Heaven’s Gate, the movie made in conjunction with the World Wingsuit League, has won the Banff Film Festival. The film will tell the never-before-told story of what actually happened at Jeb Corliss’ famous fly-though Tianmen Cave in China in 2011.
National Geographic
The 48-minute film from Pan Pacific Entertainment was directed by Nic Good and produced by Iiro Seppanen & Frank Yang. It will premier on National Geographic Channels (excluding USA) starting the second week of November, at these times (in most countries):
Sunday, 10 November 9:30pm
Wednesday, 13 November 1:30pm
Friday, 15 November 10:30am
National Geographic chose an image from the movie as their ‘Photo of the Day’ on 5 November 2013.
Wingsuit and Jeb Corliss fans in the US have asked fellow WWL fans and aspiring pilots to find the time to petition National Geographic to show ‘Heaven’s Gate’ in the US, or at least release it on Bluray and DVD.
Greatest Stunt of All Time
Heaven’s Gate was the event that started the latest evolution in proximity flying and, as a sport, proximity flying has gone a long way since the film was shot. The World Wingsuit League (WWL) commented “We were honored when the viewers of ABC’s 20/20 -TV show selected this event as ‘The Greatest Stunt of All Time’ – and now, after collaborating with talented film makers, we want to share our version of the story. It is a story about never giving up, and believing your dreams.”
Outline
A group of wingsuit pilots gather at Tianmen Mountain in China, to attempt an intimidating feat — flying through the sacred site known as Heaven’s Gate, an archway carved out of the mountain. As Jeb Corliss drops from a helicopter and soars toward the opening, nearly a half-billion people hold their breath.
Trailer
The trailer for the movie has just been released, it captures the gripping atmosphere before Jeb’s stunt.
Critical Accclaim
From the Banff Film Festival Citation:
“It’s impossible not to get caught up in the contagious energy of one of our generation’s most inspiring, fearless, and accomplished adventure athletes. This film is a real testament to the art of storytelling, as it weaves a truly captivating and nail-biting narrative of Jeb Corliss’ phenomenal athletic achievement, and leaves viewers at the edge of their seats. Jeb’s insatiable spirit and love for adventure takes mountain sport to stunning new places, and new heights.”
Maggie Rhodes
Wingsuit Daredevil
Unbelievably, National Geographic changed the name from Heaven’s Gate to the imaginative ‘Wingsuit Daredevil’. The price of fame.
For more photos and info see: World Wingsuit League or WWL on Facebook
Jeb Corliss wingsuit skydiver flies through Tianmen mountain cave in China, summary version
