Adventure into the wild at Banff Mountain Film Festival
Unbranded starts as a film about four men and 16 mustangs on a 3,000 mile journey, but ends up as much more than that.
Unbranded starts as a film about four men and 16 mustangs on a 3,000 mile journey, but ends up as much more than that.
The story of Britain's first female mountain guide Gwen Moffat takes viewers through wilderness landscapes in the film Operation Moffat.
Bozeman filmmaker Max Lowe looks at the emerging river surfing scene in Montana with his film Living Rivers.
Photographer Ben Moon and his dog Denali.
OGDEN — Exploring the great outdoors — from kayaking to mountain climbing to paragliding — is the theme of the Banff Mountain Film Festival.
Twenty films about extreme sports will be featured in this year’s two-day event at Peery’s Egyptian Theater.
Now in its 17th year in Ogden, the festival remains popular because of the local interest in outdoor activities, be it marathons or biking, ice climbing or trail hiking, said event organizer Jan Larson.
“(The films) just get better every year” in terms of the cinematography and subject matter, Larson said. She added, “It’s so exciting, and features beautiful adventures all over the world. It’s compelling films and pictures of things you just don’t see every day.”
The Banff Mountain Film Festival, a fundraiser for the Ogden Valley Ski Team, features a different set of films on each day, Feb. 13 and 14. The movies range in length from 2 minutes to 30 or 40 minutes.
“‘Eclipse’ is the best film on snow sports,” Larson said. “It’s a ski adventure but it’s not totally about skiing,” she added, explaining the film follows the journey of a photographer who wants to capture a photo of a skier in front of a 2015 solar eclipse.
PREVIEW
• WHAT: Banff Mountain Film Festival
• WHEN: 7 p.m.-10 p.m. Feb. 13-14
• WHERE: Peery’s Egyptian Theater, 2415 Washington Blvd., Ogden
• ADMISSION: $18 per day, or $30 for both days. http://egyptiantheaterogden.com.
One of the fun offerings is “Darklight,” a followup to a prior film called “Afterglow” that featured skiers with lights on skiing at night. “Darklight” is the same concept but highlights bikers with lights, Larson said.
More of the films also feature women this year, Larson said, reflecting a growing interest in extreme sports from women.
Every autumn, Larson and others on her committee attend the Banff Mountain Film Festival in Alberta, Canada, and watch the films screened there. Judges select a list of films to go on tour and Larson chooses movies from that list that she feels will resonate most with an Ogden area audience.
Last year, the event at Peery’s Egyptian raised $18,000 for the Ogden Valley Ski team, she said.
The movies are not rated and appeal to all ages, although Larson said they may not hold the interest of very young children. Here’s the festival schedule, with summaries based on information from the 2016 Banff Mountain Film Festival. An intermission is included each evening.
Feb. 13
• “55 Hours in Mexico”: Just a quick weekend trip to Mexico, to rent a car, climb North America’s third highest peak and ski down it, and get back to work on Monday.
• “Sounds of Paragliding”: Paragliding pilot Theo de Blic “dances to the sounds of the sky” in this 4-minute film from France.
• “Bluehue”: The winner of the British Mountaineering Council’s 2014 Women in Adventure Film Competition, “Bluehue” tells the story of Natasha Brooks, who finds solitude and a connection to nature by swimming naked year-round in the cold mountain lakes of Wales.
• “Darklight”: “Afterglow,” a 2014 film, followed skiers down powdery slopes at night. This sequel uses the same approach to track bikers who are wearing lights.
• Story continues below video
• “Living Rivers”: Surfing in Montana? Kevin Benhardt talks about the river surfing scene in this scenic state and his connection to the river and passion for the sport.
• “Unbranded”: An adventure story across the American West complete with wild mustangs. Four men and 16 horses journey from Mexico to Canada; the question of whether or not their trek can help save wild horses on public lands is at the heart of the story.
• “The Warmth of Winter”: “There is no warmth like a warmth found in winter,” reads the tagline of this short film, which features what it’s like in an indoor shelter from the storm, complete with a toasty fire.
• “Builder”: Find out more about trail building as seen through the eyes of some top riders and creative builders.
• “Operation Moffat”: This 20-minute film from the United Kingdom spotlights Gwen Moffat, the country’s first female mountain guide. Moffat talks about her preference for “mountains over people, adventure over security, wilderness over tick lists.”
• “Chasing Niagara”: Paddling over Niagara Falls is the culmination of a two-year adventure by pro kayaker Rafa Ortiz that begins in the rainforest rivers of Mexico.
• Story continues below map
Feb. 14
• “The Important Places”: A father and son explore the need of returning to memorable places in life in a short film that combines new footage with old 16 mm footage.
• “Women’s Speed Ascent”: Two women, Mayan Smith-Gobat and Libby Sauter, crush the old speed record of climbing The Nose on El Cap in Yosemite National Park.
• “Pretty Faces”: Go along for the ride as women chase their love of the snow — and their achievements — in the mountains.
• “Reel Rock 10: A Line Across the Sky”: Two climbers conquer the Fitz Traverse of Patagonia, an epic route with endless rapelling that’s been attempted by few and considered impossible by others.
• “Denali”: Filmmaker Ben Knight explores the relationship between a man and his dog; the film’s four-legged star follows his photographer buddy on all life’s adventures.
• “unReal”: From Teton Gravity Research comes this short film on the adventures of mountain biking, and how the sport can help fans escape “real life.”
• “Climbing Ice”: Pushing the boundaries of climbing ice is the theme of this 16-minute film that follows photographer Tim Kemple and ice climbers Klemen Premrl and Rahel Schelb on their expeidtion to a glacier in Iceland.
• “Eclipse”: Bad weather, a poor guide and other factors threaten the dream of photographer Reuben Krabbe to snap a photo of a skier in front of the 2015 solar eclipse in Svalbard, in the Arctic Ocean. This film was voted the top entry in the Snow Sports category.
• “Nature RX”: Just a 2-minute dip into nature can cure what ails you when life leaves you stressed and irritable.
Contact reporter Becky Cairns at 801-625-4276 or bcairns@standard.net. Follow her on Twitter at @bccairns or like her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SEbeckycairns.