The Banff Mountain Film Festival is coming back to Boone, N.C. on Friday, March 18 and Saturday, March 19, 2016, celebrating 20 years of the World Tour coming to Boone, NC. For 40 years, the Banff Film Festival has been inspiring audiences by showcasing the world’s best films highlighting mountain adventure, culture, and the environment.
The Banff Mountain Film Festival – a program of The Banff Centre – is the largest, and one of the most prestigious, mountain film festivals in the world will be held at the Schaefer Center on the Appalachian State University campus. This is the 20th Anniversary of Banff Film Festival screenings in Boone, which has become one of the largest screenings in North America.
With stops planned in over 1,000 communities and 35 countries across the globe, this year’s tour features a collection of the most inspiring mountain adventure, culture, and environmental films from the festival.
Local tour hosts like Appalachian State University’s Outdoor Programs choose the program from the best of over 400 films submitted to the Banff Film Festival in November. Two completely different screenings will be shown on Friday and Saturday night. “We will highlight award winning mountain films each night that combine elements of mountain adventure, culture, and the environment,” said Appalachian State University Outdoor Programs Associate Director Rich Campbell. “We try to keep each night well balanced but entirely different and unique so audiences are exposed to as many different films as possible during the festival.”
“The Banff Film Festival is highly anticipated every spring underscoring how strongly this festival is supported in the High Country. Our community has embraced the themes, characters, and stunning places that the World Tour brings to us every year and I think our audience will be very pleased with the quality, diversity, creativity, and passion the films highlight” states Campbell.
To celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the film festival, there will be a number of different special events associated with weekend. Check the official festival website www.op.appstate.edu for updates on workshop descriptions, locations, and times.
Some of the 20th Anniversary Events include the following:
Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition Exhibition Opening
- Friday, March 4 from 6 – 10 p.m. Turchin Center
The AMPC has been a partner event of the Banff Mountain Film Festival since the beginning. The exhibition opening is an opportunity for art lovers to meet the artists, have some food and enjoy a cocktail while wandering one of the most exciting venues in town: a collection of six galleries filled with a diverse mix of contemporary art from local, regional, and international artists. The AMPC Exhibition Dates are Friday March 4th – June 4th, 2016.
Downtown Boone Banff Banner Display Celebrating 20 Years
- March 4 – 25, 2016
- Sponsored by: Town of Boone, Appalachian State University Cultural Affairs, Office of Sustainability, and
- Outdoor Programs. Banner design by Lynn Willis.
Banff 20 Year Poster Retrospective Smith Gallery Schaefer Center
- March 16 – 19, 2016 Smith Gallery Schaefer Center
- Hours of the Schaefer Center
High Gravity Adventure Basecamp
- Outside the Schaefer Center
- March 18 and 19, 5:00 p.m. – until
- Sponsored by High Gravity Adventures and Cricket Trailers
Banff Film Festival Happy Hour
- Lost Province
- Friday March 18
- 4 – 6 p.m.
Rock Dimensions will be offering discounts on the Climbing Tower for the Banff Film Festival Weekend.
- Saturday, March 19
- 11 – 5 p.m.
Organizers say that additional 20th anniversary events we will be adding.
The Banff Mountain Film Festival is an annual international competition celebrating its 40th year featuring the world’s best films on mountain themes. In November 2015, the festival screened over 50 finalist films, chosen from more than 400 entries from over 30 different countries. The film festival is organized by The Banff Centre for Mountain Culture in Banff, Canada. For information visit: www.banffmountainfestivals.com.
For more information about the Banff Mountain Film Festival at Appalachian State University visit www.op.appstate.edu or contact Rich Campbell at campbllrh@appstate.edu. ASU Outdoor Programs is the host of this event and Footsloggers Outdoor and Travel Outfitters, ASU Geology, and VPC Builders are the Presenting Partners.
More information is now available from Footsloggers in downtown Boone, 828-262-5111 or online at www.op.appstate.edu.