Banff Mountain Film Festival Explained

The Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival, formerly Banff Festival of Mountain Films, is an international film competition and annual presentation of films and documentaries about mountain culture, sports, environment and adventure & exploration, held every fall (October/November) in Banff, Alberta, Canada. Immediately after the festival in November, a selection of the best films entered in the festival goes on tour around the world.

The Banff Mountain Book Festival is held concurrently with the film festival. This literary festival is focused on mountain literature, and features guest speakers, readings, seminars, and an international book competition.

History

The festival was launched in 1976 as the Banff Festival of Mountain Films by The Banff Centre.[1] [2] [3]

Description

Banff Mountain Film Festival is held every fall in Banff, Alberta, Canada.[1] [2] [3]

Immediately after the festival in November, a selection of the best films entered in the festival goes on tour. The host organization in each tour location chooses a program that reflects the interests of their community. Each community creates a unique celebration of local adventure and adventurers.[4] [5]

Music of Banff

The music was composed by Jacques Blackstone. He was commissioned in the late 1990s by Banff Centre to write a theme for the festival. The "voice" for the intro is provided by Richard Armstrong, a New York-based teacher and performer who conducts International Voice Workshops. The film clips come from the films that are entered in each year's festival.[6]

Film selection

Approximately 400 films are entered into the film festival annually, and approx. 70–80 films are selected by a pre-screening committee and the festival team to be shown at the festival. During the festival, the international film festival jury chooses the best films and presents awards in various categories.

Every year the Banff World Tour team chooses about 35–40 films that feature a range of styles and themes, including climbing, skiing, kayaking, biking, adventure, culture, and the environment. The hosts try to choose the films that are best suited for their local audience and event. Most World Tour screenings include a range of different themes (adventure sports, environment, mountain culture, heritage, etc.) and styles (action-filled shorts; longer, more comprehensive films; amateur and professional productions; etc.).

Winners

Finding Farley was the top film at the 2009 Banff Mountain Film Festival, receiving both the Grand Prize and People's Choice Award.[7]

Mi Chacra, directed and produced by Jason Burlage, was the top film at the 2010 Banff Mountain Film Festival, receiving the Grand Prize.[4]

Audience Choice Award

The Audience Choice Award, previously known as the People's Choice Award, is an award voted for by viewers of the Film Festival.[8]

2010s
Year Film Director Producer
2018 The Bikes of Wrath[9] Cameron Ford and Charlie Turnbull Doss Flamingoss
2019 The Trilogy[10] Tommy Joyce Sasha DiGiulian
2020s
Year Film Director Producer
2020 Running The Roof [11] [12] Ben Crocker, Alexis Tymon Jody Bragger, Ben Crocker, Alexis Tymon
2021 Precious Leader Woman[13] Cassie De Colling[14] Hayley Morin, Mack Stannard
2022 Wild Waters[15] David Arnaud[16] Red Bull Media House, MOVIO
2023 Yamnuska: The Ragged Edge[17] John Price Sherpas Cinema, Malcolm Sangster

See also

Notes and References

  1. Langer, Adam (2000) The Film Festival Guide: For Filmmakers, Film Buffs, and Industry Professionals Chicago Review Press pg 22
  2. Hartemann, Frederic; Hauptman, Robert (2005) The Mountain Encyclopedia: An A to Z Compendium Taylor Trade Publishing pg 26
  3. Book: Pashby, Christie. Frommer's Banff & Jasper National Parks. John Wiley & Sons. 4th. 2008. Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. 70–71. 978-0-470-15346-8.
  4. Web site: Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour . 2010-11-11 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110708142624/http://www.chestnutmtnproductions.com/banff/banffhome.htm . 2011-07-08 . dead.
  5. Web site: Banff Mountain Film Festival . Banff Mountain Film Festival - World Tour Australia . 13 December 2021 . 20 May 2024.
  6. Web site: Intro Video Details - World Tour - Mountain Culture at the Banff Centre . 2009-04-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090825103204/http://www.banffcentre.ca/MountainCulture/tour/faq/intro_video.asp . 2009-08-25 . dead .
  7. News: Oke. Chris. Banff film fest coming to Whitehorse. 24 August 2010. Yukon News. 7 April 2010.
  8. Web site: Court Brinsmead - BMFF Audience Choice Award instructions . 2024-01-31 . courtbrinsmead.com . en-US.
  9. Web site: Banff Mountain Film Competition 2018 Winners . 2024-01-31 . www.banffcentre.ca . en.
  10. Web site: Banff Mountain Film Competition 2019 Winners . 2024-01-31 . www.banffcentre.ca . en.
  11. Web site: 2020 Banff Mountain Film Competition Winners . 2024-01-31 . www.banffcentre.ca . en.
  12. Web site: Running the Roof documentary: Three friends run across Tajikistan . January 5, 2021 .
  13. Web site: 2021 Banff Mountain Film Competition Winners . 2024-01-31 . www.banffcentre.ca . en.
  14. Web site: Cassie De Colling Director, Producer, Writer . 2024-01-31 . IMDb . en-US.
  15. Web site: 2022 Banff Mountain Film Competition Winners . 2024-01-31 . www.banffcentre.ca . en.
  16. Web site: David Arnaud Cinematographer, Camera and Electrical Department, Producer . 2024-01-31 . IMDb . en-US.
  17. Web site: 2023 Banff Mountain Film Competition Winners . 2024-01-31 . www.banffcentre.ca . en.