Film festival on outdoors sports returns in October

The Banff Mountain Film Festival will bring exciting sports documentaries to commercial cinemas next month. Photo provided by Banff Mountain Film Festival

By Wang Yu

Outdoor lovers’ favorite film festival returns to China next month with screenings in Beijing, Shanghai and Yangshuo, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Organizers of the festival said Monday that it will be the first time Banff Mountain Film Festival’s documentaries will be shown in commercial cinemas in China.

Banff, which features the best short films and documentaries on mountaineering, outdoor sports and the environment, will screen 20 films, four of which were domestically produced.
 
Gao Feng, director of Central News Documentary Films and co-organizer of the event, said the festival will be a great chance to continue building the documentary scene in China.

Lu Chuan, director of the war film Nanjing, Nanjing, said he was amazed at some of this year’s Chinese entries. “I watched all the films that will be shown in China and there was one called Impossible Climb, which really moved me. It’s about a climber who continues to challenge a mountain even though he once fell from 30 meters. I think that represents true bravery,” said Lu, who has won a Banff award for Kekexili, a film about protecting Tibetan antelope.

Another film to watch out for is Solo, a documentary about Andrew McAuley, who in 2007 set out to become the first person to kayak from Australia to New Zealand.

“He spent more than 30 days at sea and almost died by the time he reached dry land,” said Qian Haiying, project manager of Banff’s China leg. “At first I thought this might scare the audience, but later realized McAuley’s spirit can encourage people to be more adventurous,” she said, adding that the film almost didn’t make the cut because of her initial fears.

Mark Steven Kruger, minister counsellor of the Canadian Embassy, said the festival is a good chance to promote cultural communication between China and Canada.

The Banff Mountain Film Festival was launched in 1976 in Banff, Alberta.