Tanner Conley
Staff Writer
As another winter slowly draws to a close and spring is on the horizon, 7220 Entertainment and the Outdoor Program at UW have joined together to sponsor the 2020 edition of the BANFF Mountain Film Festival.
Starting today and ending tomorrow, this event will feature mountain lifestyles and cultures from around the world. Each night will feature a raffle with prizes from Basecamp, Atmosphere Mountain Works, The Pedal House, All-Terrain Sports and NU2U. The event is free and open to the public and doors open at 6 p.m. with the showing lasting until 9:30 p.m.
“In Wyoming there is kind of a culture surrounding outdoor activity. We are extremely lucky to have all the open space and National Parks that we do. The festival is a celebration of this outdoor culture with films from all over the world. In our selection we have films made in France, Canada, Greenland and many more,” said 7220 Student Films Coordinator Kelly Marston.
This program has been hosted by the University of Wyoming for the past decade and draws a loyal crowd of families and students alike to celebrate all the planet has to offer in its mountainous regions.
“It’s been 14-15 years that we’ve been hosting showings of the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour and it has been traditionally, the best collection of outdoor filmmaking for the year. We really enjoy it because not only does it celebrate mountain culture in general, but specific[ly] cultures that live in the [mountains]. It’s really about people and not just feats in the mountains. There are films that are about relationships with the land and relationships as communities, in addition to one person doing something in the mountains,” said Garrett Genereux, co-outdoor program coordinator.
With so much tradition surrounding this festival, it is easy to see why Wyoming would be chosen to host such a prestigious event. Some would even argue that the community aspect of the festival is worth the trip alone.
“Being there with the community that came to see these movies was the most fun aspect of going,” Genereux said. “Just being in this collective group with all this energy and to all be inspired by these films. You don’t have to be hardcore, you don’t have to be good at such and such activity, just come and be there and enjoy it all together.”
It is this inclusivity that is such a huge draw for these events.
“It is an important way for Laramie residents to connect with the great world with beautifully crafted films,” Marston said.
“More people find it to be relatable, it’s not just the people who are really into skiing and want to watch films about skiing or climbers who just want to watch films about climbers. On all levels, it’s something to connect with,” Genereux said.
The main theme of this year’s films has been described as “Inspiration and Connection” by Genereux.
“There are going to be a few films that are very inspiring and showing people being inspirational in the mountains. Some of the films will connect us to places that most people have not been to and we get to be taken to those places and that’s a really cool opportunity,” Genereux said.
For the full film list as well as descriptions, go to www.banffcentre.ca/2019-2020-world-tour-films.
The Outdoor Program is also sponsoring two more film showings this semester. No Man’s Land, a film focusing on women in outdoor sports, will be shown March 26 followed by Pretty Strong, which follows women rock climbers on April 18.
