With 13 films, mostly shorts, delving on the subject of how adventure freaks come over odds, the Banff Mountain Film Festival, presented by Columbia Sportswear, aims to inculcate among Indians a culture of going outdoors.
A day long fest, it has already travelled to Surat and Mumbai, and will be heading to Pune (April 12), Delhi (April 17), Vadodara (April 26), Nasik (May 12), Leh (Septemeber 6). The dates for Bengaluru, Mussoorie, and Kolkata are being finalised.
"These are short films ranging from a few minutes to about half hour...some of them are special edits only for the festival. The films were selected to cater to a wide audience, cover different adventure activities and inspire the audience to take to a life of adventure," Divyesh Muni, secretary of the Himalayan Club, the organisers, told IANS.
The Himalayan Club has been screening the Banff Festival in India since 2001. Till last year, screenings were done only in Mumbai and occasionally in Delhi, but this year they are going all out for a multi-city tour.
While activities covered in films at the festival range from rock climbing, parasailing, skiing, mountain biking, ice climbing and trail running, one such movie is on Vasu Sojitra, an adaptive skier who overcame the odds despite an amputated leg.
"It is an inspirational film that showcases how one can overcome a tragedy," said Khyati V. Bhinde, vice president, Chogori India Retail Ltd., Columbia.
"We are here to inculcate a culture of going outdoors. We believe in the real outdoors and want people to move away from the mundane, explore nature and experience the joys that it has to offer," added Bhinde, who believes that "adventure tourism has seen a sharp rise across the country".
"We see a paradigm shift where people are taking to the outdoors even on weekends and during short breaks. The Banff Festival showcases and celebrates the achievements of great adventurers to inspire people to keep trying but we urge people to do so responsibly and under appropriate supervision and guidance from experts using the right gear," she said.
