The South African leg of the popular Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour 2013
screens countrywide from Friday 25 October at select Ster-Kinekor theatres.
Hosted by Cape Union Mart for the eighth consecutive year, the festival brings the
best of adventure and outdoor lifestyle documentaries to local shores.
Produced by the world’s finest outdoor filmmakers, this extraordinary series of films
portray death-defying mountain-based adventures, outstanding sportsmanship and
breath-taking scenery.
The 2013 World Tour is a must-see for outdoor lifestyle enthusiasts and everyone
with a spirit for adventure. Exhilarating and provocative, filmgoers will experience
highlights from a selection of adventure sports, including mountain biking, climbing,
alpine skiing and mountain expeditions, and will also be transported on a journey to
visit far-flung cultures and some of the wonderful wild places in the world.
Two highlights of the festival are the films Crossing the Ice and Gimp Monkeys.
Crossing the Ice is a harrowing film about two Australian friends and adventurers who
tackle the perilous journey across Antarctica to the South Pole and back again,
completely unassisted. Gimp Monkeys reveals the astounding accomplishments of
three disabled climbing friends in their attempt to complete the first all-disabled
ascent of the iconic El Capitan in the Yosemite National Park in the US.
Evan Torrance, Cape Union Mart’s marketing director, says: “The local leg of the tour
is increasingly popular with South African adventure film fans each year, which is a
great confirmation of how passionate South Africans are about the outdoors. They
love the fact that the film festival gives them an opportunity to be part of an
exhilarating worldwide adventure. In the last two years tickets sold out early, and
depending on how this year goes, we may well need to consider extending the local
leg next year.’
For the first time, the South African leg of the festival also includes the screening of
the winner of Cape Union Mart’s Adventure Film Challenge 2013, a local competition
aimed at encouraging emerging filmmakers to capture South Africa’s local outdoor
adventure lifestyles.
“We were blown away by the quality of the entries for the Cape Union Mart Adventure
Film Challenge competition this year. We’re hoping that by screening the winner of
the Cape Union Mart Adventure Film Challenge during the local leg of the Banff World
Tour, we can inspire more local filmmakers to try their hand at producing short films
that convey the contrasting adventure landscape in South Africa,’ Torrance concludes.
Some of the other short films featured in the 2013 Banff Mountain Film Festival line-
up include:
• 1st Afghan Ski Challenge: Racing with a true spirit of camaraderie, nationals
take part in the first-ever downhill racing competition in Afghanistan.
• Being There: A group of fun-loving free skiers take their sport to the slopes and
high into the stratosphere with their unbelievable athleticism and determination.
• Lily Shreds Trailside: Lily, a Jack Russell Terrier, is a mascot for MtnRanks.com
and loves running on the Trailside Bike Park in Park City, Utah. She is a true
“adventure’ dog as she follows right behind the bike during the entire course.
• Reel Rock 7: Wide Boyz-veteran climber Mark Synnott brings young climbing
stars Alex Honnold and James Pearson to the Ennedi Plateau in Chad to explore its
untouched landscapes.
• The Rollerman: Rolling daredevil Jean-Yves Blondeau flies down mountain roads
wearing a futuristic body suit covered with wheels.
• Wingsuit Downhill Target Punch: Alexander Polli literally breaks through the
barriers of what is possible in human flight when he flies his wing suit towards a
special slalom gate.
• Wanna Ride?: Speed-riders Maxence Cavalade and François Bon perform a
harmonious, beautiful aerial duet in the French Alps.
Visit www.banff.co.za for more information.
The Banff Mountain Film Festival screens at five Ster-Kinekor cinemas across the
country from 25 October to 1 November 2013.
The Ster-Kinekor sites hosting the festival are:
• Cavendish Square and Tygervalley Centre in Cape Town from 25 October to 1
November (three extra screenings have been added due to high demand);
• Sandton City in Johannesburg from 25 October to 1 November;
• Brooklyn Mall in Pretoria from 25 to 31 October;
• Gateway Centre in Durban – one screening only on 1 November.
Ticket prices are the same as a standard Ster-Kinekor ticket and can be booked online
via www.sterkinekor.com or call Ticketline on 082 16789.
