Banff film tour comes to Chesterfield

The Banff tour features films on mountain culture and adventure, like “Committed 2: The Walk of Life,” (above) which was the Alpine Club of Canada’s 2009 pick for best film. Photo courtesy of the Banff Centre This year, the Banff Mountain Film U.S. World Tour will visit 41 states and the District of Columbia. Coming in March, the tour will make its annual pilgrimage to the south and roll into Chesterfield County.

Thanks to the financial backing of Blue Ridge Mountain Sports (BRMS) and the Chesterfield Parks and Recreation Department, residents can view some of the best films that celebrate mountain culture and adventure for free.

The tour will be presented on Friday, March 12, and Saturday, March 13, at the James River High School auditorium. Shows will run from 6:30-9:30 p.m. both nights. Doors open at 6 p.m.

“The Banff Mountain Film Festival is an international film competition featuring the world’s best footage on mountain subjects,” says Noel Losen, outdoor manager for Chesterfield Parks and Recreation. “The festival began in 1976 and is held annually on the first weekend in November in Banff, Alberta, Canada. Immediately after the festival in November, a selection of the best films entered in the festival goes on tour. The world tour spans the globe, making its way from Austria to Argentina and from Iceland to India. About 200,000 people attend approximately 530 screenings in about 285 locations.”

“Blue Ridge Mountain Sports has been showcasing Banff in four different venues where we have store locations,” says Kurt Peterson, grassroots coordinator for BRMS. “I think the first one was about 12 years ago in Charlottesville, and it has become such a banner event…that an opportunity to do it in Richmond just made a whole lot of sense, so we approached Chesterfield County Parks about it. It’s just a good fit.”

Each night’s screening will show approximately three hours of movies. Some of the films are intense and action-packed and feature adventure sports such as mountain and ice climbing, mountain biking, white-water kayaking, base jumping and skiing. Other films provide insight into the environment and different cultures.

An example of the former is the 22-minute film “Azazel.” According to the Banff Centre, the film features four climbers’ ambitious attempt to set a new route on the Trango Pulpit Tower in Pakistan. “These climbers’ down to earth nature and goofy sense of humour makes the mythic 6,000-metre climb look like child’s play, though it’s anything but.”

In contrast, there’s the 28-minute film entitled, “Mustang – Journey of Transformation,” narrated by Richard Gere. This poignant film reveals the cultural and geographical isolation of the Himalayan kingdom of Mustang and “tells the compelling story of the efforts to rescue this ancient place from the brink of extinction and to help spark a cultural renaissance,” according to the Banff Centre.

The nine-minute movie “Pick Up Sticks” illuminates the effect of climate change through the eyes of seabirds. “Filmed in the midst of a seabird colony on the edge of an Arctic coastal headland, this family-friendly film illustrates how marine environmental change is affecting the delicate balance of life for a hardy creature of the northern seas,” according to the Banff Centre.

It’s a heterogeneous group that flocks to the film festival. The young and old, individuals and families, and people living near and afar congregate because of their penchant for the outdoors and the film series.

“I attend the Banff program because the films are some of the best that you can see anywhere...adventure films, extreme films, nature films, animated, funny and wonderful poignant, inspiring films,” says Margaret Gerdts, who travels 80 miles from Urbanna to attend the film series. “Plus, it’s a way those of us who love adventure can live vicariously… without taking chances.”

County residents Sheila and John Leckie are avid fans who return year after year. “We never miss the Banff Film Festival because it takes us to places where we’ve been or where we want to go, and then there are the extreme adventures that the Banff Film Festival shows,” says Sheila Leckie. “The photography, the filming, the excitement brings us back every year.”

In addition to the great films, there will also be door prizes provided by the Banff U.S. World Tour sponsors on both nights. Past years’ prizes included hiking boots by Durham, coats by North Face, headlamps by Petzl and other outdoor clothing and equipment.

BRMS will spearhead a humanitarian cause by collecting tents and tarps for the people of Haiti. Film-goers are encouraged to donate used tents in good condition with all their parts or a new tarp. BRMS will collect the tents and tarps at both showings, then ship them to Convoy of Hope, a nonprofit organization working directly in Haiti.

If movies and freebies don’t lure you to the film festival, there’s one more enticement: Girl Scouts will probably be selling cookies.

To learn more about the Banff Mountain Film U.S. World Tour, visit www.banffcentre.ca/MountainCulture/Tour/.