The Banff Festival of Mountain Films just came through Denver. Genevieve and I went to these many years in a row, actually starting in Washington DC. To say it changed the trajectory of our life would be accurate. See here, as this idea was spawned by a film we saw as part of the festival.
I have not been in a few years, but an invite arose so I met some friends for an evening of beers and movies.The opening sequence is designed to generate excitement. The Paramount Theater sold out, with 1,800 people in attendance. You could tell the makeup of the crowd by the reaction to various clips. Skiing gets a good response, mountaineering is cheered and climbers throwing dynamic moves from their high perches is welcomed with a cacophony.
I thought the two best films were the first two shown, with the remainder of interest, but not nearly as eye catching.
The first film was Lifecycles. Sponsored by Shimano, it showed plenty of bike manufacturing and the obligatory shots of riding fast through the forest. What I liked though was the riding on the plains of Saskatchewan. The tricks being thrown are impressive, but not nearly as much as the wide open landscape.
The lack of visual clutter reeks of infinite possibility and the opportunity for stillness. I know this is over-romanticized and I would be stir crazy after day 3 in Saskatchewan, but I can fantasize about the simple life I would surely carve out for myself!
The other film was Still Motion, which was created using still photos from motion triggered cameras. Being a sucker for wildlife and having help collect similar images in the past, this movie could do no wrong.
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