Banff Mountain Film Festival 2006
October 28 – November 5

Feature-length Films

Sunday, October 29 – Eric Harvie Theatre
All Programs $9

Lots of tickets available. Purchase by phone or in person only (no on-line purchases). Please arrive a few minutes early.

Sunday, October 29 — noon program ($9)

Lemmings

USA, 2003, 6 minutes
Directed by Craig Van Dyke
Produced by R. Brent Adams

In this digitally-animated short film, a lemming tries to stop its friends and others from leaping off a cliff to their doom.

The White Planet

Canada/France, 2008, 81 minutes
Directed by Thierry Ragobert, Thierry Piantanida
Produced by Jean Lemire, Stéphane Millière, Jean Labadie

“The White Planet paints a broad fresco of the Arctic, rich in action and emotion. Together, some of the world’s best nature filmmakers have pooled their talent to bring their intimacy with this little-understood and poorly recognized area of the world to the viewer. The animals are present in full force, showing their ability to survive, as well as their vulnerability in a changing environment. The film allows the simple, natural beauty of the Arctic to speak for itself; silently, it makes a plea in favour of this strong yet fragile part of our planet.”
— Telefilm Canada

Sunday, October 29 — 3:30 program ($9)

Aweberg

Canada, 2006, 27 minutes
Produced by Will Gadd (appearing in person)

Will Gadd and Ben Firth are two top Canadian ice climbers. They thought climbing “awesome” bergs would be a lot of fun, so the Aweberg trip was born. The bergs looked great, but the reality was somewhat different. Note that the sounds of the picks in the film are much quieter than in real life!

The Bachelorette

France, 2006, 6 minutes
Directed by Dom Janiszewski

Biking, climbing, BASE jumping with a wingsuit, kayaking, paragliding… with a short story.

Storms — The Movie: Touching My Self

UK, 2005, 12 minutes
Directed and produced by David Halsted, Alastair Lee

This segment from the anarchic and slightly risqué climbing comedy Storms — The Movie parodies the acclaimed docudrama Touching the Void, based on the book by Joe Simpson.

First Ascent

USA, 2006, 88 minutes
Directed by Peter Mortimer with Nick Rosen
Produced by Peter Mortimer, Timmy O’Neill, Nick Rosen

First Ascent focuses on climbing’s modern-day pioneers and their quests to make first ascents of the most astounding unclimbed rock formations and mountains in the world. Armed with a fleet of new high-definition cameras, the filmmakers visit the last unexplored realms of the vertical world in order to deliver you a climbing film like you have never seen.
Warning: Contains coarse language.

Sunday, October 29 — 7:30 program ($9)

Conversing with Aotearoa/New Zealand

USA, 2006, 14 minutes
Directed by Corrie Francis (appearing in person)

In an age of technological integration and urban life, people turn to the natural world for a wilderness experience. In this animated documentary, New Zealanders attempt to fathom their deep, personal connection with their land.

Alta Rezia Freeride Tour

Switzerland, 2005, 30 minutes
Directed and produced by Alec Wohlgroth

This HD film documents 20,000 metres of descent through the Swiss Engadin and northern Italy in six days. Infected by the freeride trend, world-famous mountain bikers Hans “No Way” Rey and Thomas Frischknecht go on an adventurous ride on the most beautiful trails between St. Moritz and Livigno, completing the first mountain-bike tour through the entire Alta Rezia area.

The Giant Buddhas

Switzerland/Germany, 2005, 95 minutes
Directed and produced by Christian Frei

In February 2001, six months before the attacks on the Twin Towers, the Taliban issued a decree calling for the destruction of all non-Islamic-related statues in Afghanistan. Despite resounding outrage from the international community, the world lost two of its most magnificent landmarks. A pair of enormous stone Buddhas, hewn from the side of a cliff in the Bamiyan Valley more than 1,600 years ago, was blown to bits by Islamic fundamentalists.

Program subject to change.