Bishop - World film festival tour to make annual stop in Bishop

For the 17th year in a row, the Banff Mountain Film Festival will be making a stop in Bishop as part of its tour of more than 40 states and 35 nations.
Once again the festival is sponsored by Wilson’s Eastside Sports and the Inyo Council for the Arts. The 16 movies, eight different ones each night, are a selection of the 263 entries the Banff Center for Mountain Culture received this year.
Bishop is the tour’s only stop on the East side of the Sierra and a special two-day, weekend gig. The tour rarely stops for more than a day in one place, and it’s even harder to get a weekend slot.
James Wilson, owner of Wilson’s Eastside Sports, said Monday that the films are a chance for locals to “get out,” even during the cold spell of early spring.

Wilson explained that the original reason for getting the tour to Bishop was, simply, because he and friends “wanted to see the movies.”
The Bishop shows have gradually grown from being held at Bishop Union High School, which could only hold 400 guests, to its location for the last three years, the Tri-County Fairgrounds. Wilson said that there are now crowds of more than 650 in attendance each night.
It’s hard to categorize the festival as “climbing and mountain films,” as the subject matter of the productions vary from kayaking in New Guinea to the life of a family in the impoverished Peruvian Andes.
“Shikashika” is the story of a Peruvian family that travels to great heights in the Andes to collect blocks of ice from glaciers. The family takes the ice to town to make sweet, shaved ice treats called shikashika.

Sonny Trotter earning frequent flier miles in the film “If You’re Not Falling,” one of 16 features to be shown this weekend when the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour stops in Bishop. Photo by Cory Richards, courtesy of Banff Centre

There are other films that focus on mountain culture and environmental challenges.
The film “Red Gold,” which won the People’s Choice Award, is the story of the battle between mining and a unique way of life that is threatened by the mine. At the headwaters of the Kvichak and Nushagak rivers in Bristol Bay, Alaska, the two largest remaining sockeye salmon runs on the planet, mining companies are proposing to extract what could be the richest deposits of gold and copper in the world. The film presents both sides of the story, as an entire culture is dependent on the salmon runs, and the world’s dependency on precious metals is growing to feed the technology market.
And, as with almost every year, there is a film that was shot locally. “The Sharp End: Lisa Rands” highlights local Rands, ranked as one of the top female climbers in the world, pulling hard in her backyard, Buttermilk.
Other films to be screened include Friday’s lineup of “99 Days on Ice,” the ultimate test of a relationship – crossing the Arctic together. “Crux” is the story of three athletes redefining technical riding standards with their bicycle mastery. “Dosage V: Meltdown” chronicles young climber Beth Rodden making the first ascent of Meltdown. “If You’re Not Falling” stars Canadian rock legend Sonny Trotter in Scotland taking some outlandish falls. “The Last Frontier” is about caving and kayaking through the pristine water, habitat and intact indigenous culture of Papua, New Guinea. There is even an animated short piece entitled “Papiorflexia,” a tale told through origami. “The Sharp End: Eastern Europe” highlights the unique culture and danger in a climbing destination and “Silent Snow” is about two girls in northern Greenland observing the dangers of pollution.
The films on Saturday include another animated piece, “The Cable Car,” about an old man, some snuff and a rickety cable car. “The Fine Line” is a cutting edge winter sports combined with avalanche awareness piece that Wilson described as “scary looking.” “Patagonian Winter” is about Andy Kirkpatrick and Ian Parnells’ attempt at a first winter ascent of Torre Egger (watch to see if they succeed). “Red Helmet” is a ski tale about overcoming fear with a magic red helmet. “Red Gold,” “The Sharp End: Lisa Rands” and “Shikashika” all show Saturday as well.
The films will be playing at 7 p.m., Friday, March 27 and Saturday, March 28. Tickets are $10. For more information, call 873-7520.
All proceeds benefit the ICA.