If you’re a weekend warrior who snaps on skis, climbs walls at indoor gyms or laces up hiking boots — or even lives vicariously through the tales of outdoor adventurers — then get ready to sit back and watch some crazy exploits on screen.
The stories of mountaineers who have journeyed to the far ends of the earth will unfold at Port Moody’s Inlet Theatre on Saturday and Sunday as part of the 19th annual Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival.
It’s the first time organizers have brought the fest to the Tri-Cities. And programming director Tom Wright said it was about time given the number of outdoor enthusiasts living here.
Typically, the fest runs at Centennial Theatre in North Vancouver and at the Rio Theatre and The Cinematheque in Vancouver “but we wanted to try to capture the people in Coquitlam, Port Moody and Port Coquitlam as well because it can be a long drive out,” he said.
“There are a lot of people in the Tri-Cities who are interested in mountain sports and hopefully a lot of them will come out to see the shows that we have.”
An avid rock climber, skier and mountaineer, Wright said most of the 74 flicks picked for the festival are current — filmed either this and last year or in 2014, in 18 different countries — and provide plenty of gasps for the audience.
In Port Moody, the lineup starts Saturday at 2 p.m. with a series of family films. The first is a 3D movie that traces National Geographic explorer Jon Bowermaster as he heads down the coast of Antarctica by sea kayak and sailboat.
The Alps form the theme for Saturday night while, on Sunday afternoon, the program includes a flick about the American emergency room doctors (and “all-round mountain nutcases”) Andy and Jason Dorais.
The Port Moody selection concludes Sunday night with award-winning films about alpine life: Cailleach, Denali and Unbranded.
Wright said not only are the subject matters intoxicating but the cinematography is also jaw-dropping. “Some of these films now have pretty big budgets so they can use some of the best Cineflex technology on the bottom of helicopters.”
• The Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival runs Feb. 13 and 14 at Inlet Theatre (100 Newport Dr., Port Moody). Visit vimff.org.
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