Banff Mountain Film Festival Promises to Amaze and Inspire

High adventure will fill the screen at the Farmington High School auditorium this Monday night as the Banff Mountain Film Festival 2011 World Tour comes to the Farmington Valley for the first time.

“I'm so pleased that Farmington Recreation has the opportunity to be involved with the world tour, one of four showings in the state” said Farmington Recreation Supervisor Priscilla Peale. “The proceeds from the Farmington event on Monday, Feb. 28th will benefit Farmington Recreation, a non-profit governmental agency.  I'm very passionate about the Banff Mountain Film Festival and attended the actual festival in Banff over ten years ago.  I have so many wonderful memories of the films that I have viewed over the years where there have been opportunities to enjoy beautiful scenery, high adventure sports, and to learn about remote mountain cultures. Geoff Porter, our Recreation Coordinator, and I have been working with Tim Harris, Director of School Facilities and his staff member Ron LaMontagne to review and recommend films for the upcoming program.”

Immediately after the 35^th Banff Mountain Film Festival, held in Banff, Alberta, Canada ended in November, a selection of winning adventure, action and environmental films began a tour to 30 countries for 550 screenings.

North Cove Outfitters in Old Saybrook is the CT host of the tour. The presenting partners for the tour are National Geographic, The North Face, and Parks Canada.  “2011 marks our 16^th year of showing the Banff Film Festival,” North Cove President Norm Cavallaro explained. “Farmington was chosen because of its proximity to Hartford, but more importantly because of the enthusiasm of the Farmington Parks and Rec people to get out and promote the event. We have previously partnered with them on two separate occasions for the Radical Reels tour of Banff films.”

 “We are truly excited about bringing the Banff Film Festival to Farmington and the Valley area. We are confident that people who have attended this great evening at other locations will be sure to tell and bring their friends and family to support the Farmington Parks and Recreation Program” Cavallaro added.

While the films to be shown are not announced before the event, it is likely that those requested by the Farmington organizers will be included explained Peale:

Best Film on Mountain Sports...The stunning film Eastern Rises poetically represents the enormously wild landscape of the Kamchatka Peninsula.  Swarming with bugs and bears and threaded with rivers full of massive mouse-eating trout, fisherman risk life and limb in decommissioned Cold War helicopters to explore rivers that have never been fished before.  

Best Short Film...The Longest Way is a highly entertaining time-lapse of a 1-year-walk from Beijing to Urumqi.  Time and distance traveled are charmingly demonstrated by the growth of a beard in this five-minute short.  

Stones into Schools...A behind-the-scenes look at Greg Mortenson's inspiring work to build schools in war-torn Afghanistan, Stones into Schools, based on Mortenson's best-selling book by the same name - depicts some of the history, challenges, and successes of this remarkable project.      

The Banff Mountain Film Festival 2011 World Tour will be held Monday, February 28^th at 7:00 p.m. Farmington High School Auditorium, 10 Monteith Drive.

Tickets are still available. As of now, North Cove has sold about 350 of its 400 tickets; Farmington Recreation has about 50 tickets.

Tickets are $15.00 and are available at North Cove Outfitters, 860.388.6585; Farmington Recreation, 860.675.2540 and at the door.