BANFF Mountain Film Festival at the Odeon

Monday, March 27:  BANFF Mountain Film Festival.  Odeon Cinema in Piazza Strozzi, 2 starting at 8 pm.  

Tonight, join in on a two-hour journey through some of the most remote and pristine parts of the planet captured through the lenses of the explorers and adventurers who have experienced them firsthand and have been able to transport them onto the big screen to share with other outdoor enthusiasts.

Originating in Alberta, Canada, this film festival, now on a world tour, features films filled with spectacular scenery in combination with people on the move in the forms of kayaking, hiking, rock-climbing, and mountain-biking among other activities. Some films focus on sharing inspiring stories that take place in the beautifully challenging backcountry which truly exemplify the notion of pushing oneself to new limits.

One of the films scheduled, called Poumaka, is about bouldering champion, Angie Payne, who decides to take on her greatest challenge yet by venturing into the wondrous French Polynesian jungle with the intention of becoming one of the first people to summit Poumaka Tower.

Northbound, awarded Best Short Mountain Film, shows the story of four skateboarders used to skating in a city setting trying out the sport in the unconventional setting of the Arctic Circle where they test their skating abilities in unheard-of territories such as frozen sands and old abandoned wrecks.

Another noteworthy film, Doing it Scared, follows renowned British mountaineer Paul Pritchard conquering a stone obelisk known as the Totem Pole in Tasmania after being the cause of a tragic accident that left the right side of his body paralyzed. Eighteen years later he tries ascending again, which gives him a whole new outlook on life in seeing his injury as a gift that enabled him to embark on a process of rebirth while attaining a newfound awareness.

The films are mainly comprised of the breath-taking scenery and awe-inducing landscapes, but the little dialogue that is present is in English with Italian subtitles. Tickets are available at the cinema for €16. See trailer at http://www.banff.it/  (martha gonzalez)