‘BANFF Mountain Film Festival World Tour’ Brought Mountain Adventures to the Big Screen in Santa Barbara

The BANFF Mountain Film Festival World Tour rolled back into Santa Barbara March 5-6 for the 33rd time as more than 4,000 adventure film enthusiasts filled the Arlington Theatre across two nights, excited to catch a glimpse of stunning scenery, incredible feats of adventure, and daredevil exploits that can leave you breathless.

This UCSB Arts & Lectures annual favorite event is curated and hosted by crowd favorite Roman Baratiak, UCSB Arts & Lectures Associate Director Emeritus, who proclaimed to the crowd upon announcing his title, “it’s just a fancy way to say I’m retired,” kicked things off on opening night with seven films from around the world that had a bit of something for everyone.

Eliot Jackson’s short film Drop the Mic started proceedings with a visually arresting mountain-bike ride through the woods as the titular character “scrub-whipped” his mountain bike down trails and over creeks and death-defying jumps.

Next up was the award-winning BANFF short film The Bird in My Backyard, chronicling one window salesman’s obsession with the tiny hummingbirds that lived in his urban backyard. It was a treat to see these almost miniscule creatures fill the giant screen of the Arlington.

Changing gears, we watched a father, daughter, and uncle from France seasick themselves across the infamous Drake Passage headed for Antarctica just so these renowned snowboarders and skiers, including 18-year-old Mila, could shred the unimaginably steep ice fields of the continent. Penguins, whales, and breathtaking cinematography enthralled us all.

Another short film got rapturous applause as it featured UCSB alum Katie Tannenbaum, an American athlete who competes in the little-known sport of skeleton racing in the film Sliding.

A crowd favorite of every BANFF World Tour is the intermission of the evening and raffle. Numerous prizes were on offer this year, including Adventure Bucks to use at UCSB as well as coffee from sponsor Kicking Horse, and the chance to win a trip to BANFF itself.

Rounding out the evening, the death-defying Wolf of Wingsuit had us all on the edge of our seats as we watched Avalon, an American wingsuit pilot, BASE jump from the towering mountains of Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland, as many times as he could.

Finally — and after a brief warning about the content — came the somber yet inspiring film, Dropping Molly. The roller-coaster story of Molly Mitchell as she attempted to climb one of Colorado’s most dangerous climbing routes, Crank It. It may sound simple, but Molly fell during one of her early attempts and broke her back — which was caught on camera — leading to an inspiring tale of self-discovery and growth.

And this was just night one!

The BANFF Mountain Film World Tour has become a fixture for many on their annual calendar and sells out each year. Be sure to add it to your must-do events and find out more at artsandlectures.ucsb.edu.