The background music intensifies and Dean Potter shakes out tired forearm muscles as he clings to the sheer limestone of Eiger’s north face. Sans rope, but with a parachute riding piggy-back to protect himself from a fatal fall, viewers watch as he successfully scales the Swiss mountain’s 13,025 ft face.
Featuring individuals like Potter, who push physical and mental limits through their interaction with wilderness, is a component of the Banff Film Festival. The international film competition and annual presentation of short films and documentaries displays different aspects of mountain culture, sports and environment. The festival’s location at The Banff Centre in Banff, Alberta, Canada, only adds to the desired effect.
The winning films go on tour around the globe giving audiences the chance to view the work of artists, environments, and activities vastly different from their own. The selected films from the 2011 competition invite the viewer to explore the world around him or herself in a renewed way.
One of the more entertaining short films, Eastern Rises, included the hilarious antics of a group of fly-fishermen who finally got the chance to live out their combined dream of fishing in the relatively isolated Russian peninsula, Kamchatka. From the crystal waters the men draw rainbow trout after salmon after rainbow trout much to their unconcealed delight. The fish are unlike any they have ever seen, but it is their playful banter and love of fishing that makes even the skeptical viewer willing to participate in the sport.
Several sites throughout Michigan host showings of the annual festival and taking the time to view the films at one of them is highly suggested. For additional information on the films and the Banff Film Festival go to: http://www.banffcentre.ca/mountainfestival/
Trailer of Eastern Rises
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXlG4yEMF_o
-Alice Keyes
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