Banff Film Festival stops at Calvin

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It's an opportunity to paddle the wildest waters and to climb the highest peaks. On Wednesday, April 6, for the first time, Calvin is hosting The Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour.
   
"Think of it as National Geographic meets X-Games," said James Skillen, a Calvin professor of environmental studies, who is helping to coordinate the event.
   
The three-hour festival features a sampling of films shown at the annual Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival, held each fall in Banff, Canada. The films make an annual tour of more than 360 locations worldwide.
   
"Prior to this year you had to drive to Chicago, Lansing, or Ann Arbor to see it," said Skillen, who has made the trip to see the series almost every year since 2002. "This event will appeal to anyone who enjoys the outdoors, adventure and diverse cultures."
   
Each of the world tour sites chooses a selection of the 25-30 films on tour. Skillen says that some of the films being featured on April 6 include the following::
   
"Fly or Die" - World-class climber Dean Potter combines free solo climbing and base jumping, on his quest to lead a daring evolution of the sport.
   
"Stones into Schools" - Based on his best selling book, this film gives a behind-the-scenes look at Greg Mortenson's inspiring work to build schools in war-ravaged Afghanistan.
   
"Into Darkness" - A group of cavers heads beneath the surface, pushing through small passages, to access some of the final frontiers on earth.
   
"The Longest Way" - A five-minute highly entertaining time lapse of a one-year walk from Beijing to Urumqi.
   
Skillen says the films generally focus on outdoor recreation, geography and international development.
   
"While it tackles some challenging issues, it is fundamentally a celebration of what we see as God's creation," said Skillen, "and there couldn't be anything more reformed than celebrating God's glory."
   
The films will be shown from 7 to 10 p.m. in Calvin's Covenant Fine Arts Center auditorium. General admission for the event is $10. Student and group rates are $5.
   
For more info, contact the Calvin College Box Office at 616-526-6282 or contact Skillen at 616-526-7546.

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Received on Wed Mar 23 08:53:50 2011