BANFF Mountain Film Festival Coming to WNY
BANFF Mountain Film Festival Coming to WNY
Two Day Event, Sponsored by Holiday Valley Resort and Other Great Establishments is Making a Stop at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute in Jamestown, NY.
There aren’t too many places in the U.S. that are located just five miles from one of the highest navigable lakes in North America, fewer than 30 miles from the southernmost Great Lake, and 35 miles from two ski resorts in the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains. Yes, it’s this location and so much more that make Jamestown’s Roger Tory Peterson Institute the ideal host for the Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival, which will take place across two days: Friday, April 21 and Saturday, April 22.
“We are excited to once again bring the Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour to the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts,” said Jill Bornand, marketing and communications officer for the RTPI. This year’s ticket also includes an all-access weekend pass to the RTPI, the perfect place to celebrate Earth Day and enjoy yet another stand-out offering of the region.
Holiday Valley has been a proud sponsor of the Banff World Tour since it started coming to Jamestown over 15 years ago. “The Roger Tory Peterson Institute is so unique and special to this area,” said Dash Hegeman, director of marking at Holiday Valley. “The Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival is an annual tour that brings incredible artists together to create incredible films that showcase all the best aspects of mountain culture. The tour reaches more than 40 countries on seven continents and is the largest adventure film tour on the planet. Naturally, we’re thrilled that the tour comes to RTPI and are always excited to support it here locally!”
2023 marks the 17th year that the RTPI has hosted the tour, and it is the only organization in western New York to host the festival. In past years, the festival was a one-day event during the week; this year is unique in that it is a weekend-long event. “One of our goals is to bring visitors to the region to explore all we have to offer,” Bornand explained. “We hope that visitors will come for both nights and stay the night to enjoy the area.” Toward that end, the DoubleTree by Hilton in Jamestown is offering a special 15% discount to festival goers who use promo code “RTP.”
The RTPI will be open from 10:00am-4:00pm on Friday and Saturday and from 1:00-5:00pm on Sunday during the festival weekend. Just a short 10-minute drive from downtown Jamestown, the RTPI is a great place to visit during the day before attending the film festival in the evening. “Hike our nature trails through the Peterson Preserve, then come inside The Lodge - designed by famed architect Robert A.M. Stern - and enjoy ‘Hope is the Thing with Feathers: Contemporary Women Nature Artists’,” said Bornand. “This exhibition features artwork by five women who explore the powerful yet fragile nature of birds and the ecosystems on which they depend for their very lives.”
From legendary comedienne Lucille Ball, to former U.S. Attorney General and Supreme Court Justice Robert H. Jackson, to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Jamestown is the hometown of quite a few influential individuals, not the least of whom is Roger Tory Peterson. The son of Swedish and German immigrants, Peterson was born in Jamestown in 1908 and developed an early love - and talent - for sketching and painting birds and nature. After graduating high school, he traveled to New York City where he worked his way through art school by painting furniture. An art teacher by day, Peterson published his first book, “A Field Guide to the Birds,” known as the first modern field guide, in 1934. Subsequent field guides and his own Peterson Identification System put Peterson on the map as one of the foremost contributors to the American Conservation Movement of the 20th century.
“Hosting the Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour is one of the ways we nurture artists and art that matters to the planet,” said Bornand. On Friday and Saturday nights beginning at 7:00pm, over a dozen films that range in length from five minutes to 45 minutes will feature landscapes captured by filmmakers from all over the world. For example, “A Baffin Vacation,” a 12-minute Canadian film, follows Erik Boomer and Sarah McNair-Landry on their 45-day expedition through Baffin Island in search of stunning cliffs to climb and unexplored rivers to kayak. “REEL Rock 16: Cenote,” a nine-minute film by Americans Reed Rickert, Zachary Barr, and Reel Rock, follows a young papaya farmer who discovers the joy of climbing crystalline limestone sinkholes on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.
Hegeman is looking forward to this two-day event, which is a great opportunity for locals and visitors. “Honestly, I’m thrilled that such a great film festival comes to an incredible venue in this area,” he said. “Many of the people who go to this festival at RTPI are guests of Holiday Valley and so it’s great to be able to support the festival and see those guests outside of the resort setting. In terms of what I’m most looking forward to, it’s the artistic creativity of the films. Every year is something new and it’s really exciting to see what the film makers create.”
Tickets are available now through the RTPI at https://rtpi.org/events/banff2023/. One-day and discounted two-day tickets are available, as well as discounted tickets for active military members, students, children, and seniors. Those looking to upgrade their experience can purchase VIP one or two-day tickets. “VIPs are invited to a special opening night reception from 5:30-6:30pm on Friday, April 21,” said Bornand. “VIPs also enjoy special reserved seating in the best seats in the house, both Friday and Saturday.”
The RTPI recognizes the following sponsors who make the film festival possible: Holiday Valley, Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth, Jamestown Local Development Corporation, City of Jamestown, Fund for Downtown Programming, Summit Wealth Management, Media One Radio Group, ERA Team VP Real Estate & Vacation Rentals, Loud Performance, and Team 1 Insurance. Bornand said, “As someone who has gone to the film festival many times, what keeps me coming back is the celebration of beautiful film making, inspiring storytelling and outdoor adventure.”