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It’s a little late to bill the Banff Mountain Film Festival world tour stop in Whistler as the perfect primer to get stoked for the upcoming ski season, what with the glorious early opening now almost two weeks ago.
But even if you’ve been hip deep in powder for days on end, there’s always room for a little more mountain inspiration.
With two nights of films about mountain culture, rock climbing, ice climbing, kayaking, paragliding, skiing, riding, and adventure in general, inspiration is exactly what you’ll find at the festival screenings on Friday and Saturday (Nov. 27 and 28).
“I think it’s about inspiring people to be creative and to inspire them to adventure in their lives,” said Jayson Faulkner, co-owner of Escape Route, the local shop that has hosted Banff Mountain Film Festival screenings for 19 years running. “Their mantra for the festival is to inspire creativity and just inspire generally.”
Faulkner has been going to the Banff festival for more than 20 years, and helped to bring the touring films to Whistler. Back then the top festival films toured to only about 30 cities in North America, he said. Now, they go to more than 30 countries worldwide.
“It is the most significant festival of its kind in the world,” Faulkner said.
Talking about the roster of films that will be screened in Whistler this weekend, he used words like “staggering,” “fantastic,” “beautiful,” and “gripping.”
Solo won the festival award for Best Film on Mountain Sports. It tells the story of Andrew McAuley’s quest to become the first person to kayak from Australia to New Zealand across 1,600 kilometres of wild ocean. After 30 days, New Zealand maritime authorities received his distress call.
“I defy anyone to see it and not become affected by it,” Faulkner said of the film.
While you might think it’s just the hardcore adventure junkies who are out there making these films — and coming out in Whistler to watch them — the selections are just as often about, and for, the average person. Take Rowing the Atlantic, for example: Roz Savage gives up her average life working in a cubicle in London and decides to cross the Atlantic all alone in a rowboat.
Faulkner said the film is “absolutely fantastic,” and totally inspirational.
This year’s tour roster includes films from Germany, France, Switzerland, Japan, Australia, the U.K., Brazil, Canada and the U.S. There are quirky short films, beautifully shot ski films and stories that go beyond the usual big mountain stunt shots.
With hundreds of films submitted for consideration at the Banff festival, the idea has always been to provide exposure for films that might not be seen any other way.
Faulkner said many of his favourite films over the years are the ones where a couple of friends set out on an adventure and decide to take their video camera along. While some larger, big-budget films are also included, those independent adventure stories are still the festival’s “heart and soul,” he said.
Find inspiration for your own adventures at the Banff Mountain Film Festival world tour, Friday and Saturday (Nov. 27 and 28) at 8 p.m. at Whistler’s Rainbow Theatre. Each screening includes multiple films and almost three hours of entertainment. Tickets are $18.50 or $12 for local students with ID and can be purchased at Escape Route in Marketplace.
