FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE BANFF CENTRE MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL WORLD TOUR COMES TO PORTSMOUTH MARCH 13th & 14th PORTSMOUTH, March 4, 2019 -- Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour is making a stop in the Seacoast as a fundraiser for Goodwin Community Health and Families First. The annual event, now in its 24th year, will run on back-to-back nights, March 13th and 14th. Each night will feature a unique lineup of films that seek to inspire through stories of adventure, discovery and exploration in the outdoors. Attendees can come for one night or both. The 2019 BCMFF World Tour features a collection of adrenaline-charged and thought-provoking films that explore life in the great outdoors. They highlight remote cultures, intense expeditions into exotic landscapes and bring action sports into sharp focus. This world-renowned Film Festival invites attendees to get off the beaten path and explore the edge of the believable. The event takes place at The Music Hall in Portsmouth. Doors open at 6 p.m. and films begin at 7 p.m. Event proceeds assist local individuals and families in accessing quality, affordable primary and preventive health care services through Goodwin Community Health in Somersworth and Families First Health & Support Center in Portsmouth. “The films chosen for this year’s Banff Film Festival are awe-inspiring and amazingly diverse,” said Joann Neumann, Development Director for Families First and Goodwin Community Health. “The filming locations of these films span the globe, but this year we’re excited to include a story with some local interest - ‘For the Love of Mary,’ in which a 97-year-old man, George Etzweiler, competes annually in the grueling 7.6-mile race up Mt. Washington.” The festival will screen eight or nine different films each evening — including short, four-to-five minute films interspersed with longer, 35-plus-minute features. The Portsmouth stop of the 2019 Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour is sponsored in part by Digital Prospectors, The Sailmaker’s House, Coastal Canine Resort, CIT, Garrison Family Dental, Granite Bay Wealth Management, and Unitil.

Be moved. Be inspired. Don’t miss out. TICKETS/INFO Go online: TheMusicHall.org Call: 603.436.2400 Visit: The B2W Box Office at the Historic Theater, 28 Chestnut Street, Portsmouth, NH 03801 (open from noon - 6pm, Monday through Saturday.) SOCIAL MEDIA @BanffSeacoast Facebook: Banff Mountain Film Festival Seacoast NH #banffworldtour FILM LINEUP Wednesday, March 13

Rouge Elements: Corbet’s Couloir (2017, USA, 4 minutes) Filmmaker: Teton Gravity Research, Todd Jones https://www.tetongravity.com/ Anyone who has ever skied or snowboarded Jackson Hole knows just how nerve-racking it can be to send it into the infamous Corbet's Couloir, even in the best of conditions. Doing it in icy conditions on mountain bikes is nothing short of insane, and that's exactly what we did. RJ Ripper (2018, USA, 19 minutes) Filmmaker: Joey Schusler https://joeyschusler.com/ The chaotic streets of Kathmandu may not seem like a typical breeding ground for world-class mountain bikers, but then again nothing is typical about Rajesh (RJ) Magar and his beat-up clunker. The Beaver Believers: Meet Sherri Tippie (2018, USA, 12 minutes) Filmmaker: Sarah Koenigsberg https://www.thebeaverbelievers.com/ Sherri Tippie, a hairdresser / Certified Live Beaver Trapper is working to restore the North American Beaver, the most industrious, ingenious, furry little engineer, to the watersheds of the American West. This Mountain Life: Coast Range Traverse Segment (2018, Canada, 39 minutes) Filmmaker: Grand Baldwin, Jen Rustemeyer https://mountainlifefilm.com/

A mother-daughter team set out on a six-month ski traverse in the Coast Mountains of British Columbia, Canada. For the Love of Mary (2018, USA, 6 minutes) Filmmaker: Simon Perkins and Kirk Horton https://www.sharptailmedia.com/ When 97-year-old runner George Etzweiler dons his lucky ancient green running shorts, he's not just running to the summit of Mt. Washington. Etzweiler carries something else special with him: The memory of his late wife of 68 years. How to Run 100 Miles (2018, USA, 28 minutes) Filmmaker: Brendan Leonard https://Semi-rad.com, http://righttoshine Parental Guidance – Coarse Language The odds were stacked against Jayson Sime early in life: poverty, homelessness, dyslexia, bullying. But he learned to fight. In 2017, he entered his first 100-mile mountain ultramarathon, betting on his lifelong resilience to carry him to the finish line. Brotherhood of Skiing (2018, USA, 10 minutes) Directors: Colin Arisman and Tyler Wilkinson-Ray Producer: Faith E. Briggs http://www.wildconfluence.com/ Since 1973, the National Brotherhood of Skiers has overcome barriers by bringing soul, smiles and a party to the mountain. Viacruxis (2018, USA, 11 minutes) Filmmaker: Ignasi López Fàbregas https://www.facebook.com/viacruxishortfilm/ Marcel and Andrezj are a legendary pair of mountaineers. They have been the first ones to conquer the highest and hardest peaks. Despite their different temperaments, they make a great team. Now they face the biggest challenge: reaching the virgin summit of the highest mountain. Skier vs. Drone (2018, Canada, 4 minutes) Filmmaker: Mike Douglas http://www.switchbackentertainment.com It's the classic battle of man vs. machine, but Olympic Bronze Medalist ski racer Victor Muffat-Jeandet isn't worried.

FILM LINEUP Thursday, March 14

Far Out: Kai Jones (2018, USA, 5 minutes) Filmmaker: Teton Gravity Research https://www.tetongravity.com/ Eleven-year-old Kai Jones isn’t old enough to go to the movies alone or order a sandwich at the pub, but in the mountains age doesn’t matter. He is following in his family’s ski tracks… right into backflips and tricks off of cliffs. Fast Horse (2018, Canada, 14 Minutes) Filmmaker: Director: Alexandra Lazarowich* Producer: Niobe Thompson https://handfuloffilms.ca/about/ Parental Guidance – Coarse Language Fast Horse follows the return of the Blackfoot bareback horseracing tradition in a new form: The Indian Relay. Siksika horseman Allison Red Crow struggles to build a team with second-hand horses and a new jockey, Cody Big Tobacco, to take on the best riders in the Blackfoot Confederacy at the Calgary Stampede. Brothers of Climbing (2018, USA, 7 minutes) Filmmaker: Duncan Sullivan boccrew.com How can you be what you can’t see? Mikhail Martin, co-founder of Brothers of Climbing, said, “I literally typed, ‘Are there black climbers?’ in Google … someone said, ‘black people don’t climb.'” Divided (2018, Scotland, 39 minutes) Filmmaker: Lee Craigie & Mike Webster http://theadventuresyndicate.com/ Parental Guidance – Coarse Language Follow Lee and Rickie in this raw and real portrayal of the places we go emotionally when under extreme duress while riding 190 kilometers a day from Banff to Mexico.

For the Love of Mary (2018, USA, 6 minutes)

Filmmaker: Simon Perkins and Kirk Horton https://www.sharptailmedia.com/ When 97-year-old runner George Etzweiler dons his lucky ancient green running shorts, he's not just running to the summit of Mt. Washington. Etzweiler carries something else special with him: The memory of his late wife of 68 years. The Mirnavator (2017, USA, 11 minutes) Filmmaker: Sarah Menzies http://www.themirnavator.com/ Ultra-runners overcome obstacles with every stride. Force of Nature Mirna Valerio never thought she would have to overcome the negative voices that believe she doesn't belong in the sport. Reel Rock 12: Break on Through (2017, USA, 26 minutes) Filmmaker: Peter Mortimer, Matty Hong, Nick Rosen, Zachary Barr https://reelrocktour.com/films/ Parental Guidance: Coarse language Margo Hayes, a little-known 19 year old from Boulder, Colorado, has moved to Europe to train and climb with the goal of succeeding on two of the most iconic 5.15s in France and Spain. But by pushing her body and mind to the absolute limit, she risks injury and failure in her quest to be the first. The Frenchy (2018, USA, 13 minutes) Filmmaker: Michelle Smith http://www.michellescreative.com/ Parental Guidance – Coarse Language Jacques is an 82-year-old, badass athlete, but the real story is how he inspires us with his contagious love of life, epic tales of survival and his ability to counter aging through laughter.

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About the Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour: Immediately following the Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival, held annually in November in Banff, Alberta, Canada, a selection of the top films submitted to the Festival go on a tour around the world. Host organizations in each tour location help to choose a program that reflects the interests of their community, creating a unique celebration of adventure and adventurers at each stop. The World Tour spans the globe, reaching over 500,000 audience members.

About Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity: Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity is a learning organization built upon an extraordinary legacy of excellence in artistic and creative development. What started as a single course in drama has grown to become the global organization leading in arts, culture and creativity across dozens of disciplines. From our home in the stunning Canadian Rocky Mountains, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity aims to inspire everyone who attends our campus – artists, leaders, and thinkers – to unleash their creative potential. For details about the Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival, the World Tour and Banff Centre, please contact: Lauren Schmidt Ph: 403.762.6401 Email: lauren_schmidt@banffcentre.ca Website: www.banffcentre.ca Screenings of the Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour in Canada and the USA are presented by Rab and Banff and Lake Louise Tourism; sponsored by Deuter, Clif Bar & Company, Mountain House, Oboz Footwear, Yeti Coolers, Buff® and Sierra Nevada Brewing; with support from Petzl, Kicking Horse Coffee, World Expeditions, The Lake Louise Ski Resort, and Mammut.

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Media contact Lara Willard, Goodwin Community Health, 603-516-2558, lwillard@GoodwinCH.org, www.GoodwinCH.org