Looking to ignite your wild imagination, stoke your longing to break free and go and do and see, to quench that ever-burning desire inside of you for heart-thumping adventure in some impossibly beautiful far-off corner of the world???

The Banff Mountain Film Festival, when it returns to Portland this week - Tuesday, February 12th at the Merrill Auditorium, 7:30 PM - is sure to do just that and more.

Miss it and you will have missed the premier adventure film fest of the year!

Do plan on coming, but beware! For your very own safety and that of the attendees around you, you may need to be on belay, complete with climbing helmet, harness and rope, carabinered securely to your seat, as scenes of incredible adventure play out before your eyes.

And maybe, just maybe, that will be enough to hold you. But there's no guarantee.

Should you fly out of your seat and sail head-long for the silver screen, you may find yourself suddenly...

Scaling some rock face overhanging the ocean, or gripping a spindly ice pinnacle and clawing your way ever upward toward the sky...

Skiing mountain terrain of an unheard of scale, making perfect, endless telemark turns through deep, soft, magnificent powder...

Paddling fierce whitewater as it slices through steep canyon walls and heaves and hurdles you and your boat down river...

Letting yourself fly off the lip of a precipice and free-falling toward the earth and hoping like hell that your chute really does open, but somehow not really caring...

Ahhh... adventure! With a capital A. That's the Banff Mountain Film Festival.

I wouldn't miss it for the world. You shouldn't either. If you're a veteran BMFF goer you know damn well just what I mean.

Be there! At the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour, back in Portland at the Merrill Auditorium, 7:30 pm, Tuesday, February 12, 2008.

You are planning to be there, aren't you?! I mean, what else would you do?!

Get your tickets at these friendly local outdoor retailers:

* Nomads, 100 Commercial Street (Thomas Building) in Portland (347.7464; Mon-Sat 10-6, Sun 11-5
* Eastern Mountain Sports (EMS), 87 Marginal Way in Portland (541.1919; Mon-Sat 9-9, Sun 11-6
* Arlberg Ski & Sport (2 locations): Scarborough, Rt. 1, Oak Hill Plaza (between Burger King & McDonalds), 883-2878; Sun- Sat 10AM-7PM or Freeport, 15 Main Street (across from fire station), 865-0077; Sun - to Sat 10 AM-7 PM

Tix will also be available at the Merrill Auditorium box office after 6:30 PM on the day of show. Please note: Credit cards will NOT be accepted, just cash or check (with personal ID).

Film Menu for Banff Mountain Film Festival
Portland, Maine
Merrill Auditorium
Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Balance

Canada, 2006, 11 minutes; Directed and produced by Paul Cotton
Focus: Skiing
Balance profiles the rapidly growing world of new-school skiing, looking at all aspects of the sport: big mountain lines, terrain parks and half-pipes, and jibbing. This film captures the athletes’ desires to push the edge of their abilities while facing the obvious safety risks associated with high calibre skiing. With high-energy footage cut to an upbeat soundtrack, the audience is challenged to judge whether these athletes are crazy or just extremely talented, or maybe both. (Note: this is a change in the film previously announced)

King Lines: Es Pontas

USA, 2007, 13 minutes
Directed and produced by Josh Lowell and Peter Mortimer
Focus: Climbing

A segment from King Lines, filmed on location in Mallorca, Spain. This spectacular segment captures Chris Sharma’s challenging ascent of the Es Pontas arch. Deep water soloing at its best.

Wings on Your Feet (Le ali ai piedi)

Switzerland, 2006, 25 minutes
Directed and produced by Fulvio Mariani
Focus: Telemark Skiing/Culture
John Falkiner and Paolo Tassi — two charming characters, untiring powder hunters, and free telemark interpreters — tell us about their dreams and why they have chosen skiing as their true lifestyle. Whooshing through Fulvio Mariani’s camera shots, they guide us on journeys of discovery and friendship in magnificent landscapes around the world.

Climber

Canada, 2007, 2 minutes
Directed by Carlos Villarreal-Kwasek
Produced by Vancouver Film School
Focus: Climbing, Animation
Rating: General

A climber attempts an icy route and faces his inner demon in this animated short.

In-Flux

France, 2005, 17 minutes
Directed and produced by David Arnaud
Focus: Kayaking

In-Flux is about the true meaning of paddling: the perpetual need to go and travel the globe with your kayak in search of the magic something you can find only on the river. Shot in Italy, Canada, Norway, and the Reunion islands, the film combines adrenaline-driven action and remarkable natural wonders.

20 Seconds of Joy

Best Film on Mountain Sports and People’s Choice Award
Germany, 2007, 60 minutes
Directed by Jens Hoffmann
Produced by Clenonice Comino
Focus: BASE jumping, Human Narrative
“I don’t want to die, I want to live. I’m pretty good at running away, and this is my escape!” This is how Karina Hollekim describes her dedication to BASE jumping. Documentary filmmaker Jens Hoffman first met the now 30-year-old Norwegian in 2002. He immediately started to film, accompanying her through many stages of her BASE-jumping career and life of over five years of risk.

Thanks as always to my good friend Tom Widing at Chestnut Mtn Productions for bringing the show here.