The iconic mountain film tour is coming back to Jasper Sept. 18 and 19, bringing adventure, adrenaline and mountain culture to the Jasper Activity Centre.
The Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour is coming back.
The for the first time in years, the world’s best mountain films will be shown in Jasper, with two screenings planned at the Jasper Activity Centre on Sept. 18 and 19.
Presented by the Jasper Yellowhead Historical Society, the screenings will bring a selection of the festival’s iconic adventure and mountain-culture films to the Multi Purpose Hall for one evening showing and one matinee. The films’ subject matter span a variety of mountain sports and themes, but Jasper audiences may be most interested in Robson, the 49 minute documentary which profiles two world-class ski mountaineers attempting a daring face of Mount Robson’s South Face.
For local volunteer Warren Waxer and other members of the selection committee, the film was an easy choice.
“The Friday night program was a cinch,” he said. “The skiing of Robson, we thought that has to be shown.”
Other Friday films showcase downhill skateboarding, mountain biking and an inspiring portrait of a veteran boulderer. Old Man Lightning won the 2025 BMFF’s award for best climbing film.
Waxer describes the film as “very human, and very inspiring,” while acknowledging that its subject is also “a rough character, but somewhat relatable.”
For Waxer, the return of the festival has a familiar feel. The longtime Jasperite helped bring the Best of Banff to Jasper for three consecutive years in the mid-to-late 1980s as part of the local film club, before the now-shuttered Chaba Theatre eventually picked up the programming.
Now, with Jasper without a movie theatre, Waxer and the Jasper Musuem are trying to resurrect the tradition. And although the venue may be different, Waxer is confident the movie experience will hold up. The Activity Centre has upgraded audio and a large screen, while a high-quality projector supplied by local audiophile Tommy K has been approved by the Banff festival’s technical team.
“You’re gonna forget you’re in the multipurpose hall and you’re gonna be absorbed in the film,” Waxer said.
Along with five other films showcasing climbing, big line skiing, biking and the power of community, the Saturday matinee program features Beyond Parallels, a documentary following adventurers crossing Canada’s far north, a 6,900 km journey by bike, canoe, sailboat and foot.
Waxer and the organizing committee watched roughly 30 films across four programs before settling on the two Jasper offerings.
The festival has grown considerably since its early days, when mountaineering and climbing dominated the lineup. Today, the programs span a range of sports and mountain cultures, with Waxer noting that “there’s really something for everyone.”
And then there are the prizes.
Following a long-standing BMFF tradition, attendees at both Jasper screenings will have a chance to win door prizes donated by local sponsors. The grand prize is particularly enticing: two tickets for a Rocky Mountaineer journey next summer.
The screenings take place Sept. 18 at 7 p.m. and Sept. 19 at 1 p.m. at the Jasper Activity Centre. The event will include bar service and available refreshments.
The JYHS plans to make the screenings an annual event for at least the next five years, with proceeds supporting its fundraising efforts.
For a town still hoping a permanent theatre will once again someday be part of the community fabric, the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour is a chance to escape to mountain faces, mountain trails and mountain cultures across the globe.
Tickets are available at the Jasper Yellowhead Museum and Archives or via the museum’s website.
Bob Covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com
