Big Screen, Big Stories: Travel the world and experience some inspirational, exhilarating and unforgettable adventures from the comfort of your theatre chair at the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour, returns to the UK this spring.
Now in its fifth edition, the 2014 Tour showcases the best of the latest films from the global mountain sports community including climbing, alpinism, mountain biking, adventure travel, skiing and kayaking. New activities added to the line-up this year are wingsuit flying and surfing.
The diverse film programme is selected from the 360 films, including award-winners and audience favourites, entered into the prestigious Banff Mountain Film Festival held in the Canadian Rockies in November 2013.
The Tour is much more than a series of incredible film nights. It brings together people with all kinds of outdoor passions who come back every year to enjoy the fantastic community feeling and leave with new enthusiasm and inspiration for their own next adventure.
2014 Highlights include:
Heaven’s Gate (Best Film – Mountain Sports)
A group of wingsuit pilots gather at Tianmen Mountain in China, the birthplace of the dream of human flight, to attempt an intimidating feat – flying through the sacred site known as Heaven’s Gate, an archway carved out of the mountain. As Jeb Corliss drops from a helicopter and soars toward the opening, nearly a half-billion people hold their breath.
High Tension (Best Film – Mountain Culture)
Flying fists, obscenities, and death threats at 23,000 feet? Is this the new Everest reality? This film takes a closer look at the 2013 incident at Camp II that made international headlines and had climbers Ueli Steck, Simone Moro, and Jonathan Griffith running for their lives.
North of the Sun (Grand Prize and People’s Choice Award)
Tucked between the cold Atlantic Ocean and the rocky slopes of a remote, arctic island, two young Norwegian adventurers discover their own private playground. They build themselves a cabin out of flotsam while clearing the beach of debris, then spend the long winter skiing and surfing in the haunting low light.
Keeper of the Mountain (Special Jury Mention)
Elizabeth Hawley bucked the conventions of her time by settling alone in Kathmandu in 1960, where she began chronicling Himalayan expeditions for The Himalayan Database. Even as she turns 90, she continues to update these records with rigorous accuracy and dedication, challenging the truth of even the most adamant of mountaineers.
Spice Girl
The UK climbing scene is known for its strict traditional ethic, yielding dangerous routes and a competitive machismo among the driven young climbers risking it all to prove their boldness. It’s the last place you’d expect to find a nice little blond girl putting all the lads to shame, but Hazel Findlay is doing just that. The first woman to climb the British grade of E9, Hazel is a connoisseur of loose rock, dodgy gear, and big run-outs. Having mastered the scrappy seacliffs at home she teams up with Emily Harrington to tackle the massive, untamed bigwalls of Taghia Gorge, Morocco.
The Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour can be seen locally at the Assembly Hall Theatre, Tunbridge Wells on Wednesday 26th March with a second chance to catch the festival at The Brighton Dome Concert Hall on Friday 11th April. For Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour tickets and information go to www.Banff-uk.com
