Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour Inspires Big Adventure
By Ryan Hayter
Since 1986, the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour has brought the outdoor culture’s most creative, inspiring and adrenaline-inducing stories to a global audience. Every year, the tour reaches about 400,000 fans in 40-plus countries reaching from Antarctica to Wales, who get to experience a taste of the world’s most remote destinations and daring adventures.
The North American leg of the tour started in November and has already traveled through more than 50 states, provinces and territories drawing in crowds from 100 or so in outposts like Sitka, Alaska, to thousands in Montreal, Denver and Salt Lake City. It runs through this October, with 30 more stops in the U.S. and Canada, plus more in Australia, Brazil, England, Italy, New Zealand, and Northern Ireland.
The benefits of the tour reach beyond its immediate audience. Much of its proceeds go to local outdoor programs, community causes, or non-profits such as youth adventure and outdoor pursuit programs; search and rescue operations; climbing clubs; adaptive sport programs; conservation groups; and trail maintenance organizations. Those benefactors are diverse, ranging from Texas State Parks to the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy and Colorado’s Rocky Mountain Wild.
Each stop delivers a unique experience for its audience. The local hosts actually play a role in determining which films will resonate best in their communities. Turns out, in warmer climes, audiences prefer snow-related films, while kayak or climbing films are popular in colder regions. The theme a host focuses on can differ too: One may prefer environmental films while another chooses adaptive sports productions that feature athletes who have overcome adversity.
A team of nine Banff Mountain Film Festival North American Tour Road Warriors spend six months on the road, both working behind the scenes and introducing the films to the audience with backstories on the filmmakers or how the film came to the festival. This year’s world tour is hosting 30 films covering topics from running in Namibia to skiing in Canada and wingsuiting in China. Many filmmakers over the years were inspired as an attendee first.
MSR, a sponsor of the festival and North American tour for 11 years, sent me to catch up with Road Warrior Michelle de Camp. Here, she explains what makes the tour so popular and rewarding.
TSR: What is a typical day like for the tour?
MdC: Every stop is different. I work with the hosts in advance to determine the best films and flow for their locations. Every venue is unique. It could be an auditorium, a school gym, a Cinemax or a professional theater. During the time of the show I serve as the emcee. The audience really gets into it. It’s like a rock concert.
TSR: A goal of the BMFF World Tour is to raise awareness about outdoor issues and inspire people to get outside. How do you do this?
MdC: The films do this for us! The interesting characters that we meet on screen, the incredible talent we see expressed in various outdoor sports, and the gorgeous locations of the films inspire our audience to plan their own personal adventures. We receive letters from fans telling us they’ve made radical changes in their lives so they can live a more adventurous life, connected to the outdoors.
Some of the tour stops are hosted by nature conservation groups as fundraisers for efforts such as river projects, and host organizations donate their profits to programs to get kids outside. It’s proven to be really successful. During one of our stops last season in Traverse City, Michigan, enough funds were raised to buy cross-country ski equipment and pay for regular transportation to get kids to the trails and introduce them to the sport. It feels great to support such good causes.
TSR: What is the benefit to the filmmakers?
MdC: The exposure is huge. If you’re a first time filmmaker and your film makes the tour, you’re going to reach hundreds of thousands of people and connect with premium sponsors. Several of the filmmakers notice a spike in film sales and views directly after the show. It’s a great opportunity for them.
The opening video shows at every screening, and is one of the best trailers you’ll ever see. Watch it here:
TSR: How does the tour benefit the outdoor community and the sports that it features?
MdC: It really brings the outdoor community together. Fans leave the shows inspired and ready do get outside. I frequently see them meeting with local outdoor organizations in the lobby during intermissions to plan their next adventures.
TSR: What’s next for you?
MdC: I’m going to enjoy being back home. When I’m not on the road, I’m a guide in Banff.
Check out more previews of the films plus upcoming screening locations around the world at Banff Centre’s website.