Students seeking an adrenaline rush can live vicariously through the B.A.S.E. jumpers, skiers, mountain bikers, rock climbers, speedfliers and unicyclists featured in the Best of the 32nd Annual Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour.

Campbell Hall is screening its second evening of films from the festival tonight at 7:30 p.m. Limited tickets are available for $10 to students and $12 to the general public at the Arts & Lectures box office.

The Banff World Tour brings 15 of the festival’s best films and videos to UCSB on subjects ranging from adventure and extreme sports, to mountain culture and the environment in exotic locations like the volcanic island of El Hierro and the Réunion islands, according to a press release.

Films and Lectures Manager Roman Baratiak said that Arts & Lectures has screened films from the Banff Festival Tour to sold-out audiences for 14 years. He said the films focus on various aspects of mountain culture like skiing, kayaking and B.A.S.E. jumping and highlight the spirit of outdoor adventure and athleticism.

“The longer films are human dramas focusing on the exhilarating lives and in-depth accounts of athletes,” Baratiak said.

Tonight’s films include “Ain’t Got No Friends on a Powder Day,” “Climber” and “Aerialist,” as well as five others. The styles range from live action feature length movies to short animated films.

Baratiak said that the Banff World Tour originated as an annual film festival in Western Canada. Banff National Park is one of the world’s premier destination spots and a center for mountain culture, and was also Canada’s first national park, according to its Web site, www.banffnationalpark.com.

Baratiak said the tour begins in Canada as a full festival, and then the best of the films go on to multiple world cities.

“The town sponsors a mountain photography contest and a film festival every year,” Baratiak said. “The film festival lasts three days, screens over 120 films and attracts prominent guest speakers. The Banff World Tour then brings the best films from the Canadian festival to over 250 cities internationally.”

Print