Kiwi big mountain skier Hank Bilous is known just as much for his full rookie send of Corbet’s Couloir at Jackson Hole in 2017 as he is for ducking the Freeride World Tour finals rope at Crested Butte and sending the course naked in the same season. Antics that put him solidly on the freeride map alongside his multiple FWT podiums.
The Wanaka grown lad has, seven years later, found coveted life balance and security after transitioning from competing on the world ski circuit to completing his nursing degree. He currently works in the emergency department of a small community in the north island of New Zealand.
Now he’s taken hold of the camera in his directorial and producing debut with The North Face supported film War on Style (skiing, surfing, skateboarding and nursing), a soulful exposè from the heart of a deep-feeler.
The film delves into the relationship between different passions, the skill sets behind them, and the self-expression that mastery of them allows.
The framework of The War on Style was inspired by Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, written by Robert M. Pirsig, and its discussion of static and dynamic qualities in a theory of reality. Interpreting these ideas, and merging them with his own world experience, Hank explores the relationship between technical skills and self-expression.
You can see the film in both New Zealand and Australia with intimate screenings presented by Bilous and selected screenings will include a live show from Sam Wave, composer of the original soundtrack.
THE WAR ON STYLE – FILM TOUR STOPS
Auckland – 30 July
Dunedin – 31 July Christchurch – 1 August
Queenstown – 20 August
Wanaka – 21 August
Sydney – 2 & 3 October (tickets to be released soon)
Torquay – 4 October (tickets to be released soon).
