Many of the shots presented in the eight short films shown at the Banff Mountain Film Festival screening last week really were something. The shot of skiers sliding down the fearsome peaks of Svalbard in front of a total solar eclipse was simply fantastical. And yet I felt somewhat estranged from the festival in general.

This may have been because of the style of the films. Too often they felt like advertisements. Although there was a good deal of sponsorship, the festival didn’t seem to be selling a product as much as it was promoting an adventurous approach to life. This is typically all fine and good, but the intensity of confident support for this lifestyle seemed to be preaching to the choir. If a person who is predisposed to view nature as a hostile, uncaring, and awful (in the archaic sense) sees such films, they will not register the sense of inspiration and wonder and beauty that is intended.

The structure of the films also felt too ad-like for personal preference as well. Well, there was one parody of pharmaceutical ads and a trailer for a soon-to-be-released documentary, but it seemed unintentional in the others. Most of the films felt like diluted versions of larger stories. A river expedition through the Yukon covers all the major events that happened, but the film jumps too quickly from one episode to the next. It would show the team members goofing around or passing an impressive cliff formation, but these moments did not feel properly woven together. Instead of a careful fluid progression of one event to the next, I felt a scattershot melange of memories visually uttered to wow a like-minded friend.

While I am quite glad that I went to the film festival, I also recognize that I could not enjoy it as much as the intended audience. Some prefer contemplative terror while others prefer exhilarating majesty.

In the Banff Mountain Film Festival, I watched some of the most exhilarating short clips I have ever seen. The common theme in all the clips is to explore nature and  inspire the viewer.

In one clip, a son took on a boating journey in the path his father (now old and unable to boat) used to take would take rekindle memories.  Another clip was about two women who broke a rock-climbing record on a Yosemite cliff. Interestingly, that was the only clip with women involved; there surely are more female adventurers out there so I hope future festivals show more journeys involving women. In another clip, several guys boated along 5 rivers in North America as part of a movement to prevent development along the watershed. It was inspiring to learn at the end of the clip that their activism helped in the passing of a bill to disallow development along 80% of the watershed in the Ukon region. In another clip, a few skiers went to an abandoned skiing town in northern Norway to watch an eclipse. After a lot of hardships, they succeeded in seeing the eclipse without cloud cover, and the scenery was also amazing with the Northern Lights that look so alien and unique to most of us. Overall, I was really impressed with the amazing cinematography, the compelling human stories, and the inspirational explorations and boundless variety and beauty of nature that was exhibited in all these short movie clips. There is definitely immense power in good storytelling centered around majestic natural scenery and human endeavors. One cannot help leave being immensely inspired with a positive attitude towards life!

On Friday, I attended the Banff Mountain Film Festival event with fellow Scholars and GRF Yashira. Prior to the event, I was not sure what to expect. At first, I thought we may be watching the film in Rose House, but it turned out that we were on our way to Bailey Hall! I also thought that the film might be in the format of narrated bird’s eye views of numerous mountainous landscapes from around the world, which I had no problems with. This would be a chance for me to see some of Earth’s truly spectacular features, regardless of the format of the film.

Upon arriving at Bailey, I admittedly felt a little out of place. Here were hundreds of people who had a deep passion for the outdoors, spending so much of their lives immersed in landscapes of the world. They were all congregated in this one central hub to watch this compilation of 8 of the best films from the Festival. I initially felt bad that I was potentially taking the seat of a more deserving viewer who could really appreciate the film. But, as soon as the first one started, I could understand how anyone, no matter the amount of time or the types of outdoor activities they are involved in, could fall in love with and were equally as deserving of seeing each of the places that this virtual tour brought us to.

I would have been content with a narrated film of the landscapes, but I was even more excited that all of the films depicted and were in the voice of their subjects. As a Human Development major, I enjoyed the human elements of the film – getting a firsthand glimpse at the interactions between people and the landscapes, as well as the physical and psychological tests of human strength. For someone who is afraid of heights, this event was perfect. I was able to experience being up on mountains without physically being elevated. I was pleased to live vicariously through others in the films. Among my favorites was the first film shown, The Important Places, which won Best Short Mountain Film, about a young man’s and his father’s shared love for the Colorado River. Another one that I really enjoyed was Eclipse, which won Best Film: Snow Sports, illustrating a photographer’s mission to capture the perfect picture of skiers coming down a Norwegian mountain during an eclipse. A third was Paddle for the North, a portrayal of 6 men’s journey paddling some of the more remote rivers in North America. Despite some of the more muddy and grueling conditions that they endured, they got to see the Northern Lights, which has always been a bucket list item of mine.

An important aspect of the event to note were the various film elements used. Everything was natural, no special effects were implemented. The angles and contrast in scale of what was being filmed were amazing. They ranged from being able to see the bottom side of drops of water as they dripped off of a surfer’s glove to frames of entire rivers and snowy mountains. This Festival was as much about the filmmakers as they were the subjects of the films.

Having attended this event, I think I will be needing to add more places to my bucket list. I like to go running on Campus. Perhaps, I will have to branch out further and experience running in new, even more scenic places in the future. The Festival was such an exhilarating and fulfilling experience. There is something to be said in finding peace in nature’s both calm and more tumultuous landscapes. I am so glad that I attended! The Earth has so many wonders, many of which will always give us a sense of awe. If we look at some of the native cultures, as the films did, we see they have an honest understanding of the land and hope to preserve it along with their cultures. They see the land for all of its beauty and wonderment. Those of other cultures do, too, but because such wonders are becoming more industrialized and scarce, those of other cultures have a stronger sense of awe. Is this increased level of wonderment necessarily a good thing? It seems like a double-edged sword – on the one hand, we are paying the land some more mind, but on the other hand, this is very likely because the land is being destroyed. This year is the 40^th anniversary of the Banff Festival. I truly hope that it continues for another 40 and counting!

On Friday I was lucky to be able to go to the Banff Mountain Film Festival with my two blockmates and other Rose Scholars. I have heard great things about the experience but I didn’t know what to expect. It turns out to be a combination of several interesting short outdoor films, each lasting ten to thirty minutes. My favorite is one that several guys goes to see eclipse at the end of the earth. I was shocked and fascinated their destination and bravery because it certainly looks very dangerous to climb up the snow mountain.

On our way back to west campus, we talked about how our life is different from people in the film. They are so bright and adventurous yet we have a lifestyle so vastly different. It is always interesting to see somebody out there who has a totally difference life experience from me. I learned a lot from the spirit of people in these films: their destination, bravery and willingness to challenge themselves. I am so happy I have come to see the film. Thank you for organizing this event!

If you are interested in the films but didn’t get to see, here is their official site for more information:

https://www.banffcentre.ca/banff-mountain-film-and-book-festival

Bailey Hall was crowded to the brim with people of all ages. I felt the excitement of the others around me, but knowing next to nothing about the Banff Mountain Film Festival, felt strangely out of place. Initially, I thought they might just show us beautiful mountain scenery and incredible nature shots. However, when the movies started, I realized that although it certainly had breathtaking views, it was primarily about the human angle. Many of the films were deeply touching and yet the emotional depths were often offset by humorous moments. Of the many films I saw that day, a couple really stood out in my mind. One focused on the touching relationship between a man and his dog, Denali. The dog was old and near death, so the man was revisiting all their favorite places where they had gone adventuring together. Another was about a man going on an adventure to get a near impossible photo– a person skiing down a mountain, framed by an eclipse. Not only was the timeframe necessary to capture this photo challenging and the possibilities for a cloudy day high, but the chance of finding the ideal place for a shot and for positioning the cameras were also very slim. I honestly expected them to fail, but their persistence resulted in a beautiful, rare photograph– the kind of picture that photographers only get a chance to take a couple of times in their lives. Although their accomplishment was formidable, I have to admit my favorite part of the video was when one of the members of the group confessed to having forgotten a spoon, trying to eat cereal with a wrench, and then getting said wrench frozen to the inside of their mouth. When the film festival ended, I felt a strange mixture of inspiration and disappointment at the excitement-deprived state of my life. I left Bailey Hall with a previously unknown desire for adventure.

the banff film festival was the only rose event i could attend this week, so, as i’m wont to do, i just showed up not knowing anything about what it was going to be. i’m glad things worked out the way they did because this event turned out to be really cool. in case you weren’t aware, as i wasn’t, the banff mountain film festival is a collection of short films about people who go on crazy adventures outdoors. there were films about long distance canoeing through canada, speed mountain climbing, surfing on rivers (i didn’t even know that was a thing), skiing in the arctic circle, etc. each film was by turns, exhilarating, moving, and hilarious. i was very impressed with, not only the incredible feats the subjects of the film performed (ex: “yeah, we had to push our jeep uphill through mud for twelve kilometers.”), but how insightful, and humble most of the films were. my favorite was about a man with cancer going on one last adventure with his dog. it was 10/10 dog. after all the films were done i had the overwhelming desire to go start some crazy expedition of my own. i think we get so stuck in all of the stuff we feel like we have to do that we forget about everything else out there we can be doing. one of the films focused on a guy who worked a normal job monday through friday, and decided that over the weekend he was going to fly to mexico and ski down the third highest peak in north america–and he did it. it was crazy. i hope i don’t ever forget that i can do that.

i’d give the banff mountain film festival a 10/10 and would recommend it to a top ten friend.

Tonight a group of rose residents had a unique opportunity to attend the Banff mountain film festival world tour at Bailey Hall. I had not heard of this event prior to Rose house announcements, so I wasn’t sure what to expect from this event, other than that it was about natural geographic films. I was interested in this event because I enjoy scenery, traveling, and photography.

When we arrived at Bailey, there were so much more audience than I had expected. The auditorium was almost full! It was clear that everyone was pumped about this event. As we waited for the show to start, one of the photos caught my eye: the sparkling sky blue waters of Lake Louise with snowy Rocky Mountains in the background. I had seen that famous scene in real life when I used to live in Canada. It brought back a lot of memories and the high definition photo made it feel like I was standing in front of the lake.

Of the 8 films that they showed, the most memorable film for me was Denali, A tribute to man’s best friend. This film captured the life story of a dog with his owner who was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. In the video, a quote “People could learn a lot from dogs” was stated. I agree with this because I truly learn a lot from my own pets. Dogs are very loyal to their best friends and they enthusiastically greet you every time they see you. I am often surprised by how much my dog can comprehend of what I say or feel. He taught me the importance of being there for someone when they need you. The film can be watched here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2zQbsEGh_Q

Most of the films had scenes where the camera was far away at a high location, capturing the members and mountains or snow in the background. I wondered how they were able to accomplish such a difficult task. Overall, the event was an awesome experience and I enjoyed watching and experiencing the different types of landscapes ranging from the snowy mountain peaks to rampaging rivers. And I hope one day to be able to travel like those in the film and I will also make a film or many pictures to keep memories.

I WAS SO GLAD I ATTENDED THIS INSPIRATIONAL EVENT. I was on the waitlist for the event, but my roommate and I decided to check out if there was any spot left. Turns out two people did not show up and both my roommate and I got to go to Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival at the end. The event is really unique because it is not a one-story documentary. It is a screening of multiple short videos filmed by individuals who went on incredible journeys. The one that struck me the most was the one about capturing the Eclipse at the Arctic. Many people may want to see the eclipse, but go all the way to the Arctic, one of the coldest places on earth? I guess not. But these motivational individuals from the film portray such great passion. They were not afraid of cold; they were not intimidated by the severe wind. They shared an estimate of two weeks to scout the best place for photographing the moment when the skier jumps right in front of the eclipse. They went through such a long and harsh journey but they managed to get a breath-taking picture of such a magnificent moment. It may be really cliche, but this reminded me how there is no limit to what we can do as long as we have the passion for it. All the short films propose the importance of protecting what we value, such as the environment and our passion. Nowadays, there are so many different stress in our society, but we shall not be afraid to protect what we value simply because of external stress. I am sure all of us can achieve our dream, promote our value as long as we want to and give our best!