Banff Mountain Film Festival in Morzine 2016

The main festival takes place in Banff in Canada every year and is a chance for film-makers from around the world to show their work. Out of around 300 films that are entered, 60 are short-listed and then winners are chosen out of a number of categories. Some of the best films are then taken on tour. That’s how the Banff Mountain Film Festival came to Morzine.

It’s a pretty good idea to bring films about the great outdoors to a town where people love nothing more than the mountains and extreme sports. It’s always going to go down well, and it did! Nearly all of the seats in the aged Cinema Rex were taken and everybody was captivated from the beginning of the showing.

The films were an eclectic mix from different corners of the world and from different sports. We were taken to Yosemite National Park to witness two women achieving the Women’s Speed Ascent Record on “The Nose”. We were then transported to China to learn about the man who is single handedly trying to save the nations river by making people fall in love with water sports. Then we came a little closer to home to follow runners as they try to complete the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc in Chamonix. We then had the opportunity to enjoy one of the most captivating, longer films of the evening. “Unbranded” told the tale of a group of cowboys travelling across West America to Canada on wild horses. All in order prove the value of Mustangs. It was emotional, funny, educational and incredible.

The second half was no less inspirational. From free diving in the cold lakes of Snowdonia, to people dedicating their lives building obstacles and trails for mountain biking, to competing in one of the most difficult climbing contests in the world. We also had the joy of watching as photographer Reuben Krabbe attempted to get an impossible photo of a skier in front of the 2015 solar eclipse in Svalbard, Norway.

It’s hard to do these amazing films justice by describing them on paper. They really have to be seen to be believed. We left Cinema Rex in complete awe of the people we had just watched and felt that really anything is possible when you want it badly enough. If you get the chance to see some of the films from this year's Banff Film Festival I really would try to watch them. They tell amazing inspirational stories about people, the world and the environment. Morzine was really lucky to host the films this year, and I for one, certainly hope they’ll be back again soon.

See where the tour is headed next in France via facebook.