VACS kicks off its upcoming season with the Banff Mountain Film Festival
By Rachel Fraser
While the Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival celebrates its 50th anniversary, this will be the 15th year the Valemount Arts and Cultural Society (VACS) has hosted the Festival World Tour.
Every year, the Festival curates four tour packages of 6 to 8 standout films from among the many mountain-related documentaries submitted to that year’s competition, and over the following year, sends them out to venues and arts organizations like VACS throughout Canada, the US and internationally. Every year, VACS chooses the most exciting of those packages to share with the local audience.
This year, VACS event coordinator John Crowley chose a diverse selection that includes The Smoke That Thunders, the 2024 Creative Excellence Award winner, about what it takes to paddle the “fabled” Minus rapids on the Zambezi River in Africa, as well as The Last Observers, about the researchers at one of the last manual weather stations in operation.
According to Karolina Krakowiak, Event Specialist for the World Tour, the tour dates back to 1980, when the Alpine Club of Canada hosted showings in Victoria, Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto and Montreal.
In an email to the Goat, Krakowiak said that their team previews the films submitted to the Banff film competition and chooses around 35 films for the tour, “trying to balance various sports, (and) showcase the most inspiring and uplifting stories that keep the mountain stoke high.”
The Banff Centre for Arts and Culture, which puts on the Festival, sends along door prizes for local attendees, such as products or gift certificates, for example, ski passes for Lake Louise.
The Valemount edition of the 2024 Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour is being held at the Valemount Community Theatre, Friday September 26th at 7pm. It runs approximately 2 hours, with an intermission and concession supporting one of the high school clubs or sports teams. Tickets are available online at valemountarts.org, at Infinity, or at the door. Regular admission is $25, and $20 for students and seniors.
The 2025 Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival will run November 1st to 9th in Banff.
