About this episode

This episode discusses the National Paddling Film Festival 2026 and features guests who share insights about their films and experiences related to paddling.

Rivers are always photogenic, even telegenic, and rivers often become the setting for many films. Each year since 1981, the National Paddling Film Festival (NPFF) has provided a collective presentation of river films. This year’s festival is happening on February 21, live and in person in Kentucky with a virtual streaming option available for the price of a cup of coffee. We have 3 guests bringing us details about the NPFF. Stephanie Hoelscher is the director; Devin Ashley Brown is the featured paddler in the film “Mother River” about her Mississippi River run; and Nishan Thapa is the creator of the film “The Jewel of Wild West Nepal” about paddling the rivers in his home country of Nepal.

People in this episode

Host: Sam Carter

Guests: Stephanie Hoelscher, Devin Ashley Brown, Nishan Thapa

Topics covered

• paddling
• film festival
• river films
• Kentucky
• Nepal
• outdoor adventure

Keywords

• paddling
• film festival
• rivers
• Kentucky
• Nepal
• outdoor films
• Mother River
• The Jewel of Wild West Nepal

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Mother River, The Jewel of Wild West Nepal

Places: Kentucky

More episodes of The River Radius Podcast

• When a River Guide Rows Across the Pacific Ocean · April 21, 2026 · 1h 11m
• Big Bend, the Rio Grande & a Border Wall · April 7, 2026 · 59 min
• Jess Lewis & The River Running Mindset · March 17, 2026 · 51 min
• Live with The Returning Rapids Project, at the America Outdoors Conference · March 3, 2026 · 1h 21m
• 3 Women 300 Miles, River Boarding the Grand Canyon · February 10, 2026 · 1h 13m
• Ben Stookesberry, Exploratory Kayaking & Ecuador · February 3, 2026 · 1h 3m

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The River Radius Podcast podcast page.