Banff Mountain Film Festival

The Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival is an international film competition and annual presentation of films and documentaries about mountain culture, sports, environment and adventure & exploration. It was launched in 1976 as The Banff Festival of Mountain Films by The Banff Centre and is held every fall in Banff, Alberta.[1][2][3] Held concurrently is the Banff Mountain Book Festival, which brings the spirit of mountain literature to Banff, and features guest speakers, readings, seminars, and an international book competition.

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. The World Tour visits approximately 800 cities annually in over 40 countries,[4] reaching over 500,000 audience members.

Film selection edit

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.).

Finding Farley was the top film at the 2009 Banff Mountain Film Festival, receiving both the Grand Prize and People's Choice Award.[5]

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

Winners edit

Audience Choice Award edit

The Audience Choice Award, previously known as the People's Choice Award, is an award voted for by viewers of the Film Festival.[6]

2010s
Year Film Director Producer
2018 The Bikes of Wrath[7] Cameron Ford and Charlie Turnbull Doss Flamingoss
2019 The Trilogy[8] Tommy Joyce Sasha DiGiulian
2020s
Year Film Director Producer
2020 Running The Roof [9][10] Ben Crocker, Alexis Tymon Jody Bragger, Ben Crocker, Alexis Tymon
2021 Precious Leader Woman[11] Cassie De Colling[12] Hayley Morin, Mack Stannard
2022 Wild Waters[13] David Arnaud[14] Red Bull Media House, MOVIO
2023 Yamnuska: The Ragged Edge[15] John Price Sherpas Cinema, Malcolm Sangster


Music of Banff edit

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.[16]

Gallery edit

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Langer, Adam (2000) The Film Festival Guide: For Filmmakers, Film Buffs, and Industry Professionals Chicago Review Press ISBN 9781556524158 pg 22
  2. ^ Hartemann, Frederic; Hauptman, Robert (2005) The Mountain Encyclopedia: An A to Z Compendium Taylor Trade Publishing ISBN 9781461703310 pg 26
  3. ^ Pashby, Christie (2008). Frommer's Banff & Jasper National Parks (4th ed.). Mississauga, Ontario, Canada: John Wiley & Sons. pp. 70–71. ISBN 978-0-470-15346-8.
  4. ^ a b "Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour". Archived from the original on 2011-07-08. Retrieved 2010-11-11.
  5. ^ Oke, Chris (7 April 2010). "Banff film fest coming to Whitehorse". Yukon News. Retrieved 24 August 2010.
  6. ^ "Court Brinsmead - BMFF Audience Choice Award instructions". courtbrinsmead.com. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
  7. ^ "Banff Mountain Film Competition 2018 Winners". www.banffcentre.ca. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
  8. ^ "Banff Mountain Film Competition 2019 Winners". www.banffcentre.ca. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
  9. ^ "2020 Banff Mountain Film Competition Winners". www.banffcentre.ca. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
  10. ^ https://runningmagazine.ca/the-scene/running-the-roof-documentary-three-friends-run-across-tajikistan/
  11. ^ "2021 Banff Mountain Film Competition Winners". www.banffcentre.ca. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
  12. ^ "Cassie De Colling | Director, Producer, Writer". IMDb. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
  13. ^ "2022 Banff Mountain Film Competition Winners". www.banffcentre.ca. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
  14. ^ "David Arnaud | Cinematographer, Camera and Electrical Department, Producer". IMDb. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
  15. ^ "2023 Banff Mountain Film Competition Winners". www.banffcentre.ca. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
  16. ^ "Intro Video Details - World Tour - Mountain Culture at the Banff Centre". Archived from the original on 2009-08-25. Retrieved 2009-04-14.

External links edit