From breathtaking landscapes to harsh cold environments, the Varsity Outdoor Club showcases the beauty of the outdoors.
On their third year hosting the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival (VIMFF), the Varsity Outdoor Club (VOC) presented the Best of Fest Tour at the Norm Theatre on campus, making this exciting experience accessible to UBC students.
The 19th Annual VIMFF took place at various locations such as the Centennial and Rio Theatres during February 12-20. This nine-day film festival displayed a diverse range of mountain sports and culture films that occurred in 18 different countries. With 8100 festival goers, 26 shows and 77 films, nine days to screen them all and create a program was no easy feat for the VOC.
“This year, we have seven films that range from 5-40 minutes,” said Cora Skaien, organizer of the event. “It’s a good way to talk about the films, be inspired and be enthused to get out.”
The films that were selected and shown are Balloon Skiing, Eclipse, Expedition Q: Crossing Baffin Island, Mountain Bikes & Bothy, Operation Moffat, Stuart Range and Panorama.
“Operation Moffat and Expedition Q — the two that people will enjoy the most — they have a cultural as well as an adventure element,” said Skaien. “I generally try to get a good mixture of films that are more than just one type of adventure.”
Operation Moffat was the best mountain culture film by the BCMC, which was directed by Clair Carter and Jen Randall. Exploring Britain’s wildest places, we watch Carter and Randall as they follow in the footsteps of Britain’s first female mountain guide in search for something beautiful.
“These films are definitely interesting. I chose them because they show our appreciation, yet respect, for nature, are self-propelled with a good storyline and align with how we represent ourselves as a club,” said Skaien.
During the event, there were great door prizes including a year membership to the Aviary, membership to the Vancouver Rock Climbing Group, VOC t-shirts and much more.
While organized on a short timeline with many challenges, this event can be deemed successful as the people who attended were very satisfied with the films and the entire evening. All the proceeds will go towards to North Shore and Pemberton Search and Rescue.
The films each had their own unique spin
and, just like the VOC event, the challenges to get there made the journey all worth it.
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