Banff Mountain Film Festival makes Kalispell stop
On Nov. 14 and 15, the Banff Mountain Film Festival’s World Tour will stop at Flathead High School.
The two-night film screening will give Flathead Valley a taste of the 42nd annual Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival, held from Oct. 27 to Nov. 4 in Banff, Alberta.
“The festival’s phenomenal,” tour stop organizer Amy Moore told the Daily Inter Lake. “There’s multiple theaters showing multiple videos,” often continuing from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. This year’s lineup covered topics ranging from mountaintop removal mining in West Virginia to surfing in Iceland.
The cream of these are chosen for a 43-country world tour. “By the time the films make it on tour, you really are seeing the best of the best of the best.”
She and the other event organizers will likely finalize their selection of films for the Kalispell screening Tuesday.
“We like to keep it a secret,” Moore explained. “All we tell people is that the lineup is always good, and [that] it’s different films both nights.” The films range in length from about three to 40 minutes. In either of the three-hour screenings, she says guests should see about 20 films.
This tour stop serves as the primary fundraiser for the Flathead Nordic Backcountry Patrol, which carries out a variety of mountain safety and emergency response work in Northwest Montana’s mountains.
Tickets for either of the two nights cost $10 beforehand or $14 at the door. Advance tickets must be purchased at Rocky Mountain Outfitter in Kalispell, The White Room in Whitefish, or either of the Sportsman & Ski Haus stores. According to Moore, last year’s tickets were offered at the same price and sold out before the event.
Both screenings will be held at the Flathead High School beginning at 7 p.m. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m.. The event will include an intermission and baked goods for sale by members of the Glacier Nordic Ski Team.
The Banff Mountain Film Festival is sponsored by the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. For more information, visit www.banffcentre.ca/banff-mountain-film-book-festival.
Reporter Patrick Reilly can be reached at preilly@dailyinterlake.com, or at 758-4407.