Mountainfilm on Tour
Yesterday I returned to Nashville’s Main Public library, but this time there was no intent to study. Four friends and I went to check out Telluride Mountainfilm on Tour – two hours of short films shown for FREE Saturday afternoon.
The advertisement for this event said, “These are films with a purpose – come to be inspired!” Sounded promising to me, but I had no idea what to expect walking into the library.
The event started with a 25 minute film called Brothers Wild. This piece documents the adventures of the two O’Neil brothers while they conquer climbing Yosemite’s El Capitan and Peak 6000 in Alaska’s Ruth Gorge. The catch: one brother is paralyzed from the waist down. This episode is part of the First Ascent series by Sender Films. The scenery was stunning as this film captures their incredible, seemingly impossible, story.
Following Brothers Wild, we watched a short on a Scottish ski resort, another on a man who spends his time swimming in the Yellowstone River, and part of a film on the extreme sports pioneers. There were also two clever animated films.
My favorite from the event was a film that won an Oscar for Best Documentary short. Music by Prudence follows a Zimbabwean woman who is the lead singer of Liyana, a band that sings for social change. Each member of the band lives with a disability. Listen to their music and read about the members of Liyana here. This documentary is thought provoking and powerful. Prudence’s story illustrates true struggle as she searches for purpose and community.
After this sample of films on Tour, I was compelled to look into the Mountainfilm Festival – a festival held annually in Telluride, Colorado. As my friend Scott put it, “A film festival devoted to outdoor sports and all things inspirational? I think we are going to have to plan an epic summer roundtrip around this.”
This festival is definitely going on my bucket list. Getting caught up in spring finals, sometimes it’s easy to forget how exciting learning can be… I challenge someone to watch this and tell me Mountainfilm does not look like an interesting and unique experience!