The College of the Rockies and the MAST program successfully presented the first annual Fernie Mountain Film Festival last year.
This year over the weekend of February 29th & March 1st the Fernie Community Centre will be filled with a diverse crowd eager to enjoy an unprecedented lineup of interesting and thought-provoking films.
It all began when Brian Bell, MAST Program Coordinator and Jon Turk, internationally acclaimed writer, recognized an opportunity. Fernie possesses the rich elements of artistic culture and community involvement that are hallmarks of successful film festivals in other mountain centres – why not have a festival of our own? Jon's efforts in obtaining a lineup combined with those of many volunteers to turn this opportunity into a reality. With films such as Being Caribou (best Environmental film, Telluride Mountain Film Festival), and Light of the Himalaya (Best of Festival: Documentary, Breckenridge Festival of Film), last year's FMFF created an annual event anticipated by many.
The goal of this year’s festival is to increase the profile of the event, encourage exposure for new artists, and create awards that will become respected in the film and mountain culture industry.
This year marks our incorporation as a not-for-profit society, and as in the past, we hope to donate a portion of any profits from the FMFF to the Ghostrider Adventure Camp. This camp offers opportunities for outdoor pursuits to local children who might not otherwise be able to enjoy what our mountain culture has to offer.