Review of Banff Mountain Film Festival Tour

Last night, I attended the Nashville screening of the Banff Mountain Film Festival Tour 2006/2007. The show was held at the Belcourt, a wonderful old historic theater in Hillsboro Village. Most of the films were edited down to clips to fit them into the 3 hour screening. I came away entertained and inspired. Here are my favorites:
Mission Epicocity

A paddling film shot in North and South America and Africa. The feats these guys pulled off in their kayaks was simply amazing to me. We’re talking some serious whitewater here. And if you’re never seen anyone kayak off 40 foot or more waterfalls, check out the trailer. I’m thinking of buying this one.

Asiemut

Imagine visiting Mongolia, Tibet, Nepal and India over a four month period. Now imagine doing it on your bicycle, including over the Himalayas. Now imagine filming the whole thing and editing it into a movie. That’s exactly what this couple did. 4,971 miles from Mongolia to Calcutta. Well, they did ride a bus for about 300 miles because one of them needed a break. Check out the trailer.

Cobra Crack

This entry was edited from a much longer film called First Ascent which chronicles some amazing climbers trying to be the first to climb what is considered unclimbable. Our clip follows Didier, a Swiss climber attempting the first ascent on the Cobra Crack in British Columbia. If you’ve never watched crack climbing, simply imagine trying to wedge whatever you can into a crack for leverage. Arms, legs, feet, fists, fingers. The clip followed Didier (a professing Christian, though by his description a “bad Christian”) over two seasons trying to climb the Cobra Crack. In the end, he gets injured and another climber gets the first ascent. Didier confesses that he had lost his head and was wanting the first ascent for his own glory, not God’s glory.

Check out the trailer.

The Best of Jo

The Best of Jo is a stop action Lego film about an adventurer who loves his coffee. The clip showed Jo climbing and even dropping into belay to grab his dropped coffee mug. The Best of Jo is extremely creative and was written, directed, and produced by 12 year old Logan Carlstrom.

Personal Comments

This event was well worth the $12 and four hours I invested in it. What did I learn? If you’re not doing what you love to do and are passionate about, you’re just dying.

If you’re not in the Nashville area, check HERE to see when the tour is coming to a theater near you.

Did any of your attend? If so, leave your thoughts and comments. What are some of your favorite adventure film festivals and films?