Banff Mountain Film Festival to screen in Maine

The Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour is coming to Maine on Feb. 1 and will remain in the state for ten days to screen at locations in Bangor, Ellsworth, Rockport and Portland. This exciting show is a line-up of amazing new independent documentaries and short feature films on extreme outdoor sports, wildlife and culture.

Courtesy of James Castrission and Justin Jones of “Crossing the Ice,” a film of the 2012 Banff Mountain Film Festival.

In Bangor, the show will be hosted for its sixth year by Epic Sports and is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. on Feb. 5 and Feb. 6 at the Gracie Theatre at Husson University. Doors open around 6 p.m. The two nights are showing a different lineup of award-winning films, so people can attend both. The lineup for Feb. 5 is mostly films on extreme sports, while the lineup for Feb. 6 is the Best of Festival films, which focus on sports, culture and nature. For information and tickets, call Epic Sports at 941-5670.

The Ellsworth shows, hosted by Cadillac Mountain Sports, will run Feb. 1-3, at The Grand Auditorium. For information and tickets, call 207-667-7819 or 667-9500 or visit www.cadillacsports.com.

The Rockport shows, hosted by Mountain Sport Outfitters, will run Feb. 8 and 9, at the CHRHS Strom Auditorium. For information and tickets, call 236-7120 or visit www.mainesport.com.

And the Portland shows, hosted by Chestnut Mountain Productions, will run Feb. 10 and 11, at the State Theater. For information, call 215-923-9161 or visit www.chestnutmtnproductions.com.

Hurry up and buy tickets (which are usually about the cost of a cinema ticket). I’ve had mine since before Christmas!

Over the past four years that I’ve attended the festival in Bangor, the beautiful footage has never failed to hold my attention for the full two- to three-hour show. There are always one or two stories that leave a deep impression, inspiring me to get out in the wilderness, learn about another culture or try something new and exciting. But don’t just take my word for it. Here’s a long trailer of this year’s show that I snagged from YouTube:

Each fall, the Banff Mountain Film Festival starts in Alberta, Canada, at The Banff Centre, where more than 8,000 artists, leaders and researchers from around the world participate in art programs every year. At the center, the festival is a nine-day celebration of the world’s best mountain films and books. Thousands of people attend, a mix of locals and international visitors, as well as world-renowned authors, filmmakers, conservationists, adventurers, and explorers.

From The Banff Centre, the festival travels around the world to reach approximately 306,000 people in 40 countries.

To learn more about The Banff Centre and the film festival, visit www.banffcentre.ca. To read descriptions of the films in the tour, visit  www.banffcentre.ca/mountainfestival/worldtour/films/.

Aislinn Sarnacki

About Aislinn Sarnacki

Aislinn is a Bangor Daily News reporter for the Outdoors pages, focusing on outdoor recreation and Maine wildlife. Visit her main blog at actoutwithaislinn.bangordailynews.com.