Arts writer
THE adventure reels of the annual Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour always come as a welcome relief from stereotypical cinema fare. Nature lovers love Banff for its appreciation of outdoor culture and the myriad of sports and hobbies it embraces. With a slant towards ski, bike, rock, rope and water adventures, this year’s showcase is no different. For the tenth year running, Cape Union Mart proudly hosts screenings at Ster-Kinekor Cavendish Square and Ster-Kinekor Tygervalley Centre from today until Monday, November 2. Shows start at 8pm and all 11 films are shown at each screening.
From Antarctica to Iceland, the 2015 Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour visits 44 countries to bring a selection of films on exploration, adventure, culture, environment, and mountain films to growing audiences.
Eleven award-winning and audience-nominated films, selected from hundreds of submissions, will be shown at each screening in South Africa. They include a mix of topics and styles that are entertaining, inspiring and thought-provoking. These films range in duration from the intense-action, two-minute kayaking video Into the Ditch, to the 37-minute documentary And Then We Swam– winner of the Best Exploration & Adventure Film category.
Regular audiences will delight in seeing some of their favourite adventurers in action. Danny MacAskill is up to his mountain biking feats again in Danny MacAskill – The Ridge, while Rush Sturges kayaks in an urban environment in Into the Ditch, and Alex Honnold climbs desert towers in Sufferfest 2.
Local audiences will also be treated to the screening of an additional five-minute film – the winning submission from the Cape Union Mart Adventure Film Challenge. This annual film competition encourages South African filmmakers and athletes to capture and celebrate local outdoor culture.
The 11 productions are Danny MacAskill - The Ridge(mountain biking feature) – here world-renowned trials rider Danny MacAskill returns on location on the stunning Isle of Skye in Scotland. MacAskill goes back to his childhood haunt for a new challenge: riding a mountain bike on the infamous Cuillin Ridge.
The Unrideables is a paragliding insert with glorious cinematographic eye candy. Expert speed flyers test their limits in a massive, volatile landscape of ice and snow.
Wild Women hones in on slacklining. Viewers get a glimpse of slack-liner Faith Dickey as she shows us just how fun life on the line can be.
Skiing is the focus in Afterglow. From Alaskan spines to deep pillows in British Columbia, Afterglow turns big mountain skiing on its end, and then turns it upside down again, heading into the night through a wintery glow of trippy technicolour.
And Then We Swam focuses on rowing and swimming. Most adventurers who set out to cross the Indian Ocean have some rowing experience, but for two blokes from the UK, that seemed like a minor detail, not a death wish.
Paragliding is centre stage in Touch, a spectacular flying tour of Santorini in Greece, the Aiguille du Midi above Chamonix and the Col du Galibier in France, with a bit of cheekiness added in, just for fun.
All My Own Stunts follows mountain biking with Rob Jarman, a downhill mountain bike specialist and a professional stuntman. Following a near-fatal accident, he has battled to stay atop both fields. It’s an emotional and gripping story about how hard it is to let go.
Surfing photographer Chris Burkard loves capturing cold water surfers. In Arctic Swell – Surfing the Ends of the Earth he’s prepared to venture to the ends of the earth to snap that once in a lifetime shot.
Kayaking in Into the Ditch includes two friends, and you guessed it, a ditch. Nothing has changed, but now everything is different.
Watch as friends Ben Marr and Rush Sturges tackle breakneck speeds down a 500ft tall drainage ditch.
The duo of Cedar Wright and Alex Honnold test their endurance in Sufferfest 2. This time, a month riding their bikes and climbing desert towers in the American Southwest should be a piece of cake for these fast friends. Or will it? See for yourself.
Sun Dog captures the bond between skier Santiago Guzman and his dog Conga in the rugged and snowy wild peaks overlooking Bariloche, Argentina.
The Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour is hosted by Cape Union Mart, in proud partnership with leading outdoor brands K-Way, LED Lenser, Deuter and GoPro.
l Tickets are the same as a standard Ster-Kinekor tickets. Book: gh Ster-Kinekor. Book: Ticket line, 082 16789, or www.sterkinekor.com For more information, www.banff.co.za See preview clips of the movies: www.banffcentre.ca/ mountainfestival/worldtour/films