The Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival, hosted by Chico State’s Adventure Outings and Chico Performances, is going virtual due to the coronavirus pandemic. The event showcases films from the Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival that is held every fall in Banff, Alberta, Canada. There are three individual film programs available for $15 each for a three-day rental and a World Tour Film Bundle that combines the other three packages for $40 for a one-week rental.

According to Jenna Walker, the Adventure Outings program director, “The films range from high-adrenaline outdoor adventure stories to spotlights of mountain cultures and environmental issues around the world.”

“Myrtle Simpson: A Life on Ice” tells the story of Myrtle Simpson, a skier who was the first woman to cross the polar ice cap covering Greenland. She was awarded the Polar Medal by Queen Elizabeth for this feat. 

“REEL ROCK 13: Up To Speed” is a collection of rock- and ice-climbing films featuring climbers such as Adam Ondra, Madaleine Sorkin, Alex Honnold and Conrad Anker. These films are full of action and one even offers a view of the world’s hardest climbing route.

“Into the Canyon” follows two journalists as they travel through the Grand Canyon on foot.

Adventure Outings has hosted the film festival for over 20 years and in the past five years they have partnered with Chico Performances for a two-night event at Laxson Auditorium.

The screenings that were scheduled to take place at Laxson Auditorium in April 2020 were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. This year’s festival in Canada and the subsequent world tour screenings have been made virtual, as most other events have this year. The film festival has chosen to use this situation to their advantage, coining the tag line, “Epic Adventures for the Great Indoors.”

According to the Banff Centre website, there are four film programs available until Oct. 24: the Red Program, the Blue Program, the Green Program and the World Tour Film Bundle. 

The Red Program includes the films “Good Morning,” “The Motivator,” “Thabang,” “Camel Finds Water,” “Spectre Expedition – Mission Antarctica,” “A Nordic Skater,” “The Long River Home,” “The Running Pastor,” “Myrtle Simpson: A Life On Ice (Tour Edit)” and “Hors Piste.” The Red Program costs $15 for a three-day online rental. 

The Blue Program includes the films “Charge,” “Bayandalai – Lord of the Taiga,” “The Imaginary Line,” “Deer 139 (Tour Edit),” “Billder,” “HUNZA ski and culture in Pakistan (Tour Edit),” “Circle of the Sun” and “REEL ROCK 13: Up To Speed.” The Blue Program costs $15 for a three-day online rental. 

The Green program includes the films “The Flip,” “The Ladakh Project,” “Safe Haven,” “Into the Canyon (Tour Edit),” “Siblings,” “Lhotse,” “Life of Pie” and “Gone Tomorrow – Kentucky Ice Climbing.” The Green Program costs $15 for a three-day online rental. 

The World Tour Film Bundle includes all of the films available in the Red, Blue and Green programs. The World Tour Film Bundle costs $40 for a one-week online rental. 

Kelsey Ogle can be reached at [email protected]