Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival 2024 in Banff & Jasper National Parks

Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival takes place every fall in Banff, Alberta. It gathers lots of adventurers, writers, photographers, and film directors from all over the world. The international film competition is dedicated to short films and documentaries about mountains, mountain sports, and the environment. The aim of the festival's book competition is similar to celebrate mountain and adventure literature.

Banff Centre Film Competition

About 70 films are selected from more than 300 entries by a pre-screening committee to be shown at the festival. During the festival, the jury chooses the best films and gives them awards. Banff Festival films feature a range of themes—climbing, skiing, kayaking, biking, and adventure. All feature films are showcased at the festival, which offers great networking opportunities for filmmakers and industry enthusiasts.

Banff Centre Book Competition

The film portion of the festival is followed by the Banff Mountain Book Festival, which is dedicated to mountain literature and features meetings with authors, readings, seminars, and an international book competition. Being an internationally recognized literary competition, this event draws in the best of the mountain literature genre, with more than $29,000 in prize money to the authors. This year's book competition jury includes Gloria Dickie, Anthony Whittome, and Marni Jackson.

Other Events & Attractions

During the festival, visitors can stop by the Festival Marketplace, which offers the event's souvenirs and free presentations. Music is another integral part of the festival and is usually performed during happy hour. You'll also find several mountain art exhibitions at the venue.

Location & Tickets

Every autumn, the Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival is generously hosted by the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. The picturesque resort town of Banff is located within Banff National Park and nestled near the Canadian Rockies mountain range. The peaks of the mountains can be clearly seen from the town's streets. Calgary is situated 79 miles (127 km) from Banff. Tickets to the festival range from $20 to $42, with all-day films costing $70 up to $78.

World Tour

After the festival is over, a selection of the best films goes on tour to visit 550 cities in 40 countries, reaching the 220,000 audience. The tour usually kicks off in early December and spans all throughout the globe, stopping in cities in Italy, Argentina, the UK, Japan, Romania, and many other countries. The screenings feature a pick of six or eight films, with each city's program being different.

History of the Festival

The festival was founded in 1976 as the Banff Festival of Mountaineering Films by The Banff Centre. Attended by 500 attendees, who had to cram into a theatre with only 250 seats, the festival was an instant hit and has been growing ever since.