It’s Banff time once again in Utah. Touring all around the world, the Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival graced the University of Utah with its presence this past February, showing eight films a night over the course of three nights at Kingsbury Hall, with an additional screening rescheduled for March 7.
Focused on short films related to mountains, mountaineering, mountain-related sports and the outdoors in general, a typical Banff program will run the gamut from vanity projects to glorified ski equipment commercials to somewhat compelling narratives about resilience and the human spirit, sometimes all in one. Friday’s selection was no different. One could certainly complain about the whole affair being (generously) a little light on the artistic side, but that’s not what you come to the Banff Mountain Film Festival for.
A slow start
Friday night kicked off with “Cold Cuts — Japan (Tour Edit),” basically a montage video of (approximately) three quirky Canadians yucking it up on the powdery slopes of the Land of the Rising Sun. Gaijin antics soon gave way to “The Hive Architect,” a technically beautiful but thesis-less story about an elderly English gentleman who’s devoted his life to building and installing beehives in the countryside around his house. What “The Hive Architect” lacks in mountain-ness, it certainly tries to make up for in film school tricks (grain, out-of-focus shots, a simple piano score: it’s all here, folks).
After an exhilarating two-minute detour in “Deluge,” a compilation of downhill dirtbiking footage whose only complainable feature is the constant format changes, came the best film of the night: “The Finisher.”
Best of the night: “The Finisher”
Tennessee, 1985. Inspired by the attempted prison break of Martin Luther King Jr. assassin James Earl Ray, Gary Cantrell designs a 55 (and later 100) mile 60-hour ultramarathon trail race, traversing through the unforgiving terrain of Frozen Head State Park. With its extreme difficulty, very low completion rate and frankly annoying curated sense of mystery, the Barkley Marathon becomes something of a legend in ultramarathon circles.
Fast forward a few decades: enter Jasmin Paris, an accomplished Mancunian endurance runner with a dream of completing the Barkley. The film wastes no time in establishing the stakes: no woman has ever successfully completed the Barkley. Many commentators and even Cantrell himself are doubtful that it’s even possible. With an ever-changing course designed to be even harder than the previous years, “The Finisher” follows Paris and her family as she makes a series of three attempts.
“The Finisher” lives and dies by how seriously it takes its subject matter. At no point is the sensibility of spending one’s time and money on something like this ever called into question. The feminist angle, of course, makes this even richer: the Barkley Marathon is an important institution, and therefore it’s only right that a woman should be able to compete and succeed.
While it may be impossible for an average person to understand what kind of mentality these Barkley racers have, this documentary gets pretty close. What it lacks in actual footage of the three attempts, it makes up for in interiority. Talking-head interviews focus on the process, on the moment-by-moment thoughts and feelings. Coupled with a feel-good ending that’s almost worth sitting through the entire first half of Banff, “The Finisher” was Friday’s MVP.
The Second Half: A Slower Wind-down
After a brief intermission and raffle, we get right back into the swing of things with “One Step Ahead.” While certainly not the evening’s best film, it’s probably the best synthesis of what people love about Banff: inspiring human interest stories presented as uncomplicatedly as possible, with a lot of cool extreme sports footage.
Following Norwegian skier, climber and all-around stud Bernt Marius after losing his leg in an unfortunate paragliding accident, we see Marius as he adjusts to his new prosthetics and gets back into the swing of things. Again, dispelling with bothering to investigate the deeper “whys”, we are simply expected to understand what keeps Marius going. That being said, it truly is a remarkable sight to see post-accident Marius in action, and thankfully, this one only runs for 14 minutes.
Then comes the second-longest short of the night, “Reel Rock: Riders on the Storm.” Inspired by an earlier attempt of his two countrymen, a young up-and-coming Belgian rock climber attempts the notoriously difficult Riders on the Storm route on Torre Central, Patagonia. Joined by his two aforementioned heroes and an American cameraman, the four brave the weather and steep cliffside conditions on a two-week odyssey.
Unfortunately, most of the film focuses on the dynamic between the three Belgians: suffice it to say we are expected to find them very charming, although your mileage certainly may vary. Nevertheless, the climbing footage and glimpses of life hanging in a tent cliffside are fascinating, particularly when our four heroes are forced to wait out a storm for a week.
The final two films are more slim pickings. “A Brutal, Beautiful Life” is essentially an echo of “The Hive Architect,” although even less compelling. Focusing on the lives of ranching women in the Intermountain West and the animals they work with, this 10-minute short is supposed to be about the little things, the tough lessons and the moments of joy. In reality, it merely ends up being about itself and nothing; at least truck commercials tell you what they’re selling.
Finishing out the night is an equally unremarkable short film about skiing and friendship, “That One Friend.” Focusing on backcountry skier and former Park City resident Sierra Schlag and her best friend Waverly Chin, the film is a reminder not to take life too seriously and even learn to laugh a little. Sound advice if you ask me.
A night of fun
While this write-up may read as a bit sardonic, the Banff Mountain Film Festival is seriously worth experiencing at least once. Endless debates about art vs. commerce aside, there is something to seeing these with a crowd, and the Banff team puts in effort to make each night as engaging as possible. The films themselves may be uneven, but the atmosphere is very real. And who knows, you might just end up seeing that one film that makes the whole evening truly worth it.
If you’re free for a few hours this Saturday, consider stopping by. After all, you live in Utah.
