest movie theatre in America, with 6,300 seats. The Shrine Expo center is 56, 000 sq.ft. of independent and connected exposition space, where real exploration vehicles and mini-subs meet famous Sci-Fi props & miniatures. The event is the Jules Verne Adventure Film Festival, December 6 - 10, 2007.

Themed "from the abyss to the stars", the event is an extension of the annual Paris festival of films, based on or in the spirit of Jules Verne's novels, such as "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea" and "Around the World in Eighty Days". According to the sponsors, the Los Angeles event will not interfere with the annual event in France. Organizers, led by US astronaut Buzz Aldrin, said that the event would celebrate "the spirit of adventure and the preservation of our planet."

Jules Verne Adventures invites producers and directors worldwide to enter their documentaries into the competition for the Jules Verne Awards (unreleased programs will be privileged) and in the out of competition selection, showing the best of the international production. There is no entrance fee and in the competition : minimum duration is 26 minutes. Closing date September 15, 2007.

Labels: 2007, adventure, festival, film, Jules Verne

Sixty years and still going strong, the Cannes Film Festival opens its doors again 16 - 27 May, 2007.

They reckon its the biggest party in Europe and its certainly the most cash-rich. There is actually some doubt that this year is really the 60th anniversary but what's a year or two when your enjoying yourself?
More champagne?

Labels: Cannes Film Festival, festival, film, France