Finding My North Star

By Trixie Pacis

From Adventure Filmmakers Workshop to Documentary Director

A few winters ago, I found myself in the charming mountain town of Kimberley, BC. Ski slopes without lift lines replaced the hustle of the Vancouver film industry, where I had worked my way from assistant roles into script development. To stay in Kimberley would require a career shift—and this is precisely when I chanced upon an ad for the Banff Centre Adventure Filmmakers Workshop (AFW). 

The Adventure Filmmakers Workshop is a 10-day intensive designed for independent and emerging filmmakers. Over its 20-year tenure, it has drawn 400+ participants from across the globe. 

Though typically held in tandem with the Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival, I was part of a virtual cohort in the spring of 2021. Benefits of this post-pandemic workshop included skiing resort laps before dashing to my desk with a goggle tan. More importantly, the workshop was a beacon of inspiration during an otherwise bleak spring. It single-handedly drew me into the world of documentary filmmaking.

Over a dozen sessions, I took meticulous notes as faculty Keith Partridge and Michael Brown dove into every detail of documentary filmmaking. I bolded words of wisdom like, “Have a north star”... “If it’s fluffy, stay wide. If it’s getting serious, push in”... “Silence is important too”... and “Interviews are about connecting as a human being to another human being”— ideas now integral to my approach. To balance film theory, we were tasked with making a short film. I collaborated with two classmates to capture the joy of cross country skiing felt by characters of all ages and abilities.  

The workshop culminated in a practice pitch. New to the Canadian Rockies and its history, I was intrigued by early 1900s artist and adventurer Mary Schäffer Warren. I pitched a film about her contributions to wilderness exploration. I didn’t know the idea would take root and eventually blossom into my directorial debut: a 37-minute film called Wildflowers.

In a full-circle moment, Wildflowers had its world premiere at the 2024 Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival. My second film Wild Aerial premiered too. Some of my workshop classmates sat in the audience. Keith and Michael could not attend—they were teaching the workshop in the building next door—but we later toasted to the community and sense of self-belief this workshop cultivates. 

Reflecting on my transition into mountain culture documentaries, I realized I had found my north star. Thanks in part to Keith and Michael’s continued mentorship and new partnerships cemented at the 2024 Festival, I’ll be back in 2025 to celebrate Banff’s 50th anniversary and premiere my fourth film Embers. November may be shoulder season in the Rockies but the month is sacred. Both the Festival and AFW offer unparalleled opportunities to gather with like-minded creatives, immerse in mountain stories, and feel the stoke.

Find out more about the Adventure Filmmakers Workshop and Moonlighter Film Camps at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity.