BANFF to come to UVU next week

Hundreds of community members and students will gather February 14 and 15 to view winning mountain film selections in the Ragan Theatre.

 

If you haven’t heard about the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour showing at UVU, it’s probably because attendees want to keep it a secret.

 

“There’s not a year we haven’t sold out,” said Kim Reynolds, UVU’s Outdoor Adventure Center Coordinator.

 

Anticipating its twelfth annual showing at UVU, the festival, in which over 300 films compete every November in Banff, Alberta, is a Sundance of sorts for the mountain enthusiast community. Filmmakers, both amateur and professional, enter submissions ranging from shorts to feature-length films. The only stipulation is that the films must showcase mountain-related material, with skiing, snowboarding, rock climbing, biking and mountain culture all fair game.

 

After judging, the winning films commence a tour to over 220 countries, visiting hosts such as UVU, which select films they deem most appealing to their audience.

 

“We usually stick to climbing and skiing themes,” said Mike Boyle, OAC Assistant to the Manager.

 

Reynolds added that the OAC also chooses films with “a mix of mountain culture and adrenaline.”

 

The festival will be held Feb. 14 and 15 from 7-10 p.m. in the Ragan Theatre, which seats approximately 400. Different films will be shown each night, consisting of one 45-minute film alongside several shorter ones.

 

Although the event continues to draw a full house, Reynolds, who first brought the event to UVU in 2000, rejects the idea of screening the films in a larger venue such as the UCCU Center. The Ragan Theatre is also a venue most festival-goers, both UVU students and community members, are familiar with.

 

“I like having it in the Ragan. It’s cool to have the mountain community right there,” Reynolds said.

 

The event provides a chance during intermission for audience members to win prizes and acquaint themselves with local sponsors and retailers, many of which have been present at the festival since its inception at UVU.

 

Since Utah tends to attract people who are drawn to natural wonders, attendees are sure to enjoy this year’s selections.

 

“We choose films that best suit those who play in the outdoors,” Boyle said.

 

By Deven Leigh Ellis
Asst. Life Editor