October 29 – November 6, 2011

Nine days you won’t want to miss.

The world’s best mountain films, books, and speakers take the spotlight for nine days each fall in Banff. Experience the adventure of climbing, mountain expeditions, remote cultures, and the world’s last great wild places – all brought to life at The Banff Centre.

The Festival offers a diverse range of experiences for the thousands of people who visit Banff to attend this world-class event. From armchair adventurers to weekend warriors, to the international mountain community – our enthusiastic audience brings the energy to this event!

Theatres and venues are filled to the brim with locals (who eagerly anticipate these nine-days every year), with international visitors (who have dreamed about coming to the Festival in Banff for the first time), and of course with world-renowned authors, filmmakers, conservationists, adventurers, and explorers from around the world. Past Festival guests have included Sir Edmund Hillary, Jon Krakauer, Aaron Ralston, David Breashears, Reinhold Messner, Alex Lowe, and Royal Robbins.

From feature films to featured speakers, there’s something for everyone. Sit back and devote a guilt-free day to watching inspiring films from around the globe – including World premieres. Spend a lunch-hour listening to a renowned author reading excerpts from her latest work – or attend a free noon-hour seminar profiling hot topics in adventure and travel. Pick up new releases to be signed in-person by authors at the Book Fair. Find some unique gifts – paintings, pottery, jewellery, and more – at the Mountain Art and Craft Sale. Peruse the latest gear at the Adventure Tradeshow. Stroll by the winner’s display of the Banff Mountain Photography Competition exhibition. Stretch your muscles on the climbing wall. The choices are endless.

Be inspired. Be energized. Come together to celebrate the spirit of adventure at the Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival.

Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival History

The Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival is one of the flagship programs of The Banff Centre. As one of the world’s pre-eminent mountain festivals – and a co-founder of the International Alliance for Mountain Film — the Festival didn’t always enjoy international recognition. The Festival began more than 35 years ago in 1976 in the small Rocky Mountain town of Banff, Alberta. A tight-knit group of climbers and outdoor folk looked for an annual event to entertain them during the shoulder season between climbing and skiing. As the story goes, several late night meetings and a few beers later The Banff Festival of Mountaineering Films was born. What began as a one-day festival of climbing films, has now blossomed into a nine-day event in Banff and a year-round film tour which encompasses over 500 screenings on all continents (yes, we go to Antarctica!). Past Festival speakers have included climbing leaders and explorers such as Doug Scott, Reinhold Messner, Sir Edmund Hillary, Catherine Destivelle, Lynn Hill, Bradford Washburn, Göran Kropp, Greg Child, and many, many others.

Climbers, filmmakers, writers, and photographers from all over the world now recognize Banff as the key event in their mountain community; sharing stories with fellow mountaineers and armchair adventurers alike is a coveted privilege. At the very core of the Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival is the Film Competition. Since its inception in the late 1970’s we have accepted more than 5000 films into our coffers, an impressive film archive of climbing and mountaineering, outdoor adventure, mountain culture and environmental films. Filmmakers enter our competition with the hope that their films might win an award and be chosen for the World Tour enjoyed by an audience of more than 250,000 annually. The Banff Mountain Film Festival’s high adrenaline sibling, Radical Reels, also enjoys a widespread, younger audience of more than 30,000. Similarly, the Banff Mountain Book Competition is now in its 18th year with more than 1730 volumes gracing our mountain library shelves. The Festival audience has enjoyed events featuring world-renowned mountain authors such as Wade Davis, Maria Coffey, John Vaillant, and Peter Mattheissen.

Other programs have developed over the years to support creative minds and to complement the Festival program. These include the Adventure Photography Workshop, Adventure Filmmakers’ Workshop the Mountain and Wilderness Writing program, and the Photography Competition.