Film festival brings adventure to IU

The outdoors will come indoors this weekend for a film festival full of nature and adventure.

The Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour, sponsored by IU Outdoor Adventures, is making a stop at 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater to showcase a collection of 15 environmental and adventure films.

Ginelle Heller, IUOA assistant program coordinator, said the festival is put together by the Banff Centre in Alberta, Canada, and is meant to expose the world to mountain culture and outdoor sports.

“It’s a film festival for independent films about adventure and mountain culture from all over the world,” she said.

Heller said the festival has been shown in Bloomington since 2003 and features films about sports, from rock climbing to mountain biking, as well as films focusing on environmental issues.

Films include a story about star climber Chris Sharma tackling what some believe to be the most difficult climb in the world, as well as one about a woman rowing across the Atlantic Ocean alone.

Heller said she is most excited  about a film called “Take a Seat,” about a man who travels across two continents on a tandem bike, picking up strangers along the way.

Maarten Bout, marketing director for the Buskirk-Chumley, said the festival has been a great success in past years.

Tickets for the event are $10 for students and $15 for the general public. Viewers are also able to purchase festival tickets that cover entry for both nights, which are $17 for students and $27 for the public.

Heller said the festival will expose viewers to a variety of outdoor sports but has significant environmental messages as well.

“It’s a great community event for people to be exposed to new sports, different ways of life and beautiful environments,” Heller said. “Sometimes ecologically important and significant environments, as well.”