Banff Mountain Film Festival Tour Celebrates 50 years of Outdoor Entertainment

Rob Howard / 04.05.2026

The first Banff film show took place on a cold, blustery day in 1975 after 4 bored climbers pulled together 6 films for an afternoon of adventure film entertainment.  Fast forward to the present and The Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival attracts over 400 entries to the film category, all seeking the gold standard recognition of a Banff Best Film award - the Oscar of adventure filming.

Thousands travel to Canada for the festival, but those who can’t attend can still experience a curated selection of the best films at the Banff Mountain Film Festival Tour show, which visits 35 countries around the world. Regular viewers eagerly put the dates in their diary for their annual fix of Banff brilliance, and with so many great films to choose from the tour show is always a night full of variety, emotion, inspiration and thrills.

There are two different programmes on tour each year (red and blue), and viewers in most countries have the option, or can see both.

This year’s red programme featured family adventure in the alps, kayaking exploration in Gabon, mountain biking in Nepal, big wall climbing in Patagonia and endurance running in the USA.  The show had the trademark Banff tour variety, and there were lots of laughs mixed with the gasps and murmurs of appreciation and disbelief for the achievements of the protagonists. 

The opening film, ‘Emil and Karl; Little Wheels, Big Mountains’ followed two brave dads who took their 2 and a half year old sons on a gruelling bikepacking adventure through the Swiss Alps. It was a journey full of spontaneity (depending on toddler moods and needs!) and showed the rewards of adventure with children. 

Gabon Uncharted followed four elite kayakers on the descent of the almost uncharted Lvindo River and it was a high risk challenge, descending towering falls and treacherous rapids in the heart of dense jungle, where no assistance was possible.  Only drone reconnaissance allowed many of the descents, and drone footage from a social media savvy team of kayakers showed the reality and risk close up. 

Mandala is a film by French mountain biker Kilian Bron, following a spell binding journey from Kathmandu to the timeless and remote villages of the Dolpo region.  Bron is a rider who takes risks and looks for the balance between sport, culture and human interaction on his journeys, which have featured in past Banff film selections.  The 6 minutes shown was superbly shot and edited, but it was no more than a trailer for the full one hour documentary now available on Youtube, which didn’t fit well into the programme.

Next up was Riders on the Storm, following three Belgian climbers (one with a strong Irish accent called Sean Villanueva O’Driscoll) trying to free climb 41 pitches on the 1300m ascent named after The Doors song.  It’s an appropriate name and the climbers were storm bound for days, hanging out in precarious looking portaledges and the  footage was not easy-watching for those inclined to vertigo.  At the same time the character of the climbers (and they were real characters), made this is a very funny and deeply personal film.

Last, and perhaps most anticipated was ‘The Finisher’ which follows British fell runner Jasmin Paris on her historic run at The Barkley Marathons, where she became the first female finisher.  It was an achievement which received worldwide publicity and the film follows Jasmin’s three year quest to finish the race, her dedicated training and sets the context of the race and the challenge it represents. 

Filmmakers Julia Marie Campanelli and Drew Derby pulled together footage from many contributors as they told the story of the dramatic final, successful attempt.  A community approach was needed as media are lonely ‘allowed’ (grudgingly) at the race base and at one other point on the race route. (It’s also very inaccessible.)  The carefully told story left the audience in awe and with a far better understanding of what it took, and what it meant to be the first (and only) female finisher at The Barkley Marathons.

Rob Howard watched the Banff Mountain Film Festival Tour Red Programme in the UK, and both the red and blue programmes are showing around the UK and Ireland throughout the rest of the year. See https://www.banff-uk.com/

All dates and venues worldwide can be found at; https://www.banffcentre.ca/banffmountainfestival/tour 

A wider variety of films can also be bought and viewed online at https://www.banffcentre.ca/banffmountainfestival/onlinefilms