Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival Goes Virtual

By Chris Hubbard, Education Director

With the global pandemic causing many activities to shift from in-person events to virtual offerings this year, a slim silver lining has emerged, as access to conferences, workshops, and cultural events have been made available digitally and virtually to socially distanced participants. One such event to make this shift is the Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival, an international film festival featuring short films and documentaries focused on mountain culture, sports, and the environment. Launched in 1976 and held every fall in Banff, Alberta, Canada, the festival features 60 films selected out of a field of upwards of 300 to be shown. From the featured films, a select number are chosen to go on tour around the world, allowing for a wider audience to view the artistry of the filmmakers. In 2020, the tour went virtual, and viewers can now watch from the comfort of their own home.

The featured films in the currently available programs are diverse in topic, location, and voice. In “The Elder (The Winter),” an elderly Ainu woman from Hokkaido, Japan, shares how she is grateful for the modern convenience of a warm bath as she practices and performs the ancient songs and dances, preserving her culture’s traditions. Meanwhile, in the Québecois film “Far, Far Est,” two Canadian college students forgo a trip to warmer climes to spend a humorous and fun-loving spring break skiing and surfing on the North-American east coast. We see the tenacity of the human spirit as a trio of friends attempt to run across the remote high mountains of Tajikistan in “Running the Roof” and a blind climber lead climbing the Old Man of Hoy in Scotland in “Climbing Blind.” The videography is stunning throughout the films, and the stories told, captivating.

Tickets to the film festival are available regionally through the Glens Falls–Saratoga Chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club (www.adkgfs.org) and Burlington’s Skirack (www.skirack.com), with a portion of the proceeds going to benefit the GF/S ADK and the UVM Outing Club (through Skirack). The Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival virtual tour is available until October 24, 2021, with new programs being added throughout the year.