Beijing hosts film festival for outdoor sports

 

 

The festival's short films focus on extreme outdoor sports. Photo provided by Banff Center

 

 

By Wang Yu

Who could have imagined that the outdoor sporting industry has its own film festival? The annual Banff Mountain Film Festival features the best short films on extreme outdoor sports and is held in a different country each year. In January, Beijing will host the extravaganza when it comes to the country for the first time.

The festival – launched in 1976 by the Banf Centre, an arts, cultural and educational institution in Banff, Alberta, Canada – showcases 25 films including those on culture and the environment. There are also the staple subjects likemountain climbing, downhill skiing and kayaking.

The festival was introduced to Beijing on November 20 with the advance screening of four films. Among them were Crux, in which three of the world’s most famous BMX bikers demonstrate their icredible skill by riding up a chain, and the documentary The Shape End: Base Solo, which discusses the history of base jumping, base solo and base line, and received an enthusiastic response from viewers.

The entire lineup of 16 films will be screened in Kingdom Garden Movie Station at Xiaoxitian on January 16 and 17.

“I hope the festival brings true outdoor sporting culture and its spirit to China. It will be a newaddition to the local scene,” said Huang He, marketing director of Himalaya Rock & Ice, a local outdoor event organizer, and co-organizer of the film festival in Beijing.

Huang, himself an outdoor sport lover, has been working with The Banff Centre to send Chinese participants to the film festival the past five years.

Many guests at the screening two weeks ago said the outdoor sporting scene in China is growing fast, although it still has a long way to go compared with its foreign counterparts.

“So the films are the perfect way to invite more people in China to get involved,” said He Yihong, executive chief editor oOutdoor Exploration magazine, the festival’s co-organizer.

During the film festival, forums on outdoor sports will also be held, featuring international outdoor sporting celebrities and officials from The Banff Centre.

“We’re so glad e most reputable outdoor sporting film event in Canada has come to China. Next year, Canada is hosting the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, so I hope the films give Chinese people some idea of the country before they travel there,” Derek Galpin, regional director of Canadian Tourism Commission, said.

The festival, which has toured more than 30 countries since 1986, will also present a short film on life in Tibet, a project of NGO Apple Foundation.

For more information on the film festival or to book tickets, visit banffmountain film.cn.